I wanted to be ready for anything they threw at me.
And the more I dug, the more I realized something.
My parents were broke.
Or at least close to it.
They had always acted rich.
My dad had a decent job. My mom liked to show off at charity events. And Ethan lived like he had an endless trust fund.
But as I looked through old bank records my grandfather had kept, I noticed something disturbing.
My parents had been taking loans.
Lots of them.
Credit lines.
Refinancing the house.
Cash advances.
I sat back, my heart pounding.
This wasn’t just about greed.
This was desperation.
That’s why they needed my inheritance so badly.
Not just for Ethan, but to bail themselves out.
And suddenly, I had an idea.
A way to turn the tables on them completely.
The next time I heard from them was through their lawyer.
They wanted a settlement.
Basically, they were offering to drop the case if I gave them a “reasonable portion” of the inheritance.
My lawyer called me after reviewing their offer.
“They’re asking for 60%,” she said, almost laughing.
I shook my head.
“Unbelievable.”
“They’re trying to act like they’re being generous,” she continued. “But honestly, this just makes them look worse. It shows they don’t actually believe they can win in court.”
I grinned.
“Then let’s make sure they lose.”
I told her to reject the settlement.
And then I made a few phone calls of my own.
I dug deep into their finances.
I found out just how much they owed, how many late payments they had, how they were on the verge of losing everything.
Then I sent an anonymous tip to some financial reporters about a certain well-known family living beyond their means.
A few weeks later, an article dropped about local families drowning in debt, living fake wealthy lifestyles.
And guess whose names were in it?
My parents.
The moment the article went public, they panicked.
My dad’s work found out.