Chapter 3 - The Unexpected Guest
Three weeks later, the day finally arrived.
I stood in the arrivals terminal, the air buzzing with the energy of happy reunions.
People held up balloons. Families embraced and laughed.
I stood completely still, my arms crossed, waiting for the passengers from Flight 402.
Beside me stood Mr. Sterling.
He was calm and composed, dressed in a sharp navy suit. An ID lanyard rested against his chest.
He didn't speak. He just watched the sliding glass doors with analytical precision.
Finally, the doors parted, and my family walked through.
They were laughing loudly. My father was tanned, rolling a brand-new designer suitcase. My mother was smiling, and Aunt Linda was chatting away.
They acted as though nothing had ever gone wrong. As though they hadn't left a seventy-year-old woman stranded to steal her life savings.
Then, my father’s eyes landed on me.
His laughter died instantly. His smile vanished.
My mother froze mid-step, her hand dropping from my father’s arm. Aunt Linda stopped speaking completely.
They looked at me, and then they looked at the man standing beside me.
Mr. Sterling took a single step forward. It was enough to command the entire space.
"David Vance?" Mr. Sterling asked, his voice cutting through the noise of the terminal.
My father swallowed hard. "Who wants to know?"
"My name is Arthur Sterling. I represent Hazel Vance." He handed my father a thick manila envelope.
"What is this?" my father asked, refusing to take it.
"It’s a formal notice of a civil lawsuit," Sterling replied smoothly, dropping the envelope onto my father's suitcase. "For fraud, embezzlement, and elder financial abuse."
The color drained from my mother’s face. "Embezzlement? Maya, what kind of joke is this?"
"It’s not a joke, Mom," I said, my voice cold. "I know about Apex Holdings."
Aunt Linda gasped. She took a step back, looking like she was about to bolt.
"You have seventy-two hours to respond to the court," Sterling continued, his tone entirely conversational. "I suggest you secure legal counsel immediately."
My father finally found his voice. "You have no proof of anything. That money was a gift!"
"A gift for a trip she never went on," I shot back.
"We will see what a judge thinks about the wire transfer to your sister’s LLC," Sterling said.
May you like
He turned to me. "Let's go, Maya. Our business here is done."
We turned our backs on them and walked away, leaving them standing in stunned silence.
