CHAPTER 4 — EVERYTHING HE OWNED WASN'T HIS
Ryan didn't sleep.
By sunrise, he had driven to every place he thought I might go.
Nothing.
Then his phone rang.
"Dad wants you here. Immediately."
The family attorney was already waiting when Ryan entered the mansion.
His father didn't even look at him.
Instead, he slid a thick folder across the desk.
"What is this?"
The attorney answered instead.
"Your wife requested ownership verification."
Ryan frowned.
"What ownership?"
"Everything."
The attorney opened the first file.
"The mansion."
Second file.
"The vacation home."
Third.
"The investment portfolio."
Fourth.
"The company expansion fund."
Ryan laughed nervously.
"Those belong to us."
The attorney slowly removed his glasses.
"No."
"They belong to your wife."
Silence.
Margaret's coffee cup slipped from her hands and shattered across the marble floor.
Ryan turned pale.
"What... are you talking about?"
His father finally spoke.
"When the company nearly went bankrupt..."
"...Emma saved us."
Ryan stared blankly.
"No."
His father nodded.
"I begged her not to tell you."
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"You were too proud."
Everything Ryan believed about his family's wealth collapsed in less than sixty seconds.
