Chapter 15 - Elena Takes the Stand
Priya secured an emergency court hearing on the disputed authority and pending property transaction. Vanessa arrived in a cream suit, flanked by Adam and a lawyer who looked as if he wished he'd taken another case. Mom wore the blue dress she'd chosen for my wedding. Sofia carried her purse; Daniel sat quietly in the back.
Vanessa's lawyer suggested Mom was forgetful and vulnerable to manipulation. Mom asked to speak for herself. The judge questioned her about the apartment, her finances, and her wishes. She answered without a script.
"My aunt left me that home," she said. "My husband paid for repairs. My sons grew up there. None of that made it someone else's property. I want to live without being threatened."
When asked about the signature, she said, "I signed a grocery form. I did not give my daughter-in-law my house."
Priya submitted records showing the genuine ownership chain, Sofia's recording, medical documentation, and the contested loan notices. The judge issued temporary restrictions on using the disputed power of attorney and moving forward with the challenged transaction while the questions were examined. It wasn't a criminal verdict. It was time for Elena to breathe.
In the hallway, Vanessa brushed past me. "You've destroyed us," she hissed.
"You raised a weapon at my mother."
"And you stood beside me for years. Remember that when you decide which of us is innocent."
Her words landed because part of them was true.
Chen approached before I could answer. An investigator had followed the money from Ninth Cedar to a second company controlled by Adam's former partner. There was another name on the accounts, someone who'd received payments before Dad died.
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"Who?" I asked.
Chen held up a copy of a wire memo. The listed recipient was VANESSA ALVAREZ, dated thirteen years earlier, long after our wedding.
