He smiled a sad smile, but with a flicker of pride. «Your father would be very proud of the woman you’ve become.»
In the following days, I acted with surgical precision. Following Mr. Harrison’s instructions, I hired a reputable real estate management company to take over the administration of my condos. I signed contracts granting specific, limited powers—very different from the blanket POA Jax wanted—and instructed them to notify all tenants immediately.
Starting in January, all rents were to be paid directly to the management company. New contracts would be issued, and tenants had one week to sign, or eviction proceedings would begin.
I also called a security company and had discrete cameras installed throughout the brownstone—small, almost invisible lenses strategically placed in the living room, kitchen, office, and patio. All included high-quality audio, and all connected to an app on my phone.
Jax returned from his trip on January 6th. I was home when he arrived, dragging his suitcases in.
«How was it, honey? How was New Year’s?» he asked, pecking me on the cheek, acting as if nothing was wrong, as if he hadn’t just spent two weeks playing house with his pregnant mistress and the family plotting my downfall.
«Quiet. I worked quite a bit, got ahead on some projects,» I lied smoothly.
«Did you have time to look at that paperwork?»
There it was. The million-dollar question. I smiled.
«Oh yes, actually honey, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. I’ve sorted it all out.»
I watched his expression falter. «What do you mean, you sorted it out?»
«I hired a property management company to take care of the condos. That way, you can focus entirely on your trading without worrying about the hassle of managing rents, contracts, all that bureaucratic stuff. I thought you’d be pleased. You’ll have more time to invest in your work.»
The silence that followed was deafening. Jax blinked several times, his brain seemingly short-circuiting.
«But… I liked taking care of the condos. You don’t need to pay someone to do a job I can do myself.»
I maintained the bright smile. «I know honey, but you always say you want to grow as a trader, that you need more time to study the market. Now you have that time. Didn’t you like the surprise?»
I saw panic flare in his eyes. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again like a fish out of water.
«Yes, I liked it,» he finally choked out. «It was just a little sudden.»
«Oh, you know me. When I decide something, I make it happen fast. I knew you’d like the surprise, honey.»
He didn’t respond; he just forced a grimace that was supposed to be a smile. He grabbed his phone and practically ran out of the living room, muttering something unintelligible.
I waited a beat, then opened the camera app on my phone. I activated the patio camera and slipped in my earbuds. There he was, pacing nervously, furiously typing on his phone. A few seconds later, it rang.
Even from a distance, I could hear the shrieking on the other end of the line.
«Calm down, calm down,» Jax was saying, glancing over his shoulder to ensure I wasn’t nearby. «I don’t know what happened; she hired a management company. No, I can’t do anything right now. No, I don’t have $3,000 to pay the rent.»
He paused, wincing at the screaming.
«Madison, listen. I won’t have any cash flow for a while. I need to figure this out first.»
He hung up, his rage palpable. I turned off the camera and smiled. His desperation was delicious, but I wasn’t finished yet.
That night, at dinner, I casually dropped a bomb. «Oh, my boss called me earlier. I have to take a last-minute trip to Japan, an important project. They need someone to go close the contract in person. I’ll be gone all week.»
«When are you leaving?» Jax asked, trying to sound disinterested, but his eyes were sharp and calculating.
«The flight is scheduled for 2 AM. I’ll leave the house around 11 PM or so. Sorry for the short notice. You know how this job is.»
«It’s fine,» he replied, a little too quickly. «I thought we’d spend some time together, but if it’s for work, you have to go.»
After dinner, I went to the dressing room to put my jewelry box in the safe. That’s when I noticed it. Jewelry was missing. Several pieces.
A pearl necklace that had belonged to my grandmother, diamond earrings my parents gave me for my 16th birthday, and a gold bracelet with my mother’s precious stone charms. A sapphire necklace my father had given my mother for an anniversary was also gone.
My blood boiled. It wasn’t enough to steal my income; he had stolen my family memories. But I didn’t have time to rage now.
I went into the office, opened the safe where I kept all the important documents, and changed the combination. I stored the remaining jewelry, locked it, and left. I packed a suitcase and said goodbye to Jax with a kiss on the cheek.
Just to twist the knife, I discreetly swiped his car keys from the console table in the foyer, tucked them into my purse, and walked out. I didn’t go to the airport; I drove to a hotel downtown. I booked a comfortable suite, went up to the room, and finally exhaled.
I was alone, safe, and fully in control. An hour after leaving the house, my phone rang.
«Do you know where my car keys are?»
I feigned surprise. «I don’t know, honey, but why do you need the keys at this hour?»
«Oh, nothing, I just realized they weren’t here on the console table.»
I interrupted him. «Maybe they fell behind the furniture? Did you look closely?»
I heard an irritated sigh on the other end. «I’ll take a look. Have a good trip. Love you.»
I hung up and immediately pulled up the camera app. The sight of Jax ransacking the entire house, hunting for keys that were currently sitting on my hotel nightstand, was comedy gold. He looked under the sofa, rummaged through drawers, and crawled on the floor.
After 15 minutes of futile searching, he grabbed his phone, typed something furiously, and collapsed onto the living room sofa with the expression of a man realizing the walls were closing in. I smiled alone in the hotel room, but the night was young.
Half an hour later, my phone notified me of movement at the front door. I checked the feed and saw three people entering the brownstone: Uncle Charles, Aunt Carol, and Madison.
They gathered around the kitchen table. Jax looked destroyed; his shoulders slumped, his face pale. Aunt Carol was visibly seething, her arms crossed tight across her chest. Uncle Charles drummed his fingers on the table, a rhythm of impatience.
I turned the audio volume to max and put on my headphones.
«Explain exactly what is going on,» Aunt Carol demanded, her voice cutting like glass.
Jax ran a tired hand over his face. «She hired a property management company to run the condos. All the tenants received notice. Starting this month, rent goes straight to the company. New contracts, everything official. I no longer have access to anything.»
«And Madison’s condo?» Uncle Charles asked.
«She received notice too. New contract in a week, or eviction.»
Madison placed a protective hand over her swelling belly. «Jax, I don’t have money to pay the rent, you know that.»
«I know,» Jax replied, defeated. «You’ll have to stay with my parents for now until I sort this situation out.»
«Sorted out? How?» Uncle Charles practically spat. «You’ve lost control of everything. Years of planning, years taking care of that girl, and you let it slip away at the last minute.»
«I didn’t let it slip away,» Jax countered, his voice rising. «She suddenly got smart. She never questioned anything in five years of marriage, and out of nowhere, she decides to hire a management company.»
«Because you rushed her with that stupid power of attorney,» Aunt Carol shouted, stabbing a finger in his direction. «You should have waited longer, earned more of her trust.»
«More trust? I’ve known her since birth. If that’s not enough trust, I don’t know what is.»
«Clearly, it wasn’t,» Uncle Charles muttered.
There was a heavy silence. Madison nervously fiddled with the necklace she was wearing—my sapphire necklace—rubbing the pendant between her fingers.
«So, now what?» she asked, her voice small. «What do we do, Jax?»
He sighed. «I’m going to try to convince her to sign the POA. It’s the only way to reverse this. With the power, I can undo the contract with the management company and regain control.»
«What are you going to say to make her sign?» Uncle Charles asked skeptically.
«I don’t know. I need to talk to her when she gets back from Japan.»
Aunt Carol leaned forward, bracing her hands on the table. «Jax, listen to me closely. We did not take care of that child all these years just to end up with nothing. Do you understand? I didn’t endure that brat crying about her dead parents for free. Your father and I didn’t make such a sacrifice just for it to go wrong now.»
My stomach turned. The way she spoke about me—as a burden, an investment asset—was chilling.
«I know mom,» Jax said.
«You know? Do you really know?» Uncle Charles chimed in. «That company should have been ours too. Half of that money, half of those condos—it should all be ours. But her father got greedy and bought my share when the company was doing badly. He kept all the profits when it improved and then died, leaving everything to that spoiled kid.»
Aunt Carol shifted in her chair, her face twisted in a sneer. «She grew up in the best schools, she had everything she wanted, and she never worked a hard day in her life. Meanwhile, we were busting our backsides. Your father at that miserable store, me at that clinic, watching them from afar with that luxury life that should have been ours too.»
Uncle Charles nodded. «Exactly. That’s why, when they died, it was our opportunity—our chance to correct that injustice. Care for the girl, earn her trust, and when she turned 21, be so close that she saw us as her family. And it worked. She let us live in her house, she trusted you to manage the condos. She married you. Everything was perfect until you messed it all up,» Aunt Carol finished, glaring at Jax with contempt.
«I didn’t mess anything up!» Jax slammed his hand on the table. «The plan was to wait for her to sign the POA, transfer everything to my name, and then file for divorce. Done. Over. Everyone goes their separate way. But she didn’t sign it.»
«Not yet, but she will,» Jax insisted.
«How are you so sure?» Uncle Charles challenged.
Jax hesitated. «I… I think she will. I’ll find a way. She trusts me.»
«She trusted you,» Aunt Carol corrected. «After this property management stunt, I don’t know. She seems suspicious.»
They fell silent. I remained in the hotel room, heart racing, recording every second of that damning conversation.
«What about us?» Madison asked. «You said you don’t have the rent money anymore. How are you going to support me? Support the baby?»
Jax ran his hand through his hair. «I don’t know, Madison, I don’t know. The money I had saved was used for the trip, and the rest I lost gambling.»
«You lost it?» Aunt Carol shrieked. «Jax, you promised you would quit.»
«I didn’t know I would be cut off from the rents this month. If I had known, I wouldn’t have gambled everything.»
«You’re an idiot,» Uncle Charles said bluntly. «A fool. And now, how are we going to pay the bills this month?»
«I’ll fix it,» Jax insisted, but his voice lacked conviction.
Madison started crying. «You promised I wouldn’t have to worry about money. I quit my job, I fought with my parents, I left home. You promised you would take care of me, that we would have a good life, that the baby would have everything. And now you tell me you have no money, that you gambled it all away?»
«Madison, please.»
«No!» She stood up. «I can’t believe I was so stupid, all these years being the other woman, hiding, waiting, and for what? To end up pregnant, homeless, dependent on your parents’ charity?»
«Calm down, Madison,» Aunt Carol said without an ounce of sympathy. «We’ll solve this, and when we get the money, everyone benefits. You, the baby, everyone. But you have to be patient.»
«Patient?» Madison laughed humorlessly. «I’m four months pregnant, Carol. In five months, I’ll have a baby. I don’t have time for patience.»
«Well, you should have thought about that before you got pregnant,» Aunt Carol retorted coldly. «Have you never heard of birth control?»
The silence that followed was charged with electricity. Finally, Uncle Charles broke it.
«We need a new plan. If Ava won’t sign the POA willingly, we’ll have to force her somehow.»
«Force her how?» Jax asked.
«I don’t know. Blackmail? Threats? Something that leaves her no option.»
«Blackmail with what?» Madison asked. «She has nothing to hide. Her life is perfect, clean, proper.»
«Everyone has something,» Uncle Charles muttered. «We just have to find what.»
Aunt Carol nodded thoughtfully. «Or, we create something. Plant some evidence, something that compromises her. Then we offer to fix it in exchange for the signature.»
I felt nauseous. They were seriously considering framing me for a crime just to get my signature.
«That’s too risky,» Jax said.
«More risky than losing everything?» Uncle Charles countered.
They spent a few more minutes discussing possibilities, each more absurd and illegal than the last. Finally, they decided to regroup in a few days. When they finally left, it was nearly 3 AM. I turned off the camera, my hands shaking uncontrollably.
This wasn’t just a financial scam, it wasn’t just infidelity; it was a conspiracy spanning over a decade. Since my parents’ death, perhaps even before, they had planned this. Every gesture of affection, every family moment—it had all been calculated, measured, and executed with cold precision. And I had swallowed it whole.
When 7 AM arrived, I called Mr. Harrison. He answered on the third ring, voice sleepy but instantly alert when he heard mine.
«Ava, what happened?»
«I have everything recorded, the full confession. They admitted the marriage was a scam from the beginning, that they cared for me only to access the inheritance, and that now they are planning to blackmail or frame me to force me to sign the power of attorney.»
There was a heavy silence on the line. «Are you safe?»
«Yes, I’m in a hotel. They don’t know where I am.»
«Send me the recordings right now and come to my office this afternoon. We are going to end this once and for all.»
At 2 PM, I sat in Mr. Harrison’s office. He had reviewed the main recordings; his face was a mask of fury.
«Ava, this is much worse than we imagined,» he began, opening a thick folder. «But it’s also much better for your case.»
«How so?»
«The detective I hired finished his investigation. We have concrete proof of everything.»
He turned his laptop towards me. «Rents diverted to Jax’s personal account for 5 years. Bank statements showing excessive spending on online betting, casinos, gambling websites. Jax is a severe gambling addict.»