Chapter 10: The Seat I Finally Chose for Myself
Rachel arrived at my office the following morning carrying a certified copy of the property records.
She placed the document on my desk and sat opposite me.
"I've spoken with the attorney who handled the original transfer," she said.
"The property was purchased using a combination of your mother's savings and funds from an estate account.""
I stared at the papers.
"My father's estate?""
"Yes. According to the records, your father left specific instructions regarding a portion of his assets. The commercial property was acquired partly with funds intended to support the family after his death.""
I felt a strange pressure in my chest.
My father had been gone for nine years, but his name still had the power to pull me back into childhood.
He had been the quieter parent.
The one who sat beside me at the kitchen table when I struggled with mathematics. The one who attended my school performances even when my mother said the tickets were too expensive. The one who told me that being kind didn't mean allowing people to treat me badly.
When he died, I was twenty-three.
I had spent the following years helping my mother manage the practical details of his estate. At the time, she had told me that most of his assets were tied up in retirement accounts and the family home.
I had never known about the commercial property.
"Why didn't she tell us?"" I asked.
Rachel opened the file.
"The trust documents indicate that the property was intended to provide long-term financial security for the family. But the exact terms require review by an attorney familiar with the trust and the estate.""
"Who was the beneficiary?""
"Your mother was granted certain rights to the income. The document also names the children as potential beneficiaries under specific conditions.""
I read the page slowly.
My father's money had helped purchase the building.
The building had become the foundation of my mother's plan to create a development business for Marcus.
And somewhere along the way, the property had become entangled with loans and commitments that nobody had properly explained to me.
"Does this mean the building belongs to me?"" I asked.
"No. Not automatically. We need to establish the trust's current status, the beneficiaries' rights, and whether the loans were permitted under its terms.""
I nodded.
"Then let's find out.""
Rachel made several calls that morning.
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By lunchtime, we had an appointment with the attorney who had handled the original trust paperwork, a man named Robert Ellis.
His office was in a quiet building near downtown
