Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
A week later, everything was resolved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
T\u2019irst, the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because the transfer signature had been forged, the entire transaction was legally voided. The house was back in my name,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bryson was taken in by the police for questioning on charges of forgery and suspected fraud.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, the savings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of the eight hundred thousand, we recovered five hundred thirty thousand,\u00a0<\/p>\n
The remaining two hundred seventy thousand\u2013Bryson had gambled it away, and Melinda had spent part of it. That money was gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, Melinda still had assets\u2013property left by her two former husbands, totaling over a million dollars. After investigation, some of it was deemed suspicious and frozen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If the investigation determined she was responsible for her ex\u2013husbands\u2018 deaths, those assets would be seized.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, Dad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marcus said that legally speaking, Dad had been manipulated, but he was still responsible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d known Melinda was transferring my assets and hadn\u2019t stopped her\u2013in fact, he\u2019d cooperated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Calloway, do you want to pursue legal action against your father?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how would you like to proceed?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet him deal with the consequences himself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marcus nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What happened after that, I heard about later.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Melinda was taken in for questioning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her first husband\u2019s death had been ruled natural causes at the time, but the reopened investigation found inconsistencies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her second husband\u2019s death\u2013Bryson\u2019s testimony played a role. Police found certain medications in her home. They were running toxicology tests.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No matter the outcome, she probably wasn\u2019t getting out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bryson was sentenced to three years, with five years\u2018 probation. He\u2019d pushed all the blame onto his mother, and because he\u2019d cooperated, his sentence was lighter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Dad?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The day Melinda was taken away, he stood in the doorway and watched the police car drive off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:46\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stepmom Cut My Funds? Should\u2019ve Asked My Big\u2013Shot Grandpa First\u00a0<\/p>\n
88.9%\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0f58\u0f0b\u0f1e\u0f54\u0f0b\u0f66\u00a0<\/p>\n
After that, he stayed home alone. Didn\u2019t go out. Didn\u2019t see anyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neighbors said he\u2019d sit on the balcony for hours, staring at nothing\u00a0<\/p>\n
After everything was over, Grandpa had someone call and ask if I wanted to come to New York\u00a0<\/p>\n
1 thought about it for two days, then agreed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That summer, I took the train to New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grandpa lived in an older building, a three bedroom apartment, kept very clean.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood at the door waiting for me. His hair was completely white now, his back a little bent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he saw me, his eyes welled up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, you\u2019ve gotten so thin.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa, so have you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We stood there for a moment, then I walked over and hugged him,\u00a0<\/p>\n
He patted my back. \u201cIt\u2019s good you\u2019re home. It\u2019s good you\u2019re home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That night, Grandpa made a whole table of food.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All the dishes Mom used to love as a kid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I ate a lot. Grandpa sat beside me the whole time, smiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, Grandpa\u2019s sorry for these past few years. Your mom told you not to worry me before she passed. And you listened\u2013you carried everything yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t carry it alone anymore. If something happens, call Grandpa. I\u2019m old, but I can still protect you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I kept my head down, eating. Tears fell into my bowl.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later, I transferred schools to New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grandpa pulled some strings to get the paperwork done. It went smoothly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new school wasn\u2019t far from his place. I could visit every week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad called a few more times after that. I didn\u2019t pick up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once, he came to my new address in person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood outside the building. I saw him from the window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked so much older. His hair had gone gray. Standing there, he looked pitiful and pathetic,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Security came up and asked if I wanted to let him in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I said no.\u00a0<\/p>\n
91.7%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Security went down and said something to him. He froze for a moment, nodded, then turned and walked away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Grandpa found out, he asked me, \u201cRenee, do you ever plan on seeing your father again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I thought about it. \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s still your father.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he handed over everything Mom left me to someone else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grandpa sighed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, in this life, some things can be forgiven. Some things can\u2019t. You decide.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t say anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That winter, on my birthday, Grandpa took me somewhere\u2013Mom\u2019s grave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It had been over three years. This was my first time visiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her name and photo were engraved on the headstone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the picture, she was smiling. Exactly how I remembered her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crouched in front of the headstone for a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, it\u2019s Renee. I came to see you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The wind blew past, cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything you left me\u2013I got it back. The house is still mine. I recovered most of the money. That woman\u2019s in prison now. Her son got what he\u00a0<\/p>\n
deserved too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I paused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Dad\u2026 I don\u2019t know what to do. You said he\u2019d take care of me, but he didn\u2019t. He listened to that woman about everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tears streamed down my face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, tell me\u2013should I forgive him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The wind picked up, rustling through the tree branches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood here and cried for a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grandpa came over and swiped my tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, your mom\u2019s watching over you from above. She doesn\u2019t want you to be unhappy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTake your time with what comes next. You\u2019re still young. You\u2019ve got your whole life ahead of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we left the cemetery, I looked back one more time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sunlight fell across the headstone. In the photo, Mom was still smiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chat Cranna First\u00a0<\/p>\n
94.4%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
I waved at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, I\u2019m gonna be okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned and followed Grandpa forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A new life was just beginning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
The Sky Waited for Answers by Orin Flux 9 Chapter 9\u00a0 A week later, everything was resolved.\u00a0 T\u2019irst, the house.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-billionaire-grandpas-secret-weapo-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23911\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}