I looked directly at my brother. “You have one choice. Not two. Option A: You pack your bags and vacate this premises by 9:00 p.m. tonight. You sign this repayment agreement for $250 a month, and you coordinate the retrieval of your remaining furniture through my attorney. Option B: Monday morning, I walk into the Beaver Creek Police Department with these bank ledgers, file criminal fraud charges, execute a hostile eviction, and subpoena the six witnesses sitting at this table.”
I turned my gaze to Melissa. “You know exactly what an eviction feels like, Melissa. You told Derek how the landlord threw your mattress on the curb when you were twelve. I am offering you the one grace that landlord never offered your mother: a chance to pack your bags and leave with your dignity intact. Take it.”
Her face twisted into a mask of pure, venomous hatred, but she looked away first.
