My Deadbeat Dad Showed Up After 20 Years To Give Me A Warning. He Told Me To Never Get Into The Black Suv At My Own Wedding. Should I Trust The Man Who Abandoned Me Or The Family I’m Joining?
“What plan?” Dan asked.
Sylvia opened her briefcase and took out several documents.
“These are the papers I was supposed to have you sign, Caroline. The first document: consent to act as a guarantor for Dan’s credit obligations. The second: power of attorney for the right to manage your property in the family’s favor. The third: an agreement of joint liability for all financial obligations.”
Caroline took the documents and began to read. With each line, her face grew paler. Dan snatched the papers from her hands and scanned the text.
“This is… this is slavery,” he breathed. “Mom wanted to make Caroline my financial slave.”
“Essentially, yes,” Sylvia agreed. “These documents are drafted so that formally everything looks legal. Voluntary consent, a signature, a date. But in reality, it’s a trap. After signing, Caroline would bear full responsibility for your debts, Dan.”
Robert took the documents and studied them carefully.
“Why did you come to us?” Caroline asked. “Why are you telling us this?”
Sylvia paused.
“Because I don’t want to be part of a fraudulent scheme. I’m a lawyer with 20 years of experience. I have a reputation and I’m not going to lose it over Beatrice Foster. Furthermore, she called me last night and demanded I destroy all copies of the documents. She said that if I told anyone she would ruin my career. That was a threat, and I don’t tolerate threats.”
“My God, my mother is a criminal,” Dan said.
“Not exactly,” Sylvia corrected. “Formally she didn’t commit a crime. She ordered a car, hired a lawyer, prepared documents. All of that is legal. The problem is that the documents were drafted with the intent to deceive. But proving that in court is difficult.”
“But not impossible,” Robert said. “We have the car service request with the comments. There are witnesses. There are the documents themselves. That’s enough to show intent.”
Sylvia nodded.
“Yes, if you want to sue, you have a chance. But it will be a long and complicated process.”
Caroline looked at Dan.
“How is your business? How bad is it?”
Dan sighed.
“Very bad. Debts. Three unfinished projects. The bank is demanding repayment of the loan in 6 months. If I don’t find the money, bankruptcy proceedings will begin. I’ll lose the company, the equipment, everything.”
“And why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Caroline asked quietly.
Dan looked down.
“I was ashamed. I thought I could handle it myself. I was looking for investors, trying to negotiate with the bank, exploring restructuring. Nothing worked. And then mom said she had a plan. I didn’t ask for details; I just hoped she’d figure something out.”
“And she did,” Caroline said with a bitter smile. “Use me as a financial safety net.”
Sylvia placed another document on the table.
“This is the bank statement for Dan’s loan. It outlines all the terms, deadlines, and penalties. You should study this carefully.”
Dan took the statement and began to read. His face grew darker and darker.
“It says here that if I miss the next payment in a month, the bank has the right to demand early repayment of the entire amount. And I can’t make the payment. I don’t have the money.”
Caroline looked at her father. Robert sat silently, listening intently.
“What do you think?” she asked him.
Robert thought for a moment.
“I think the situation is serious, but solvable. Dan, do you have any assets? Real estate, equipment, anything else?”
“There’s an office downtown, two trucks, construction equipment. But if I sell that, I’ll have nothing to work with.”
“And if you don’t sell, bankruptcy will take everything,” Robert pointed out. “You need to calculate what’s more advantageous: sell some assets now and pay off at least part of the debt, or wait for bankruptcy and lose it all.”
Dan nodded.
“I understand, but even if I sell everything, it won’t be enough to cover the whole loan.”
Sylvia interjected:
“You can try to negotiate a payment plan with the bank. If you show you’re willing to cooperate, they might make concessions.”
“I already tried,” Dan said grimly. “They refused. Said there were too many risks.”
Caroline took his hand.
“Dan, what if we sell my condo? I can help.”
Dan looked at her sharply.
“No, absolutely not. I won’t let you get dragged into this mess.”
“We’re husband and wife,” Caroline reminded him. “Your problems are my problems.”
“Not in this case,” Dan said firmly. “I won’t let you sacrifice your property for my mistakes.”
Robert cleared his throat.
“Then we need to act differently. Dan, you said you have three unfinished projects. Can you sell one of them? At least one?”
Dan thought.
“One project is about halfway done. It’s a residential building. It just needs the interior finishing. If I can find a buyer willing to finish the project, I could get good money for it.”
“How much?” Robert asked.
“About 1.2 million.”
“That’s what you need,” Robert nodded.
Dan’s spirits lifted.
“Yes, this could work. I need to find a buyer.”
Sylvia took out a business card and handed it to Dan.
“I have a client who works in real estate. He might be interested. Call him. Tell him I sent you.”
Dan took the card and nodded.
“Thank you.”
Sylvia gathered her documents and stood up.
“I have to go. If you need anything, call. I’m no longer working with Beatrice, so I can help you.”
They said their goodbyes. Sylvia left, leaving the three of them at the table. Caroline looked at Dan.
“We’ll find a buyer.”
Dan nodded.
“Yes, it’s the best thing we can do right now.”
Robert stood up.
“Well, I should be going. You two will manage.”
Caroline stood and hugged her father.
“Thank you for everything.”
Robert awkwardly patted her on the back.
“If you need anything, call. I’ll always be around.”
He left and Caroline was alone with Dan. They sat in silence.
“Caroline,” Dan began quietly. “Forgive me for everything. For the debts, for my mother, for pulling you into this nightmare.”
Caroline took his hand.
“We’ll get through it together.”
Dan nodded. For the first time in two days, a faint smile appeared on his face.
“Together.”
A Partnership Dissolved
That evening Dan called Sylvia’s client. He arranged a meeting for the next day. The man was indeed interested and promised to come see the property.
Meanwhile, Caroline reached out to her colleagues at work. She asked if anyone knew someone who needed construction services. She found several contacts.
They worked together like a team. And with each day, the situation began to look a little less hopeless.
And Beatrice Foster sat in her house and understood that she had lost. Her son had cut ties with her. Her daughter-in-law knew the truth.
The lawyer had switched sides. The scheme had collapsed. And now all she could do was watch as Dan tried to climb out of the hole she had dug for him.
The next two weeks passed in a blur. Dan met with Sylvia Vance’s client, showed him the unfinished project, and conducted negotiations.
The buyer turned out to be a serious investor looking for promising projects. He agreed to buy the building for $1.2 million on the condition that Dan assist with the paperwork.
The deal was closed quickly. The money was transferred to the account and Dan immediately went to the bank and paid off the loan.
When Dan walked out of the bank with the signed documents confirming the loan was paid off, he called Caroline.
“It’s done,” he said, his voice trembling with relief. “The loan is closed.”
Caroline closed her eyes and exhaled. The tension of the past few weeks lifted from her shoulders like a heavy weight.
“Dan, that’s incredible! You did it!”
“We did it,” he corrected. “Without you, without your father, without Sylvia, I couldn’t have done it.”
That night they sat in the kitchen making plans. Dan drew up a business plan for the next 2 years. Caroline helped, offering ideas and calculating figures.
The two remaining projects could be completed with the new contacts she had found through her colleagues. One of them was already ready to sign a contract.
“We need stability,” Dan said. “No more risky projects. Just reliable clients and clear deadlines.”
“Agreed,” Caroline nodded. “And no more secrets between us. If problems arise, we talk about them immediately.”
Dan took her hand.
“I promise.”
They sat in silence, enjoying a rare moment of peace. But this peace didn’t last long. The next day his mother called.
“Dan, we need to talk,” Beatrice said in a cold tone.
“About what?” Dan asked, tensing up.
“About your future and how you’re going to pay off the debt without my help.”
“I’ve already paid off the debt,” Dan replied. “I don’t need your help.”
A pause. Then Beatrice said:
“You sold the property on Stone Street. That building we started together.”
“Yes, so what?”
“That property was registered to a partnership that I partially funded. I have a stake in that company. You had no right to sell it without my consent.”
Dan froze.
“What are you talking about? What stake? The company is mine.”
“Check the documents,” Beatrice said icily. “Three years ago I contributed capital to your partnership. You signed an agreement giving me a 20% stake. Did you forget?”
Dan remembered. 3 years ago when he was just starting to expand the business, his mother had indeed given him money. He had signed some papers without reading them closely.
It had seemed like a formality at the time.
“Mom, are you serious? You’re going to challenge the deal?”
“I want you to understand: without me, you’re nothing. You can’t manage. You never could. And now you’ve gotten yourself into even bigger trouble by selling my asset without consent.”
