Series: Nineteen-Year-Old Recovering Addict Reclaims Her Deceased Mother's $45,000 Heirloom Chronometer From Her Schemes-Obsessed Older Brother At Auction, Stripping His Estate Power Before Formal Lawsuits...

Part 1 The fluorescent hum of the Oakridge Auction Gallery’s waiting room was a stark contrast to the clatter of frying pans and the scent [more…]

The auction manager, a man with neatly combed gray hair and a pressed suit, looked between me and Julian. Julian still held the consignment papers, [more…]

The Oakridge Gallery’s legal counsel, a sharp-featured woman named Ms. Davies, met me in a sterile conference room two days later. The audit, she explained, [more…]

I waited for Lily outside Northwood High, leaning against my beat-up car, watching students stream out after the final bell. The autumn air was crisp, [more…]

I found Derek Solloway at a trendy downtown coffee shop, scrolling through his phone, a laptop open beside him. He looked younger than Julian, with [more…]

Armed with Derek’s trove of emails, I walked into the District Attorney’s office feeling a mix of apprehension and grim determination. The glass-and-steel building felt [more…]

The deposition room felt heavy with silent tension. It was a formal space: a long, polished table, comfortable but stiff chairs, and a court reporter [more…]

Two days after Bixby’s deposition, Investigator Garrity called me back to his office. This time, the atmosphere was even graver. He held a stapled document [more…]

The call from Investigator Garrity came late that afternoon. The arrest warrant was signed. Julian would be taken into custody within hours. My chance for [more…]

Julian pushed back from his desk, his chair scraping loudly on the polished floor. “Maya, I told you to drop this. I told you what [more…]