I was out of town on a business trip when my mother-in-law, Carol, called me in the middle of the night. “Jake,” she said, her voice trembling, “Robert has a terminal illness. The doctors say the only chance he has is surgery and a course of specialized medication.” I knew the total costs would run into the millions. I spent the entire night mortgaging two apartments and withdrawing all my savings, planning to visit the hospital the next day. But I discovered all the money I’d managed to gather had been transferred out by my wife, Vanessa. “Brandon said the company needed some research funding,” she explained nonchalantly. “I gave him all of it.” I grilled her: “Do you even realize what that money was for? It was for your father’s medical treatment! He’s terminally ill!” Vanessa scoffed. “Jake, please. At least come up with a plausible lie. Robert is perfectly healthy—stop trying to jinx him.” I stared at the ended call, sitting on the couch in silence for a long time. The next morning, I called Mr. Miller, the company’s CFO, directly. “Can you check something for me? Has Brandon Chen submitted any recent requests for project development funding?” The reply came quickly: “Mr. Dawson, no. However, Mr. Davis did apply for $300,000 for team building last week, and it’s already been approved.” What kind of team building costs $300,000? I remembered the loud music from last night’s call, the suggestive cheers and laughter in the background. My heart sank lower and lower. I called Vanessa again. This time, it rang for ages before she finally answered. In the background, a soft piano melody played—a stark contrast to the previous night’s chaos. “What is it now?” Her voice held a faint edge of irritation. I tried to stay calm, enunciating each word clearly. “That five million dollars—you need to get it back today. There’s no new research project at the company, and your father…” “Jake Dawson, are you ever going to drop this?” Vanessa’s voice suddenly sharpened. “Brandon explained everything last night. It’s a confidential project for a new direction, so of course it wouldn’t show up in regular accounting. You just can’t stand seeing others succeed, can you?” I managed a bitter laugh, though inside I felt a crushing weight of sadness. “The finance department has no record of it. Call him right now and ask for a project plan—even just a draft. If he can provide one, I’ll drop this.” “Who do you think you are, investigating him like this? Interrogating him?” Vanessa shouted. “My father helped you start this company! Now Brandon’s helping me manage *my* legacy! You’re always traveling for work—do you even care if the company survives? I transferred the money, and I’ll take responsibility!” Her claim of being “responsible” sounded like a bad joke. It was true—Robert had provided the seed money to start the company. That’s why I was willing to mortgage everything to save his life. Yet there it was, that money—only to be transferred to a stranger by his own daughter. “Go to the hospital yourself. I’ll text you the address…” Before I could finish, Vanessa scoffed. “Please. I know Robert’s health better than anyone. Brandon said we’ll see initial results in a few days. Then you’ll eat your words about him being a liar.” The call went dead again. I held my phone, staring at the screen where she was saved as “Wife.” For the first time, I felt a strange sense of alienation. I went to the hospital, looked at Robert lying in the bed, and told them the truth. Robert sighed repeatedly, saying nothing. Carol was livid. “That ungrateful girl! We raised her so well, and now her father is dying, and she doesn’t even care? She gave all that life-saving money to a stranger? I need to call her right now and set her straight!” That’s exactly why I’d brought them together—to let them explain directly. As soon as the call went through, Vanessa started complaining. “Mom, I’m in the middle of something. Can this wait until I’m free?” Carol didn’t get a word in before Vanessa hung up.
Carol froze, stunned. She hit redial. This time, it rang forever before finally connecting. “Mom, I told you I’m busy! I’m in the middle of an important business deal!” Vanessa’s voice dripped with irritation. “What’s so urgent it can’t wait? Both of you, blowing up my phone!” Carol couldn’t contain her anger as she confronted her daughter. “Wait until you’re finished? Does your father have to die before you’ll make time for us?!” The line went silent for a few seconds before Vanessa responded. “What are you talking about? Did Jake go running to you again?” “Yes, Jake is right here with me.” Carol looked at her husband’s gaunt face, her voice shaking. “He told us everything, Vanessa. Your father…” “Mom,” Vanessa cut her off sharply. “Let me guess—you’re going to tell me Robert’s deathly ill in the hospital, needs a fortune for treatment, and somehow I’m the one who took that exact amount?” Her words came slowly, each one dripping with sarcasm. Carol had initially doubted my story. But seeing her daughter’s reaction, her heart turned to ice. “What are you talking about? It’s true! Robert is really sick!” Vanessa wasn’t buying it. “I thought Jake was just being petty, making up lies to get his money back. I never thought you’d team up with him to scam me. Mom, when did you become so greedy?” I stood there watching Carol’s face turn bright red. Seeing her helpless frustration, I felt nothing but despair. “That money’s seed funding for company research. Brandon’s a professional—I’ve seen his plans and projections. If this works, the company could be worth millions more! Robert gets annual physicals and he’s perfectly healthy! Stop using him to manipulate me—it won’t work!” Cough… cough, cough, cough… In the hospital bed, silent Robert suddenly erupted into a coughing fit, blood spotting his lips. He stared at his wife’s phone, eyes filled with despair . “Robert?!” Carol rushed to his side in a panic. “Doctor! We need a doctor!” The blood on the sheets terrified Carol. That’s when I learned the full severity of Robert’s condition. The doctor said it was advanced stage. To survive, he needed surgery and long-term specialty medications—costs that would bankrupt most families. The call was still connected, and Vanessa heard the commotion. Just as she started to ask what was happening, Brandon’s voice came on the line. “Vanessa, this is Mr. Stevenson.” She hesitated, then ultimately took Brandon’s side. Robert’s condition deteriorated—his daughter’s words had exacerbated his illness. It took over an hour of treatment to stabilize him, and now he was in the ICU. Naturally, the medical bills would skyrocket. Carol paced outside the room, frantic, calling her daughter repeatedly, but the calls went straight to voicemail. To save Robert, I made a painful decision: “I’ll sell the company. It should net around twenty million. That should cover the ongoing expenses.” Even though Vanessa had made me look like a fool, a human life was on the line. Besides, I was an orphan—ever since I married Vanessa, Robert and Carol had treated me like their own son. Carol hesitated. “But that’s your life’s work, Jake… can you really walk away from it?” “Better than standing here helpless.”
I returned home and immediately started gathering all the company documents. As I did, I couldn’t help but feel the irony. From Robert’s initial million-dollar investment to me fighting for every project, growing it to what it was today—only I knew the blood, sweat, and tears that went into building this company. Now, to save a life, I had to sell it all off just like that. The next day, I contacted several potential buyers through a broker. The process moved faster than expected—probably because the company was solid, with a clean record and stable revenue stream. I finally negotiated an $18 million deal. It was less than I hoped for, but they could pay cash upfront. I rushed back to the hospital to tell Carol the news. “I found a buyer. We’ll sign the contract tomorrow. The process might take a few days, but the money will come through quickly.” I tried to keep my voice steady. Carol looked at the closed ICU door, then at me. Tears silently fell. “Jake… I’m so sorry… you worked so hard to build this company…” I cut her off. “It’s okay, Mom. Companies can be rebuilt. A life lost is gone forever. Let’s focus on getting Robert better first.” She squeezed my hand, nodding gratefully. The next afternoon, I met at a law firm to sign the letter of intent. The buyer’s representative, Mr. Harris, and their attorney, Ms. Rodriguez, were there. My friend Michael, also a lawyer, came to oversee things for me. The initial discussions went smoothly, and all documents seemed in order. Just as we were about to sign, Ms. Rodriguez took a call. After listening, her expression shifted. She stepped aside to confer quietly with Mr. Harris, who immediately frowned. Michael noticed too and leaned over. “Jake, something’s wrong.” At that moment, Ms. Rodriguez approached. “Mr. Dawson, I apologize, but we’ll need to pause this process. I just received a call and faxed document stating that the ownership of Titan Innovations was transferred three days ago. The current legal representative and sole shareholder is Brandon Chen.” I froze when she finished speaking. “As the sole shareholder and legal representative, there’s no way this transfer could have happened without my signature!” Ms. Rodriguez showed me the fax on her phone. “The records we received indicate this. The transfer is listed as a gift from Vanessa Lin.” Vanessa Lin? I stared at the document. Sure enough, my name had been brazenly replaced with Brandon Chen’s in the legal representative field. The shareholder information showed the same. The conference room door burst open. Vanessa strode in wearing high heels, posture elegant, face cold with disdain. “Well, well. Quite the party.” She let out a mocking laugh as she approached the table. “I was wondering where those company documents went. Were you planning to sell *my* company behind my back?” I wasn’t angry—just frowned. “Do you realize what you’re doing? This is Robert’s life-saving money!” Vanessa’s voice turned shrill. “Jake Dawson, I seriously underestimated you. You used my parents for money, and now you’re trying to sell the company out from under me? Good thing Brandon had the foresight to predict your desperation. I transferred ownership to him for safekeeping. At least he’ll manage it properly—better than leaving it with someone who just wants to bleed my family dry!” Brandon stood beside her, eyes glowing with triumph. He sighed dramatically. “Jake, I don’t mean to lecture you. You and Vanessa are married—you should’ve talked this through. Trying to sell the company behind her back… that’s pretty low, even for you.” Honestly, my patience for this nonsense had run out. Looking at this woman, so smug in her ignorance, I felt genuine disgust for the first time. “Low? Using them?” I repeated, voice quiet and dangerous. I stood abruptly, grabbed Vanessa’s wrist, and headed for the door. “What do you think you’re doing?!” “Let go!!!” Vanessa shrieked, struggling violently. I shot back, “You don’t believe me? Fine. We’re going to the hospital—right now. You’ll see for yourself in the ICU if Robert’s faking this.”
Brandon rushed forward and shoved my shoulder. I blocked him with my arm. “This is family business. Stay out of it.” Security guards burst in and separated us. Brandon had only a small cut on his lip, but I was tripped—my lower back slamming into the corner of the conference table. The pain made my vision black out, and I couldn’t stand. Vanessa grabbed an ashtray from the table and threw it at me. It hit my head, and blood poured down my face. But she ran straight to Brandon, looking completely concerned. “Brandon, does it hurt? Are you okay?” Her voice was soft and worried—nothing like the way she’d treated me when I was sick. Brandon shook his head. “I’m fine. It’s just Mr. Dawson…” He glanced at me, trailing off. Vanessa finally looked at me, her expression turning to rage. “Jake Dawson, have you lost your mind?! Assaulting someone in public? Look at you! You’re acting like a thug! This is illegal! Apologize to Brandon right now!” Blood dripped from my forehead into my eyes. I wiped it away with my sleeve, clearing my vision. I forced a bitter smile. In my thirty-something years, had I ever seen anything this absurd? “Apologize? To him?” I looked at Brandon, who was smirking triumphantly. “Yes! Now!” Vanessa insisted, like it was the most reasonable thing in the world. I ignored her, bent down to gather the scattered documents. “Michael, handle this.” I limped toward the door. “You can’t just leave! We’re not done here!” “Jake Dawson, get back here!” Vanessa tried to block my path. I kept walking, didn’t look back. Done? What was there to finish? Robert was still in the ICU waiting for treatment. With the company gone, I needed another plan. I took a deep breath, pushing down my emotions. I called old friends who owed me favors—didn’t go into details. Scraping together everything I could, I borrowed over a million. Surgery first, I thought. We’d figure out the medication and other costs later. I grabbed the money and rushed to the hospital. My phone rang on the way—it was Carol. I answered immediately. “Mom, I got some money. I’m on my way now.” “It’s too late…” Carol’s voice was unnaturally calm. “Robert… he’s gone.” “What? Mom, slow down. What happened? This morning the doctors said he was stable.” Carol’s composure broke. Her voice cracked with despair. “He pulled out his tubes… the monitors went crazy… by the time they found him…” I froze. I never thought Robert would do something like that. The next few days were a blur of funeral arrangements. I asked Carol if she wanted to tell Vanessa. She shook her head, face cold. “I don’t have that daughter anymore. I never want to see her again.”
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