Chapter 6 - THE MONEY LINDA NEVER MENTIONED
The Miller Family Reserve was gone.
Not stolen overnight.
Spent over nine years.
After Frank died, Linda used it for:
property taxes,
home repairs,
medical bills,
living expenses.
Reasonable.
Then:
$26,000 to Eric’s first business.
$18,000 to cover Eric’s divorce settlement.
$12,000 to pay off one of his trucks.
$9,500 to a credit card in Eric’s name.
Jenna received:
$2,400 once, after Mason was born, for medical bills.
She had forgotten.
The disparity was enormous.
Linda defended it.
“You never asked.”
Jenna stared.
“That is your defense?”
“You had a job.”
“So?”
“Eric was struggling.”
Again.
Need became entitlement.
Then Daniel asked:
“Did Jenna know reserve funds were being used this way?”
“No.”
“Did the trust require equal distributions?”
“No.”
Linda smiled slightly.
There.
She had legal discretion over the reserve.
Not every unfair choice was illegal.
That made the family conflict harder.
Jenna could not sue because her mother loved Eric more.
But the reserve’s disappearance explained why Linda now wanted the house refinanced.
She had already emptied every liquid cushion protecting Eric.
The house was next.
Then Mason’s incident became part of the financial investigation because the timing suggested intimidation.
Eric denied.
He said Mason was caught snooping.
Jenna said:
“He’s eight.”
Eric answered:
“Eight-year-olds can repeat things.”
That sentence made even his lawyer look uncomfortable.
Then child welfare opened a limited assessment.
No removal.
No dramatic intervention.
But they interviewed Mason privately.
He said:
Uncle Eric drinks.
Grandma tells him not to make Eric mad.
Eric called him weak.
Eric locked the door after Mason saw papers.
Linda said she never told Mason to fear Eric.
Mason repeated the exact phrase:
“Don’t poke the bear.”
Linda closed her eyes.
She had said it.
Maybe jokingly.
Still.
Then the trust bank froze any new property financing without unanimous beneficiary consent or court order.
Eric lost the refinance route.
His business lenders moved next.
Two filed collection actions.
One placed a lien against his business equipment.
Pressure increased.
Jenna expected him to become desperate.
He did.
Then he offered her a deal.
He would sign away ten percent of his future house interest if Jenna personally loaned him $90,000.
She laughed.
“No.”
He stared.
“You’ll inherit more.”
“No.”
“You always say it’s about fairness.”
“No.”
“What do you want?”
Jenna looked at him.
“For Mason never to be afraid of you again.”
Eric’s face hardened.
“That’s emotional.”
“Yes.”
“And money is real.”
May you like
Jenna smiled.
“That’s why you’re losing both.”
