“Miller says it’s almost guaranteed.

We’ve laid the groundwork with the financial documents.”

“Once we get temporary control, we can start moving assets into the protected trust we’ve set up,” Philip said.

“By the time she figures out what’s happening and tries to fight it, it’ll be too late.”

Their voices went on, discussing me as if I were a problem to be solved, an obstacle to be removed, a resource to be exploited.

They laughed about how I’d never notice certain transactions, how I was living in the past, how they deserved the money more because they had real expenses while I just rattled around this old house reading books.