Marcus urged me not to rely on indignation alone.

He laid out the records and asked me to identify which transactions I had approved, what I was told, and when.

At a settlement conference, Daniel’s attorney acknowledged that the promissory note and recorded mortgage were genuine.

The discussion shifted from whether the money was a gift to how the obligation would be addressed, including whether additional sums were owed and whether there were grounds to pursue a separate claim about the monthly transfers.

We didn’t reach an agreement that day.