Chapter 6: The Truth About Kristen's Brand
Rachel spent the next two hours reviewing everything.
The fake agreement.
The access records.
The security logs.
Every detail.
And with each passing minute, the picture became clearer.
My family wasn’t having a disagreement.
They were executing a plan.
A bad plan.
But a plan.
“Tell me about Kristen’s business,” Rachel said.
I sighed.
“The lifestyle brand?””
“Yes.””
I leaned back.
“It doesn’t really exist.””
Rachel looked up.
“What do you mean?””
“She has a website. Social media. Samples.””
“Revenue?””
I hesitated.
“Not that I know of.””
Rachel typed something into her computer.
Then she stopped.
“I need you to look at this.””
She turned the screen.
A business filing.
My sister’s company.
I recognized the name.
The one she used online.
But underneath it was something else.
A debt filing.
My mouth went dry.
“How much?””
Rachel shook her head slightly.
“Enough to explain why she needs stability.””
I stared at the screen.
Kristen had been pretending everything was fine.
Posting pictures.
Talking about success.
Meanwhile, she was drowning financially.
And somehow, my house had become her solution.
“Wait,” I said.
I looked closer.
“Why would my parents think they can use my property?””
Rachel scrolled.
“Because they believe they can pressure you.””
I felt sick.
Not because they tried.
Because they knew me.
They knew I hated conflict.
They knew I valued family.
They thought guilt would work.
Rachel closed the file.
“The next step is important.””
“What?””
“Secure everything.””
I nodded.
“I already changed the passwords.””
“Good. But don’t stop there.””
She looked serious.
“People who believe they’re entitled to something don’t usually stop after being told no.””
That sentence stayed with me.
When I returned home, the first thing I noticed was the front door.
It was locked.
Exactly as I left it.
But something felt wrong.
I walked inside.
The house looked normal.
Too normal.
Then I saw it.
A picture frame on the entry table.
Moved.
Only slightly.
Someone else might not notice.
But I knew my house.
I knew every object.
Every angle.
Every detail.
I checked my security app.
There was a new notification.
Motion detected.
Yesterday.
After my family left.
I opened the footage.
The video loaded.
And my heart stopped.
Kristen.
Standing inside my house.
Not at the party.
Not with everyone.
Alone.
She had come back after leaving.
She walked calmly through the hallway.
Went upstairs.
Entered the guest suite.
Then she did something that made my blood run cold.
She opened the closet.
And pulled out a folder.
A folder I kept hidden.
The folder containing my financial records.
She knew exactly where it was.
Which meant she had been there before.
More than once.
I watched the video again.
And again.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice spoke.
“Denise Parker?””
“Yes?””
“This is Daniel from your home security monitoring team.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“What happened?””
“We received a delayed alert regarding your property.””
My eyes stayed on the screen.
“What kind of alert?””
A pause.
Then:
“Someone attempted to disable your cameras.””
I looked at the footage of Kristen standing inside my home.
“When?””
The answer came immediately.
“Tonight.””
I looked toward the dark windows overlooking the pool.
For the first time, I wasn’t afraid of losing my house.
I was afraid of what my family would do to keep it.
And I knew one thing.
The birthday party was never about celebrating me.
It was the moment they chose to make their move.
May you like
And they had underestimated one thing.
I was done being the daughter who forgave everything.
