Theo did not know the full truth.
I raised him in an ordinary house, sent him to public school, made him work part-time, and taught him to earn what he wanted. I did not want money to ruin him.
Then he met Camille.
She was smart, ambitious, and very good at law. But from the first Thanksgiving she spent at my house, I saw her judging me. She looked at my old counters, worn carpet, simple furniture, and modest ranch house, then decided who I was.
A harmless old woman with a small life.
For years, she spoke to me slowly, ordered food for me in restaurants, and called me Theo’s “sweet little mother.”
I stayed quiet for Theo.
And for Poppy, my granddaughter.
Then Camille made partner at Dale, Hewitt & Marsh.
What she did not know was that I owned the building the firm leased and held a forty-six percent stake in the firm through Lakeshore Glenn LLC.
Her new partner package required stakeholder approval.
