“I’m going to tell you the truth. The truth Dad left for me, not for you.”
Her smirk faltered slightly, but she recovered fast.
“Enlighten us.”
I stood, walked to the counter, and brought the metal box to the table. Slowly, deliberately, I placed the geological survey in front of her.
“Read it.”
She snatched it up, eyes flicking across the page. Her confident smile slipped.
“This says…”
She stopped, cleared her throat, tried again.
“This says there are lithium deposits under this property worth tens of millions.”
“That’s right,” I said. “And Dad made me the sole owner. He trusted me with this. Not you, not Mom. Me.”
The silence that followed was so thick I could hear the clock ticking on the mantle. Mom looked stricken, her hands twisting in her lap. Megan’s face flushed red, anger boiling through her mask.
“You’re lying,” she spat. “You forged this.”
I slid the notarized deed across the table.
“Try again.”
She skimmed it, hands trembling, then shoved it back.
“You can’t do this. This isn’t just yours. It’s family property.”