Part 2 — "You Owe Me Everything." Then My Lawyer Said Five Words That Changed His Face Forever.
Part 2 — "You Owe Me Everything." Then My Lawyer Said Five Words That Changed His Face Forever.
Marcus replied less than two minutes later.
You need to come over.
Now.
I stared at the screen.
Then locked my phone.
No.
For years, every conversation with Marcus had happened on his terms.
His backyard.
His dining room.
His office.
Places where he controlled the audience.
This time...
He could come to me.
The next morning, my phone rang again.
Marcus.
I answered.
"You embarrassed me," he snapped before I could say hello.
I almost laughed.
"Marcus."
"You told my son he didn't deserve a hamburger."
"And you're worried about embarrassment?"
"You sent those documents to make me look stupid."
"I sent you the truth."
"They're not the same thing."
Silence.
Then his voice hardened.
"You still owe me."
"No."
"I gave you your start."
"You signed one piece of paper."
"I built everything after that."
That afternoon...
My parents showed up at my apartment.
My mother looked exhausted.
My father wouldn't meet my eyes.
"I think you should apologize to your brother," my mother said quietly.
I blinked.
"For what?"
"Sending those records."
"It made him look bad."
I looked around my tiny apartment.
Daniel was coloring dinosaurs at the kitchen table.
He looked up just long enough to smile at Grandma.
Then went back to drawing.
"He made himself look bad," I said.
"He humiliated your grandson."
Neither of them answered.
My father finally cleared his throat.
"Marcus said..."
"...that without him, you'd never have had that business."
I walked to my filing cabinet.
Pulled out another folder.
And laid it on the table.
My father frowned.
"What is this?"
"My client list."
He flipped through it.
Page after page.
School districts.
Local manufacturers.
Construction companies.
Insurance firms.
Nonprofit organizations.
Contracts.
Renewals.
Tax returns.
My mother slowly whispered,
"You've been this busy?"
"For years."
They looked genuinely surprised.
That hurt more than I expected.
Not because they didn't know.
Because they'd never asked.
Marcus had always described my company as "a little side hustle."
And everyone had believed him.
Just then...
Someone knocked on the apartment door.
Three firm knocks.
I opened it.
A man in a gray suit smiled politely.
"Ms. Collins?"
"Yes?"
"I'm David Foster."
"Your attorney."
My parents looked confused.
Marcus had no idea I'd hired legal counsel months earlier.
Not because of him.
Because my business had grown enough to need one.
David stepped inside.
He placed a thick folder on the table.
"I've completed the review you requested."
My father looked between us.
"What review?"
David opened the file.
"The ownership history of Collins Consulting."
He slid several documents toward me.
Then looked directly at my parents.
"There's something your son apparently doesn't know."
I nodded.
"Go ahead."
David smiled slightly.
"The company Marcus believes he helped create..."
"...is no longer the company's biggest asset."
My father frowned.
"What do you mean?"
David turned one more page.
"There was an acquisition."
My mother looked stunned.
"An acquisition?"
"Last month."
"The software division Ms. Collins quietly developed over the last three years was purchased."
She stared at him.
"For how much?"
David answered calmly.
"Eight-point-six million dollars."
The apartment fell silent.
Even Daniel stopped coloring.
My father's mouth slowly opened.
Marcus...
Had absolutely no idea.
Because I had never told anyone.
Just then...
My phone rang again.
Marcus.
I answered on speaker.
"So..."
He said confidently.
"Are you ready to apologize?"
I looked at David.
He gave one small nod.
I smiled for the first time since the barbecue.
"No, Marcus."
"I was actually calling my lawyer."
There was a pause.
"What lawyer?"
David leaned toward the phone.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Collins."
"My name is David Foster."
"I represent your sister."
Everything went quiet.
May you like
Then David spoke five words...
The five words that drained every ounce of confidence from Marcus's voice.
