Chapter 3 · Mind-Reading Son: A Mother's Guide To Wealth

I got up and dug out a spare key from under the bed. I'd kept it when we divorced, without telling Gabe.

At two in the morning, I took a cab to the neighborhood I once called home, Riverfront Residences, one of the most expensive communities in Korrigon.

The security guard recognized me and let me in. I wore a mask and a black hoodie, slipping into the elevator quietly.

Even though there was a fingerprint lock, somehow, the spare key still worked.

The room was dark, filled with the scent of expensive perfume. I switched on my flashlight and headed straight for the study.

Sure enough, there was a built-in safe behind the desk. I crouched down, my fingers trembling as I entered the code.

A soft beep sounded. The green light flicked on, and the door sprang open.

I whipped out my phone and started snapping photos.

On the top shelf was the house deed. I opened it. My name was on it. The place had never been mortgaged. He'd lied.

The next shelf had a black notebook. I opened it, and my hands started shaking.

It was a list of bank transfers.

[March 12, 2023. Sent Elise 150 thousand. Note: spending money.]

[May 20, 2023. Sent Elise 300 thousand. Note: I love you.]

[August 15, 2023. Bought Elise a sports car worth 1.3 million.]

The total amount was millions of dollars.

And during that same time, he complained to me that he was broke. He asked me to send him 600 dollars to help him get by. I did. I'd worked half a month at a market stand for that money.

The last page had a single line: [Next Wednesday, transfer the villa at Riverfront Residences to Elise.]

It was the very place I was standing in. He was planning to transfer the home I once lived in to the woman who wanted my son's kidney.

My hands were shaking so badly that I could barely hold the phone steady as I took the pictures.

Suddenly, I heard the fingerprint lock beep and click open outside the door.

"Welcome home," a mechanical female voice announced, and I froze.

"Gabe, I came to grab the keys," a sweet voice called from the doorway. "You said you were giving me the house. Mind if I move in today?"

It was Elise.

I hugged the notebook and property deed to my chest, scanning the room. The study had no windows. There was only a closet.

I squeezed inside.

The moment before I pulled the door shut, the lights blazed on. I curled up in the closet and peeked out through the slats.

Elise's heels clicked neatly against the floor. She walked in, wearing a Chanel suit and carrying a Hermès bag. She was beautiful, no doubt about it, like a poisonous mushroom in full bloom.

She didn't go into the study and headed straight for the master bedroom.

I slowly pushed the closet door open and followed her barefoot.

The bedroom door was left slightly ajar.

"Hey, Jesse." Elise's voice floated over, "Gabe is an idiot. He's actually going to hand the house over to me. As soon as I get the deed, I'll mortgage it with a private lender, cash out, and disappear."

I pressed myself against the wall and turned on the voice recorder.

"I know." Elise laughed. "His broke ex-wife is probably still selling fish at the market.

"She'd never guess her husband is rich as fuck while her kid runs around in worn-out shoes. He's hopeless. I like that pathetic need he has to prove he's loved."

I bit my lip so hard that it split. I could taste blood.

"By the way, how's the kidney matching test coming along?" Elise suddenly dropped her voice. "My brother is getting impatient.

"Gabe said he'll take Alex for a checkup next week, and we'll slip in a matching test while we're at it. If it's a match, we'll say the child got hurt and needs surgery. No one will suspect a thing."

I pressed my hand hard over my mouth, trying not to scream.

They were going to steal my son's kidney.

"Did you get rid of everything by the Verdos River?" Elise asked again. "Don't let that poor woman find any evidence she can use against us.

"It's a shame to throw away those watches and bags, but Gabe will buy me new ones anyway. That place is perfect for dumping stuff. It's bottomless. No one will ever find anything."

Suddenly, I accidentally knocked over a vase beside my foot.

"Who's there?" Elise's voice went shrill, cutting through the air.

Her footsteps were getting closer.

I looked around quickly, but there was nowhere to hide. The bedroom closet was too small, the space under the bed too low, and the curtains far too obvious.

Suddenly, Alex's thoughts rang out in my head, clearer than ever. 'Dad installed a camera on the balcony. Left side of the closet.'

I snapped my head up and looked to the left of the closet. Sure enough, a tiny red light was blinking.

I took a deep breath, and as Elise pushed the door open, I yelled as loud as I could, "Help! Someone is breaking in!"

At the same time, I hit the alarm on the balcony.

The shrill alarm blared through the entire apartment. Elise shrieked, "What the hell? Who's there?"

I bolted past her in the chaos, clutching the property deed and notebook as if my life depended on it.

She tried to grab me, but I swung my elbow back into her chest. She stumbled and knocked the nightstand over.

I ran for the front door. The security system had already triggered alarm mode from my scream and automatically unlocked it.

I yanked the door open and shot into the stairwell.

Behind me, Elise screamed in frustration, "Get back here. Stop right now."

I flew down the stairs, my heart racing.

When I reached the underground garage, I dove into a taxi that had just stopped. "Drive. Now. To the Verdos River."

As we sped off, I caught a glimpse of Gabe's car slamming to a stop at the entrance. He jumped out and ran for the elevator, his face stern.

I looked down at the deed in my arms. My hands were still shaking.

My phone buzzed. It was an alert from the home security app. Before I left, I'd placed an old phone beside Alex's bed and connected it to my current phone so I could check the cameras.

On the screen, Gabe stormed into the study and opened the safe.

He stood there, silent for a long moment. Then he pulled out his phone and called me.

I hung up.

He called again, and I cut it off without hesitation.

Then he sent me a message. [Vanessa, when did you start acting like a thief?]

As I read the message, the camera feed showed what he was holding in his hand. It was the property deed folder I'd left inside the safe.

He didn't notice that, in the upper right corner of the feed, I flashed by for a second, with the real property deed in my arms.

Chapter 3

I got up and dug out a spare key from under the bed. I'd kept it when we divorced, without telling Gabe.

At two in the morning, I took a cab to the neighborhood I once called home, Riverfront Residences, one of the most expensive communities in Korrigon.

The security guard recognized me and let me in. I wore a mask and a black hoodie, slipping into the elevator quietly.

Even though there was a fingerprint lock, somehow, the spare key still worked.

The room was dark, filled with the scent of expensive perfume. I switched on my flashlight and headed straight for the study.

Sure enough, there was a built-in safe behind the desk. I crouched down, my fingers trembling as I entered the code.

A soft beep sounded. The green light flicked on, and the door sprang open.

I whipped out my phone and started snapping photos.

On the top shelf was the house deed. I opened it. My name was on it. The place had never been mortgaged. He'd lied.

The next shelf had a black notebook. I opened it, and my hands started shaking.

It was a list of bank transfers.

[March 12, 2023. Sent Elise 150 thousand. Note: spending money.]

[May 20, 2023. Sent Elise 300 thousand. Note: I love you.]

[August 15, 2023. Bought Elise a sports car worth 1.3 million.]

The total amount was millions of dollars.

And during that same time, he complained to me that he was broke. He asked me to send him 600 dollars to help him get by. I did. I'd worked half a month at a market stand for that money.

The last page had a single line: [Next Wednesday, transfer the villa at Riverfront Residences to Elise.]

It was the very place I was standing in. He was planning to transfer the home I once lived in to the woman who wanted my son's kidney.

My hands were shaking so badly that I could barely hold the phone steady as I took the pictures.

Suddenly, I heard the fingerprint lock beep and click open outside the door.

"Welcome home," a mechanical female voice announced, and I froze.

"Gabe, I came to grab the keys," a sweet voice called from the doorway. "You said you were giving me the house. Mind if I move in today?"

It was Elise.

I hugged the notebook and property deed to my chest, scanning the room. The study had no windows. There was only a closet.

I squeezed inside.

The moment before I pulled the door shut, the lights blazed on. I curled up in the closet and peeked out through the slats.

Elise's heels clicked neatly against the floor. She walked in, wearing a Chanel suit and carrying a Hermès bag. She was beautiful, no doubt about it, like a poisonous mushroom in full bloom.

She didn't go into the study and headed straight for the master bedroom.

I slowly pushed the closet door open and followed her barefoot.

The bedroom door was left slightly ajar.

I pressed myself against the wall and turned on the voice recorder.

"I know." Elise laughed. "His broke ex-wife is probably still selling fish at the market.

"She'd never guess her husband is rich as fuck while her kid runs around in worn-out shoes. He's hopeless. I like that pathetic need he has to prove he's loved."

I bit my lip so hard that it split. I could taste blood.

"By the way, how's the kidney matching test coming along?" Elise suddenly dropped her voice. "My brother is getting impatient.

"Gabe said he'll take Alex for a checkup next week, and we'll slip in a matching test while we're at it. If it's a match, we'll say the child got hurt and needs surgery. No one will suspect a thing."

I pressed my hand hard over my mouth, trying not to scream.

They were going to steal my son's kidney.

"Did you get rid of everything by the Verdos River?" Elise asked again. "Don't let that poor woman find any evidence she can use against us.

"It's a shame to throw away those watches and bags, but Gabe will buy me new ones anyway. That place is perfect for dumping stuff. It's bottomless. No one will ever find anything."

Suddenly, I accidentally knocked over a vase beside my foot.

"Who's there?" Elise's voice went shrill, cutting through the air.

Her footsteps were getting closer.

I looked around quickly, but there was nowhere to hide. The bedroom closet was too small, the space under the bed too low, and the curtains far too obvious.

Suddenly, Alex's thoughts rang out in my head, clearer than ever. 'Dad installed a camera on the balcony. Left side of the closet.'

I snapped my head up and looked to the left of the closet. Sure enough, a tiny red light was blinking.

I took a deep breath, and as Elise pushed the door open, I yelled as loud as I could, "Help! Someone is breaking in!"

At the same time, I hit the alarm on the balcony.

The shrill alarm blared through the entire apartment. Elise shrieked, "What the hell? Who's there?"

I bolted past her in the chaos, clutching the property deed and notebook as if my life depended on it.

She tried to grab me, but I swung my elbow back into her chest. She stumbled and knocked the nightstand over.

I ran for the front door. The security system had already triggered alarm mode from my scream and automatically unlocked it.

I yanked the door open and shot into the stairwell.

Behind me, Elise screamed in frustration, "Get back here. Stop right now."

I flew down the stairs, my heart racing.

When I reached the underground garage, I dove into a taxi that had just stopped. "Drive. Now. To the Verdos River."

As we sped off, I caught a glimpse of Gabe's car slamming to a stop at the entrance. He jumped out and ran for the elevator, his face stern.

I looked down at the deed in my arms. My hands were still shaking.

My phone buzzed. It was an alert from the home security app. Before I left, I'd placed an old phone beside Alex's bed and connected it to my current phone so I could check the cameras.

On the screen, Gabe stormed into the study and opened the safe.

He stood there, silent for a long moment. Then he pulled out his phone and called me.

I hung up.

He called again, and I cut it off without hesitation.

Then he sent me a message. [Vanessa, when did you start acting like a thief?]

As I read the message, the camera feed showed what he was holding in his hand. It was the property deed folder I'd left inside the safe.

He didn't notice that, in the upper right corner of the feed, I flashed by for a second, with the real property deed in my arms.