{"id":28178,"date":"2026-10-02T19:44:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T19:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=28178"},"modified":"2026-10-02T19:44:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T19:44:42","slug":"part-34-chloe-owned-the-ground-beneath-the-company-we-were-trying-to-convert-and-her-secret-agreement-with-hale-could-still-break-my-mothers-final-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=28178","title":{"rendered":"PART 34 \u2013 Chloe Owned the Ground Beneath the Company We Were Trying to Convert, and Her Secret Agreement With Hale Could Still Break My Mother\u2019s Final Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I called Chloe from the hospital corridor.<\/p>\n<p>She did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>I called again.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Liam answered on the third attempt to his phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere\u2019s Chloe?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPut her on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe says she doesn\u2019t want to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell her this isn\u2019t optional.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>Then Chloe\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSarah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you own the land under Mitchell Coastal headquarters?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>That was enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty-three years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad put it in my name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said it was protection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtection from whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you sign an agreement with Hale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Longer silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat agreement?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou signed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Dad put papers in front of me and told me where to sign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The family disease.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you have copies?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Hale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found out years later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Mitchell Coastal\u2019s controlling ownership changes outside the Mitchell family, the headquarters ground lease can terminate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>The public benefit trust would count.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe company has to vacate or renegotiate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow large is the property?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty-one acres.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBuildings?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeadquarters, records center, two warehouses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David had come into the corridor.<\/p>\n<p>He heard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChloe, why didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never asked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the answer you gave Sarah for twenty years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Chloe continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHale told me the clause was there to keep Dad from selling the company to outsiders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter my divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe offered to buy the land.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor how much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSix million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you sell?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad told me never to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you understand the lease could block conversion?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot until today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho told you today?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Mark?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe triggered Hale\u2019s Package B.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe public release framing me as the fraud principal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe went silent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me he was trying to get ahead of Hale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy releasing fabricated evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said the package would expose everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe either lied or didn\u2019t know what was inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe\u2019s breathing changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else did Mark tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat I had to protect the land.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe boys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not Hale.<\/p>\n<p>Not Richard.<\/p>\n<p>Her sons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thinks the conversion takes it away from you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Laura\u2019s copy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe land is outside the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou still own it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why is everyone acting like I can stop the conversion?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you can make the company homeless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not what I want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen waive the termination clause.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know how.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll get a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI already have one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJennifer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared down the corridor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHale\u2019s lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s been my property attorney for four years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David whispered something unpleasant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Jennifer know about the lease?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid she advise you to keep it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said it was leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>That word.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone inherited the same poison.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChloe, listen to me. Jennifer may have been trying to preserve your rights, but I need you to understand what the conversion actually does.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know what it does.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, you know what Mark told you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Started again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe company\u2019s controlling interests go into an independent public benefit trust. Restitution and cleanup are funded. Legitimate operations continue where possible. No Mitchell or Bennett inherits control.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about my boys?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey inherit what belongs to you personally. Not the company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe land belongs to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo they inherit it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you keep it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you want me to give up the clause.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want you to decide after seeing the actual documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Not pressure.<\/p>\n<p>Information.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll send Laura.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll come to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t need\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>Forty minutes later, Chloe arrived alone.<\/p>\n<p>Federal protection stayed with her boys and Liam.<\/p>\n<p>She looked exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>Her wrist bruises were fading yellow now.<\/p>\n<p>I had almost forgotten them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho hurt your wrist?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>She looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David stiffened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe argued about Liam.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark wanted him out of the beach house immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Hale was watching?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI refused until we had somewhere safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Mark grabbed you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he hit you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he threaten you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make it acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Good.<\/p>\n<p>At least nobody was excusing everything anymore.<\/p>\n<p>Chloe sat beside us in a consultation room while Laura explained the land lease.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer joined remotely under federal supervision.<\/p>\n<p>The clause was worse than Chloe remembered.<\/p>\n<p>A transfer of controlling Mitchell Coastal voting rights outside defined Mitchell descendants triggered a ninety-day termination option.<\/p>\n<p>The public benefit conversion would activate it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan Chloe waive?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer nodded on the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPermanently?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes Hale have any interest in the land?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo recorded interest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHidden?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is an option.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat option?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHale has a right of first refusal if you sell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never told me that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said it was standard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was already in the agreement when I began representing you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan he use it now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly if you sell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo don\u2019t sell,\u201d David said.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe problem is refinancing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat refinancing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe went still.<\/p>\n<p>I noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI borrowed against the land.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo-point-one million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat cost two million?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark\u2019s business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much remains?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout one-point-seven.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho holds the loan?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMariner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hale\u2019s entity.<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>Hale had a mortgage on the land beneath Mitchell Coastal headquarters.<\/p>\n<p>Not ownership.<\/p>\n<p>Leverage.<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the conversion changes the lease, can Mariner declare default?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer looked at the loan documents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly is not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a material-change clause.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat counts?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA substantial alteration in the value or enforceability of the lease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo waiving termination could trigger default.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then Hale can foreclose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe covered her face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer looked genuinely pained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI warned you about refinancing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said it was manageable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believed it was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Hale told you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another person used.<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>David asked, \u201cCan we pay off Mariner?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith what?\u201d Chloe snapped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe conversion trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot before conversion. And using trust assets to satisfy Chloe\u2019s personal debt could violate fiduciary duties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I\u2019ll pay it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everyone looked at David.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith what?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy assets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much do you have liquid?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re going to pay Chloe\u2019s one-point-seven-million-dollar debt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf that removes Hale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause then I owe you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am done owing men in this family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>David sat back.<\/p>\n<p>Fair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Chloe looked at the lease.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want the land to stay mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want my boys to inherit it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want Mitchell Coastal to stay if it pays fair rent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want Hale\u2019s mortgage gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do we.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I don\u2019t want David paying it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Progress.<\/p>\n<p>Laura considered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is the land worth?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCurrent appraisal approximately nine million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Chloe has significant equity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould she refinance with an independent lender?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly, but Hale\u2019s default rights complicate timing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould the public benefit trust guarantee a new lease after conversion?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat would improve financing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer leaned closer to her screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cActually\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Chloe signs a new long-term lease effective simultaneously with conversion, an independent bank might refinance against the new rental stream.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPaying off Mariner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout trust money paying Chloe\u2019s debt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout David.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould you sign that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI won\u2019t control the public benefit trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore conversion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSarah and Richard can approve a binding lease commitment as current controlling parties, subject to independent board review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair market rent?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo family discount.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo special termination right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe breathed slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what I want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at David.<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Not because his approval mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Because he understood.<\/p>\n<p>We had found another path that did not require someone surrendering everything or controlling someone else.<\/p>\n<p>Laura began drafting.<\/p>\n<p>Then Jennifer\u2019s image froze.<\/p>\n<p>The call disconnected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInternet?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura tried reconnecting.<\/p>\n<p>No response.<\/p>\n<p>My phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz.<\/p>\n<p>I answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJennifer is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you mean gone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe left the secure room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was escorted to retrieve files from her office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVehicle was intercepted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKidnapped?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer escort vehicle was found two blocks away. Agent injured, conscious. Jennifer missing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think he took her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Jennifer knows where Hale keeps the original land option.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould that matter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe looked at the lease.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the original option contains the clause Mark told me about, whoever holds it can force a sale under one condition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat condition?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked at David.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Richard dies?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHale gets a purchase option.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the land?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt market value?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the original appraised value.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEight hundred thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The land was worth nine million.<\/p>\n<p>Hale could buy it for less than one tenth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would Richard agree to that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen who did?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chloe looked ashamed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark told me it was estate planning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>Unknown number.<\/p>\n<p>A photograph arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer sitting in the back seat of a car.<\/p>\n<p>Alive.<\/p>\n<p>Terrified.<\/p>\n<p>Beside the image:<\/p>\n<p>TELL CHLOE TO BRING THE LAND DEED.<\/p>\n<p>No location.<\/p>\n<p>No signature.<\/p>\n<p>Then a second message.<\/p>\n<p>RICHARD DOESN\u2019T HAVE TO DIE NATURALLY.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=28179\">Click here to continue reading: PART 35: Jennifer\u2019s Kidnapper Threatened Richard\u2019s Life to Seize Chloe\u2019s Land, but Mark\u2019s Own Message Revealed He Was Trying to Betray Hale Before It Was Too Late<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I called Chloe from the hospital corridor. She did not answer. I called again. Nothing. Liam answered on the third attempt to his phone. \u201cMom?\u201d \u201cWhere\u2019s Chloe?\u201d \u201cIn the kitchen.\u201d &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28178"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28224,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28178\/revisions\/28224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}