“Mrs.
Bell, before you ask Jasmine for a room, you should know who now holds the deed to the house you left this morning.”
David’s voice rolled through the gate speaker with the calm precision of a courtroom clerk.
For the first time since arriving, my mother stopped acting.
Christina stared at the intercom, one hand locked around Paige’s wrist.
Rain ran down her face, but she did not wipe it away.
Beside her, Paige’s phone continued streaming to thousands of viewers.
The ring light washed her skin pale while comments raced across the screen.
Paige swallowed.
“That sale was postponed.”
“It was not,” David replied.
“Our attorney handled it.”
“You never retained an attorney.”
Paige glanced at Christina, searching for support.
My mother’s eyes dropped to the wet pavement.
David continued.
“The trustee’s sale was completed at 9:03 this morning.
The purchaser was Amnesia Holdings LLC.”
Christina looked up at the mansion as if she could see me through the rain and glass.
“Jasmine owns our house?”
I pressed the intercom.
“My company does.”
Paige’s shock lasted less than a second.
Then anger flooded in to protect her from fear.
“You stole our home.”
“No,” I said.
“Your lender sold it after fourteen missed payments.”
That information landed harder than the rain.
Paige turned toward her livestream.
“She’s lying.
She has been stalking us.
This is what rich people do.
They buy judges and banks and ruin ordinary families.”
David’s voice returned.
“No judge was involved.
Washington permits nonjudicial foreclosure under a deed of trust.
Your notices were mailed, posted, and personally served.
You signed for one of them on March 18.”
Paige’s mouth opened, but Christina spoke first.
“You said those papers were a mistake.”
“They were,” Paige snapped.
“The bank made a mistake.”
“Fourteen times?” I asked.
Paige faced the camera again.
“My sister has hated me since we were children.
She has waited years to do this.”
The comments on her livestream began changing.
Fourteen missed payments?
Why did you bring a moving truck if the sale was postponed?
Did you know you were losing the house?
Paige noticed them too.
She lifted her chin and spoke faster.
“We came here because our mother deserves to live somewhere safe.
Jasmine has seven bedrooms.
Seven.
