Chapter 2
“What?! You want to mortgage the house?!”
When I brought up the idea, Brenda and Robert’s reactions were even more extreme than I’d anticipated.
Brenda’s eyes practically bulged out of her head, her voice cracking. “Are you out of your mind, Asher?! Do you even hear yourself?!”
She looked ready to jump up and scream. “Your father and I worked our entire lives for this house!”
“Leo needs this house to start his own family someday! No, absolutely not!”
Leo panicked too, his eyes red. “Yeah, Bro, if we lose this house, where will we live?!”
I looked at them, speaking each word slowly and deliberately. “I know a major player in the financial world. He said he could invest for me, and the returns would at least triple our investment.”
“But he has strict requirements for qualifications, demanding substantial cash flow.”
“Triple?” Brenda’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Yes,” I pressed my advantage. “And he promised to build us an apocalypse shelter and give us gold bars equivalent to the amount we invest.”
The picture I painted was too tempting. Their resistance began to waver.
Robert asked in a small voice, “What… what if the apocalypse doesn’t come?”
“If the apocalypse doesn’t come, won’t we still have the gold?”
That sentence utterly demolished their last line of defense.
I seized the opportunity. “Mom, this is our only chance.”
“Either we cling to this house, which will be utterly worthless when the apocalypse hits, and just wait to die together.”
“Or we take this one shot, and we’re guaranteed to come out on top. You’re the head of the household, Mom. It’s your call.”
I put the ball in her court.
After a long pause, Brenda slammed her hand on the table, as if summoning all her remaining strength.
“Alright! Let’s do it! Mortgage it!”
Over the next few days, I handled all the paperwork with astonishing efficiency. Brenda and Robert’s hands still trembled as they signed the house deed.
The 4.5 million loan was quickly deposited into my account.
I stared at the long string of numbers in my mobile banking app, my smile widening, a dark satisfaction spreading through me.
That afternoon, I returned with a box of “gold.”
In front of them, I carefully stacked the bars into the safe.
“Asher, this… so much gold, just sitting there?” Brenda’s voice was a dry croak. She couldn’t help but reach out to touch it.
I deftly closed the lid, avoiding her outstretched hand.
“That’s right. The password is Leo’s birthday, plus Mom and Dad’s wedding anniversary,” I said softly. “That way, you can all rest easy, right?”
Hearing that, the three of them exchanged glances, their expressions visibly softening.
I let a silent, chilling smile play on my lips.