Chapter 17 - The Meeting Without a Family TableThe settlement conference was held in a neutral office downtown.
No crystal chandeliers.
No elaborate buffet.
No pink flowers.
Just a long table, pitchers of water, and attorneys seated beside people who no longer trusted one another.
Naomi chose to attend.
Mara had explained that negotiations could occur through lawyers without her being present, but Naomi wanted to hear what the other side was prepared to acknowledge.
She wasn't expecting an apology.
She wanted to understand whether they were ready to stop fighting for control over Rosemont Court.
Raymond arrived first.
Lorraine followed.
Daniel entered separately.
That small detail told Naomi something.
For the first time, he wasn't automatically walking beside his parents.
He had retained his own attorney.
The mediator began by explaining the confidentiality of the process and the limits of what could be achieved that day.
Nobody would be forced to settle.
The court would continue handling the case if negotiations failed.
Raymond's attorney presented an opening proposal.
It offered to abandon the planned acquisition of Rosemont Court.
In exchange, Naomi would release the development company and the Brooks family from all related claims.
Naomi almost laughed.
They were offering not to take her property if she agreed not to hold them accountable for trying.
Mara spoke before Naomi could respond.
“That proposal doesn't address the recorded instrument, expenses, unauthorized charges, or the harm caused by the attempted transaction.”
Raymond shifted in his chair.
“Rosemont Court never changed hands.”
Naomi looked at him.
“Because my daughter found the packet.”
Raymond's expression tightened.
“Because questions were raised before closing.”
“Questions about my forged signature.”
Lorraine leaned forward.
“Naomi, we understand you're upset.”
Naomi turned toward her.
“Please stop telling me how I feel.”
Lorraine opened her mouth.
Naomi continued.
“I am here because someone attempted to transfer control of property I inherited. I'm not here to debate whether my feelings are appropriate.”
The mediator gently redirected the discussion.
Mara outlined the relief Naomi sought.
A binding resolution establishing the disputed power of attorney was invalid and preventing its further use.
Cooperation in correcting the public records.
An accounting of charges involving her property.
Reimbursement for unauthorized expenses and the legal costs caused by the dispute.
And appropriate compensation, subject to proof and negotiation.
Raymond's attorney asked for time to confer.
The parties separated into different rooms.
Naomi sat quietly while Mara reviewed the next steps.
“Are you all right?” Mara asked.
Naomi nodded.
Then shook her head.
“I don't know.”
“That's allowed.”
Naomi looked at the table.
“I used to think if I could just explain something clearly enough, Lorraine would eventually understand.”
Mara waited.
“But she understood. She just didn't think my answer mattered.”
There was a knock.
Daniel's attorney requested a separate conversation through the mediator.
Mara agreed to hear what he was proposing.
Daniel wanted to provide a full accounting of the role he had played in assembling and distributing the documents.
He was also willing to cooperate with appropriate requests for records, subject to legal advice.
Naomi listened.
It was meaningful.
It was also late.
Daniel had known the truth before the baby shower.
Before the power of attorney was recorded.
Before tenants received notices suggesting their homes could disappear.
Now he was offering to help correct damage he had helped create.
Naomi appreciated the cooperation.
She didn't confuse it with absolution.
When the parties reconvened, Lorraine looked exhausted.
Her pearls were gone.
She had removed them sometime during the private discussions.
For years, Naomi had never seen Lorraine without jewelry at a formal gathering.
The missing pearls made her look unexpectedly ordinary.
Lorraine spoke directly to Naomi.
“I wanted my husband to keep his company.”
Naomi said nothing.
“We built everything together. I watched him work sixteen-hour days. I watched employees depend on him.”
“And?”
“When the financing began collapsing, I was afraid.”
Naomi studied her.
For the first time, Lorraine was offering a recognizable human motive rather than an accusation.
Fear.
Fear of losing status.
Fear of financial ruin.
Fear of watching a marriage built around success confront failure.
Naomi could understand the feeling.
She couldn't accept the decision.
“You could have asked me for help,” Naomi said.
“You'd already refused.”
“Yes.”
Lorraine's eyes narrowed.
“And that was the end of it?”
“That should have been the end of trying to take my property.”
Raymond straightened.
“We aren't here to relitigate family disagreements.”
Naomi turned toward him.
“No. We're here because you authorized your company to proceed with documents you knew I hadn't willingly signed.”
Raymond's mouth became a thin line.
His attorney began speaking.
Naomi let him.
She no longer needed Raymond to admit everything in that room.
The evidence existed outside his control.
After several hours, the conference ended without a final settlement.
The defendants had agreed to exchange additional financial information and return with a revised proposal.
Nothing was magically resolved.
But something important had changed.
Lorraine was no longer telling Naomi what she had to sign.
Raymond was no longer speaking as though the sale were inevitable.
And Daniel was no longer asking her to keep the matter inside the family.
As Naomi left the building, Raymond called after her.
“You've cost us a fortune.”
She turned.
He stood beneath the gray office lights, his face tight with resentment.
Naomi held his gaze.
“No, Raymond.”
She placed one hand on her stomach.
May you like
“You gambled with something that wasn't yours.”
Then she walked away.
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