Chapter 4: The Document Jessica Didn't Want David to Read
David read the lawyer’s message a second time.
Then he opened the attached document and began examining the details more carefully.
The room had become so quiet that Jasmine could hear the faint ticking of the clock on the wall.
Jessica stood beside the sofa, her hands clasped tightly in front of her.
She had entered the drawing room believing she could explain her decision and persuade David to accept it.
Now, she was watching him read paperwork she had hoped he would never question.
“What exactly are you looking for?”” she finally asked.
David didn't look up.
“An explanation.””
“I already explained why I did it.””
“You explained why you wanted your son to have the property. You haven't explained how you thought you could make that happen without my knowledge.””
Jessica exhaled impatiently.
“David, I was trying to prevent a problem before it happened.””
“What problem?””
“Jasmine might decide to sell the property someday.””
Jasmine looked at her in disbelief.
“Why do you keep saying that? I've never told you I wanted to sell it.””
Jessica turned toward her.
“You're young, Jasmine. You don't know what you might want ten years from now.””
“And you do?””
The question came out before Jasmine could stop herself.
Jessica's eyes narrowed.
David raised his head.
“Answer her question.””
Jessica looked between them.
“I was thinking ahead. That's all.””
David returned to the document.
“Thinking ahead doesn't explain this.””
He tapped a section near the bottom of the page.
Jasmine moved closer to see what he was reading, but the technical language was difficult to understand.
“What is it, Dad?””
“This section concerns the authority under which the request was submitted.””
Jessica immediately interrupted.
“It's just paperwork.””
David slowly turned toward her.
“Then you shouldn't have any problem explaining it.””
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
David returned his attention to the phone.
The lawyer's message stated that the office had received instructions to process the requested change and had retained the documents supplied in support of it.
David wanted the original records.
He wanted to know who had signed what, what authority had been claimed, and whether the transfer had been completed or was still awaiting further steps.
He wasn't going to accept vague assurances from anyone.
Especially not from the person who had arranged the transaction behind his back.
He called the lawyer again.
This time, he asked for a meeting and insisted that the complete file be made available for review.
When the call ended, he placed the phone on the table.
“The lawyer is arranging to provide the records. Until we've reviewed them, I'm not accepting your explanation as the whole story.””
Jessica's face tightened.
“You're acting as though I've committed some terrible crime.””
“I haven't accused you of a crime.””
“Then why are you treating me like this?””
“Because you made a major decision involving my daughter and our family property without consulting me.””
Jessica shook her head.
“You're making this about Jasmine.””
“It became about Jasmine when you decided she should lose her place in the property.””
“I didn't say she was losing her place in the family!””
“You removed her from the property records. What exactly did you expect her to think?””
Jessica looked at Jasmine.
For a moment, her expression softened.
“Jasmine, I never intended for you to feel unwanted.””
Jasmine stared at her.
“Then why didn't you talk to me?””
Jessica hesitated.
“Because I knew you wouldn't understand.””
“I'm nineteen, not a child.””
“I know that.””
“Then you could have explained your concerns instead of letting me find out from a lawyer's letter.””
Jasmine's voice trembled, but she kept speaking.
“You didn't even give me the chance to tell you what I wanted. You decided I might do something wrong, and you treated that possibility like proof.””
Jessica looked away.
She had no convincing answer.
David watched his daughter carefully.
He could see how much the situation had hurt her.
Jasmine wasn't demanding money.
She wasn't asking him to punish Jessica's son.
She was asking why her stepmother had treated her as a threat when she had done nothing to deserve that suspicion.
David had no intention of allowing that question to disappear beneath excuses.
“Jessica, I want you to listen carefully,” he said.
She turned toward him.
“Whatever arrangements we make for the children must be discussed openly. Neither of us gets to secretly decide that one child should lose something so another child can gain it.””
Jessica crossed her arms.
“And if you decide everything in Jasmine's favor?””
“Then you discuss your concerns with me. You don't secretly instruct a lawyer to carry out a decision you know I haven't approved.””
For several seconds, Jessica said nothing.
Then she quietly asked, “What happens now?””
David answered immediately.
“We establish what was done, determine what authority was used, and find out what options are legally available to correct anything that was improper.””
“And after that?””
“After that, we discuss the future honestly.””
Jessica's expression suggested she was waiting for a more reassuring answer.
David didn't offer one.
He couldn't promise that every consequence would disappear simply because he was angry.
He also couldn't pretend that trust hadn't been damaged.
Jasmine sat down on the edge of the sofa.
She felt exhausted.
Only a few hours earlier, she had been worrying about ordinary things.
Now she was listening to her father investigate a secret property transfer that might affect her future.
She looked at him.
“Dad, I don't want you to fight with Jessica because of me.””
David turned toward her.
“This isn't your fault.””
“But she's your wife.””
“And you're my daughter.””
He paused.
“Both of those things matter. Neither gives anyone permission to treat you unfairly.””
Jasmine lowered her head, wiping away a tear.
David sat beside her.
“You shouldn't have had to discover this through a document from the lawyer. If Jessica had concerns, she should have discussed them with me before taking action.””
Jessica remained standing.
She appeared offended by the way David was speaking, but beneath that anger was something else.
Fear.
She knew the transfer had been arranged without his knowledge.
She knew he was now demanding every record.
And she knew she couldn't control what the lawyer might reveal.
David's phone vibrated again.
This time, it was a short message confirming that the office was gathering the requested documents.
He read it, then placed the phone face down.
“We'll review everything before making another decision.””
Jessica swallowed.
“David, please don't turn this into something that destroys our marriage.””
He looked at her for a long moment.
“You should have thought about the consequences before making a decision that could damage this family.””
He didn't raise his voice.
He didn't threaten her.
But his calmness was more unsettling than shouting.
Because Jessica finally understood that he wasn't going to forget what had happened just because she regretted being caught.
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And when the lawyer's complete file arrived, David intended to read every page.
Including the ones Jessica hoped he would overlook.
