Chapter 2 - What the Judge Asked
Corey stared at the floor for nearly twenty seconds. Finally he whispered, "Mom... Dad..."
They immediately started answering for him.
"He's had anxiety."
"He just needed more time."
"He hasn't found the right opportunity."
The judge listened patiently. Then he asked Corey a simple question. "How long have you been unemployed?"
Corey hesitated. "Almost three years."
"And during that time?"
"My parents paid my rent."
"Your food?"
"Yes."
"Your car?"
"Yes."
The judge nodded, then turned to me. "Mr. Alden, how did you purchase your home?"
My attorney presented bank statements, employment records, tax returns, mortgage documents. Every dollar had come from my own income. No family gifts. No loans from my parents. No inheritance.
Then my attorney introduced something nobody expected — years of text messages from my parents. One from my mother read: Don't worry about Corey. You'll help him when you're rich. Another: Everything you accomplish belongs to the family.
The courtroom got noticeably quieter. My father shifted in his chair.
The judge asked whether my parents had contributed financially to my house.
"No," my attorney answered.
"Did they co-sign the mortgage?"
"No."
"Are their names on the deed?"
"No."
The judge folded his hands. "Then what legal ownership are they claiming?"
Their attorney struggled to answer. Eventually he admitted the case rested entirely on the belief that relatives should share major financial success.
The judge looked at my parents directly. "That's a moral opinion." A pause. "It is not a legal claim." Then, to Corey: "Your brother's achievements do not become your property because you're related."
Corey finally looked at me. For the first time in years, I didn't see resentment. I saw embarrassment. Then he quietly admitted something that changed the whole situation.
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He'd never wanted the lawsuit. "I just told Mom and Dad I wished I could own a house someday."
Our parents had turned one frustrated comment into a courtroom battle. That was when I realized the case had never really been about Corey. It was years of favoritism finally colliding with reality.
