Slowly, he allowed me to remove the coat.

That was when I noticed clear signs that he had not been treated properly.

There were marks along his arms, shoulders, and wrists that didn’t look accidental.

I stared at him.

“Dad… who did this?”

His eyes filled again.

“Julian restrains me when I ask about my bank accounts. Chloe pressures me whenever I refuse to sign papers.”

He swallowed.

“They keep telling me no one will believe an old man who sometimes forgets things.”

Then he told me everything.

Julian and Chloe had taken control of his finances.

They had arranged the sale of his lake cabin.

Money had disappeared from two investment accounts.

They had pressured him into signing a new will leaving almost everything to Julian.

Dad had tried contacting me twice.

Julian took away his phone.

Chloe warned him that if he told anyone what was happening, they would claim he was incapable of living independently and move him somewhere he didn’t want to go.

For a moment, I wanted to walk downstairs and confront them immediately.

But I knew that would only give them time to hide evidence.

So I stayed calm.

I documented what Dad told me, took photographs of the visible signs of mistreatment, and recorded his statement with his permission.

Then I reached for my phone.

“Judge Thorne?”

I kept my voice quiet.

“This is Assistant Attorney General Elena Vance. I need an emergency protective order tonight.”

Julian and Chloe had spent years joking about my government job.

They had never bothered to learn what I actually did.

That was about to become their biggest mistake.

Part 2

By breakfast the next morning, I was pretending nothing had changed.

Julian poured himself coffee and smirked.

“Still playing important government lawyer?”