Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
My guardians informed me that my grandmother was hospitalized, so
I decided to forego the family trip. They emphasized that
she required my presence at the physician's office. Meanwhile, my
siblings shared pictures of their time together, bored best vacation ever.
When they came back. Please, honey, Grandma really needs you
(00:22):
right now. She's not feeling well at all. My mom's
voice crackled through the phone, heavy with what I now
know was fake concern. I sat in my apartment in Indianapolis,
surrounded by the luggage I had packed for our big
family crews, my excitement quickly deflating into worry. Of course
I'll stay, I replied, without hesitation. The cruise isn't important
(00:46):
if Grandma needs help. Those words would come back to
haunt me just hours later. My name is Tarry Smith
and I'm twenty eight years old. All my life, I've
tried to be the responsible daughter, the one who could
be counted on when they got tough. But that dedication
to family was about to be tested in ways I
never imagined. I had been looking forward to this cruise
(01:08):
for months. It was supposed to be our first real
family vacation in years. Me my parents, my younger sister, Emma,
and a few other relatives. I'd even taken time off
work and bought new summer clothes, But when Mom called
about Grandma being in the hospital, I didn't think twice
about canceling that evening. As I was driving to the hospital,
(01:30):
my phone buzzed with a notification Emma had posted on
social media. My heart stopped as I looked at the image.
My entire family on the cruise ship Champagne, glasses raised
in celebration, best vacation ever, So blessed to have such
an amazing family cruise life, family time. The caption read.
(01:52):
I pulled over my hands, shaking as I stared at
the photo. There they were Mom, Dad, Emma, my aunts
and uncles, all smiling broadly on the deck of the ship.
They had lied to me. They had deliberately excluded me
from the family vacation, using my beloved grandmother as an excuse.
When I finally arrived at the hospital, there was no
(02:15):
record of my grandmother being admitted. My calls to my
parents went straight to voicemail. Emma had blocked me on
social media within minutes of my seeing her post. The
betrayal felt like a physical blow, knocking the wind out
of me. I drove to Grandma's house, tears blurring my vision.
To my surprise, her lights were on when I knocked.
(02:38):
She opened the door, looking perfectly healthy and more than
a little confused to see me in such a state.
Ta strong, sweetheart, Grandma asked, pulling me into a warm embrace.
The familiar scent of her lavender perfume brought fresh tears
to my eyes. As we sat in her cozy living room.
The truth came pouring out, the crew, the lies, the
(03:01):
social media posts that had shattered my world. I don't understand,
I said, wiping my eyes. Why would they do this
to me? Why lie about you being sick? Grandma's face
darkened with disappointment. She had always treated Emma and me equally,
but my parents wore a different story. Growing up in Indianapolis,
(03:23):
I had watched them consistently favor my sister. When Emma
wanted dance lessons, they found the money. When I needed
help with college tuition, I had to take out loans.
I thought about all the times I'd visited Grandma over
the years, helping her with groceries, taking her to doctor's
appointments or just sitting together looking through old photo albums.
(03:44):
Emma rarely visited unless she needed something, usually money. Yet
somehow she was still the golden child in our parents eyes.
Your mother called me last week. Grandma revealed, her voice
tight with anger. She asked me to play along, if
you can aim by to pretend I had been in
the hospital. I refused. Of course, I had no idea
(04:06):
they would actually go through with this scheme. The crew's
tickets hadn't been cheap, merely two thousand dollars per person
for a week long Caribbean adventure. I had saved for
months to afford mine, picking up extra shifts at the
accounting firm where I worked. Now, I wondered if they
had planned to exclude me all along. I wondered if
my ticket money had somehow funded some one else's cabin.
(04:29):
You know what hurts the most, I said, staring at
my hands. They didn't even need an elaborate excuse. They
could have just told me they didn't want me there. Instead,
they used you, knowing how much I care about you,
to manipulate me. Grandma reached for my hand, her grip
surprisingly strong. Sometimes people show you exactly who they are,
(04:51):
even when they think they're hiding it. She said, wisely,
The question is what are you going to do with
that knowledge? I looked up at her, seeing something fierce
and determined in her eyes. Little did I know Grandma
had been watching our family dynamics more closely than any
of us realized, and she had plans of her own.
As I sat with Grandma in her living room, my
(05:13):
phone buzzed again. This time it was a group text
from my cousin Nina, who didn't know I'd been excluded
from the cruise. She had meant to send vacation photos
to every one in the family group chat, not realizing
I wasn't supposed to see them. My heart sank as
I scrolled through the images. There was Emma wearing the
sun dress I had helped her pick out for the trip,
(05:35):
my parents lounging by the pool, cocktails in hand. The
whole family gathered for a formal dinner, all dressed up
and laughing. But what caught my eye was my mom's
diamond necklace, the one Grandma had given her years ago,
meant to be passed down to both her daughters on
their thirtieth birthdays. She gave it to Emma already, didn't she,
I asked, showing Grandma the photo, even though I'm the
(05:58):
older one, even though we were supposed to share it.
Grandma leaned forward to look at the picture, her expression hardening.
That necklace has been in our family for three generations,
she said quietly. Your great grandmother split her jewelry between
her daughters equally. That's why I gave it to your
mother with specific instructions. Then Grandma revealed something that made
(06:20):
my blood run cold. The crews hadn't been paid for
with my parents money at all. Two months ago, she
had given them fifteen thousand dollars to plan a family vacation,
explicitly stating it was for all of us. Instead, they
had used my portion to upgrade their own cabins and
book extra excursions. I've been watching, Grandma, continued, her voice
(06:42):
heavy with disappointment. For years. I've seen how they treat
you differently. I kept hoping they would change, that they
would realize what they were doing. But this, this is
the last straw. She stood up and walked to her desk,
pulling out a thick manila envelope. I wasn't going to
show you this yet, But you need to know. I've
(07:04):
been keeping records every time they favored Emma, every time
they've taken advantage of your kindness, every penny they've spent
differently between you two. Inside the envelope were bank statements, photos,
e mails, and hand written notes spanning years. My hands
trembled as I read through them. The truth was laid
(07:24):
bare in black and white. The pattern of favoritism wasn't
just in my head. It had been calculated, consistent, and deliberate.
But why, I whispered, the weight of years of gas
lighting and denial crashing down around me. Why did they
always make me feel like I was imagining it? Grandma's
eyes flashed with a determination I'd never seen before, because
(07:48):
that's what people do when they know they're wrong. They
tried to make you doubt yourself. But not any more, Terra,
not any more. The Family Crews was scheduled to last
seven days. As I sat in my Indianapolis apartment the
next morning, going through Grandma's documentation, my phone lit up
with a text from Emma. Mom said, you're spreading lies
(08:09):
about us. Why can't you just be happy for once
instead of trying to ruin everything I stared at the message,
anger building inside me. They were still trying to make
me the villain, even after what they'd done. Instead of
responding to Emma, I did something I'd never dared before.
I posted the truth on social media. Funny how being
(08:30):
lied to about my grandmother being hospitalized just so my
family could exclude me from a vacation somehow makes me
the problem, I wrote, attaching Emma's best vacation ever photo.
Even funnier how the cruise was paid for with money
that was meant to include me. Within minutes, my post
exploded with reactions. Family friends who'd known us for years
(08:52):
expressed their shock. My cousins, who hadn't known the full story,
began messaging me privately, sharing their own observation of how
I'd been treated differently over the years. Then my father called.
I almost didn't answer, but Grandma's words echoed in my mind.
Stand your ground. You've done nothing wrong. Take down that
(09:14):
post immediately, he demanded, his voice cold. You're embarrassing this family. No, Dad,
you embarrassed this family when you lied about Grandma being sick,
when you took her money, money meant for all of us,
and used it to exclude me. That's not how it happened.
He argued, we needed a break from your constant your constant,
(09:36):
my constant what dad, my constant reliability, my constant help
with Grandma, my constant effort to be part of this family,
despite how you treat me. The line went quiet for
a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was different, threatening.
If you don't take down that post and apologize publicly
for your lies, you'll regret it. You have no idea
(10:00):
what's at stake here? Are you threatening me? I'm warning you.
Your mother and I have protected you all these years,
kept certain things from you. If you want to play
this game, fine, but remember you're not the only one
who can tell stories. The call ended, leaving me shaken.
What things had they protected me from? What stories could
(10:22):
they tell? I called Grandma immediately. They're trying to scare me,
I told her. Dad says they've been protecting me from something,
but won't say what. Grandma was quiet for a long moment.
Go to your e mail, she finally said, I'm sending
you something. It's time you knew everything. As I opened
(10:45):
my laptop, my hands trembling slightly, I realized this was
bigger than just a family cruise. Whatever was in that
e mail would change everything, and judging by Grandma's tone,
my parents had good reason to be worried about what
I might discover. My hands shook as I opened Grandma's
e mail. Inside was a scan of a document dated
(11:05):
twenty five years ago, a trust agreement that made my
breath catch in my throat. According to the paperwork, my
maternal grandfather had left behind a significant fortune before he
passed away, meant to be divided equally between all his
grand children when they turned thirty. The trust was worth
over two million dollars. But there was more. A series
of bank statements showed regular withdrawals from the trust over
(11:28):
the years. Money that had been used to fund Emma's
dance lessons, her private school education, her college tuition, and
even her recent wedding. All of it had been taken
from what was supposed to be my share. They've been
stealing from you since you were three years old, Grandma
explained over the phone. Your mother convinced the trustee, her
brother Michael, to give her early access to your portion,
(11:51):
claiming it was for your benefit. But as you can see,
they spent it all on Emma, I finished, my voice hollow.
The were staggering. Over half a million dollars had been
siphoned from my trust fund over the years, while I'd
worked multiple jobs to put myself through college. Just then,
another e mail came through, this time from my uncle
(12:12):
Michael Tara. I can't keep quiet any more. What they
did with the crew's money was the last straw. I've
attached documentation of every withdrawal they made from your trust.
I'm so sorry. I should have stopped them years ago.
The attached files revealed an even darker truth. My parents
(12:32):
hadn't just spent my trust fund on Emma. They'd been
embezzling money for themselves too. The cruise was just the
latest example of their ongoing scheme. Why didn't you tell
me sooner, I asked Grandma, trying to process the magnitude
of the betrayal. I only discovered the extent of it recently,
she replied. When I confronted your mother about it last month,
(12:54):
she swore they'd pay it all back. That's when I
gave them the crew's money. It was a test, Terra.
I wanted to see if they'd finally do the right thing,
and they failed. Spectacularly, I said bitterly, yes, but their
failure has given us exactly what we needed. Proof. Your
(13:15):
uncle Michael has agreed to testify about their manipulation of
the trust. Combined with my documentation and the crew's incident,
we can take legal action. I finished, a surge of determination,
replacing my shock. Better than that, Grandma said, and I
could hear the steel in her voice. We can make
sure they never hurt you again. I clicked the second
(13:37):
attachment in my email. I clicked it open and gasped.
It was Grandma's will, recently updated. She had made me
the sole heir to her estate, which I now learned
included controlling interest in the family company where my father
worked as CEO. They're about to discover, Grandma said, firmly
that their actions have consequences. The next morning, I met
(14:00):
with Uncle Michael at a cafe in downtown Indianapolis. Dark
circles under his eye suggested he hadn't slept much, and
his hands trembled slightly as he handed me a thick folder.
These are copies of every document, every transaction, he said quietly.
I've already sent everything to the family attorney. Your parents
(14:21):
they're going to try to fight this, Tara. They've already
called me six times since I sent that email. What
are they saying, I asked, flipping through the damning evidence
of years of financial manipulation, their claiming it was all
done with your best interests in mind, that they were
protecting you from having too much money too young. He
(14:42):
shook his head in disgust. But I found something else,
something they don't know I know about. He pulled out
another document, this one showing a series of recent transfers
to an offshore account. They're planning to leave the country, Tara.
They've been moving money around, preparing for something. The cruise
wasn't just a vacation. It was a test run. They
(15:05):
were checking if their passports would raise any red flags.
My blood ran cold. They're planning to run with what's
left of your trust fund. Yes, and Emma's involved. She's
been helping them set up accounts in her name to
hide the money. Just then my phone buzzed. It was
(15:25):
a text from Emma. I know what you're doing. You've
always been jealous of me, and now you're trying to
ruin everything. Well, guess what, You're too late. By the
time you figured it out will be gone and you'll
have nothing. I showed the text to Uncle Michael, whose
face paled. They're moving faster than I thought. We need
(15:47):
to act now. I called Grandma immediately. She answered on
the first ring, as if she'd been waiting. They're at
the family company right now, she said, without preamble. Your
father cleaning out his office. Security just called me. Can
they stop him better. I've already called the police and
(16:09):
the FBI Financial Crimes Division. They're on their way. But tera,
she paused, you need to get down there. You're the
controlling shareholder now. The paperwork was filed first thing this morning.
I stood up my chair, scraping against the floor. They
don't know that yet, do they number? And that's our advantage.
(16:33):
Get there before they can destroy any evidence. Uncle Michael's
documentation proves the theft, but there might be more we
don't know about. As I rushed to my car, another
text came through, this time from my mother. You ungrateful child,
After everything we've done for you, you'll regret this. But
for the first time, their threats didn't frighten me. I
(16:55):
had the truth on my side, and more importantly, I
had nothing left to loose. I arrived at the family
company's headquarters just as my parents were walking out carrying
boxes from my father's office. Emma was with them, looking
nervous as she glanced around. They froze when they saw
me step out of my car. What are you doing here,
(17:17):
my father demanded, trying to maintain his authoritative CEO voice,
but I could see the fear in his eyes. Funny,
I was about to ask you the same thing, I replied, calmly,
especially since you're removing items from my company without authorization
your company, Emma scoffed. What are you talking about? I
(17:38):
held up my phone, displaying the ownership documents. Grandma transferred
her controlling shares to me this morning, and as the
new majority shareholder, I'm very interested in these boxes you're carrying.
Would they happen to contain evidence of what you did
with my trust fund? My mother's face went white. Behind them,
police cars pulled into the parking lot, lights flashing. FBI
(18:01):
agents emerged from unmarked vehicles, and I saw Uncle Michael's
car arrive, with Grandma in the passenger seat. You don't understand,
my mother pleaded, her voice shaking. Everything we did was
for this family. No I corrected her. Everything you did
was for Emma, and now you are planning to run
(18:21):
away with what's left of my money. I turned to
my sister. Did you enjoy the cruise, Emma? Was it
worth it? The FBI agents approached as Emma burst into tears.
My father tried to pull her away, but it was
too late. The truth had finally caught up with them all.
Three months later, I sat in Grandma's garden in Indianapolis,
(18:45):
watching the autumn leaves fall while we shared our morning coffee.
The FBI's investigation had revealed even more than we'd suspected.
My parents had embezzled not just for my trust fund,
but from the company as well. They were now facing
federal charge along with additional civil suits from shareholders. Emma
had made a deal with prosecutors, agreeing to testify in
(19:06):
exchange for immunity. She'd moved to Minnesota, finally forced to
support herself without our parents' financial backing. Her last message
to me was a lengthy apology. But some wounds run
too deep for simple words to heal, you know, Grandma said,
sipping her coffee. Your grandfather would be proud of how
(19:27):
you handled everything. He always said money reveals people's true characters.
I nodded, thinking of the changes I'd implemented at the company.
Under my leadership. We'd established a scholarship program for employees'
children and created a more transparent financial system. The business
was thriving, built on integrity rather than deception. I never
(19:49):
wanted any of this, I admitted, I just wanted to
be treated fairly. Grandma reached over and squeezed my hand.
Sometimes life's greatest blessings come to SCTs eised as its
greatest challenges. You've turned their betrayal into something positive. She
was right. I had found my strength, my purpose, and
(20:10):
most importantly, my self worth that cruise they took without me.
It hadn't been the vacation of a lifetime, after all.
It had been the beginning of their downfall and the
start of my new life.