I stood still, my nerves fluttering in my chest as he dialled the number. As soon as the call connected, I heard Brian’s voice on the other end, full of the same arrogance as the day before.
‘What now?’ Brian asked impatiently.
James, as usual, remained calm. ‘Brian, we need to talk,’ he said in a professional tone. ‘I want to explain the situation to you so that you understand exactly where you stand.’
Brian snorted. ‘Where do I stand? I think I’m pretty clear on that.’
James didn’t flinch. ‘Actually, I don’t think you understand. You’re trying to take your mother’s house away from her, but you don’t realise that you’re on shaky ground. Very shaky ground.’
There was a pause on the other end, and I could feel the tension mounting. Brian didn’t like being challenged, especially when he thought he had the upper hand.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Brian finally replied, his voice firming.
James leaned forward slightly, but his voice did not waver. ‘Let me explain this to you simply. What you did after your father’s death — taking his car, his watch, and other things without permission — is a serious crime. You sold things that did not belong to you. That’s theft, Brian.’
I could almost hear Brian’s breath catch. He had no idea where this conversation was going, but I could sense his confidence slipping.
‘Are you serious?’ Brian snapped. ‘I didn’t steal anything. Those things were mine!’
‘No, not mine,’ James said firmly. ‘They belonged to your father. And your mother never gave you permission to take or sell them. There are witnesses who saw you selling these things. You’re lucky no one has reported it yet. But if you go through with this lawsuit, everything will change.’
There was a moment of silence on the line. Brian didn’t answer, and I imagined the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out how to get out of this situation.
‘Are you saying I could get in trouble for this?’ Brian finally asked, his voice slightly trembling.
‘Yes,’ James replied bluntly. ‘You could be fined or worse. And if you delay this lawsuit any longer, we’ll make everything public. Do you really want to take that risk?’
Another long silence followed, and I held my breath, waiting for Brian’s response. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, less confident.
‘So what do you want me to do?’ Brian asked, sounding almost defeated.
James took a deep breath, keeping his voice steady. ‘Drop the lawsuit, Brian. Walk away before things get even worse for you. I’ll make sure nothing else happens if you do. But if you don’t, you’ll lose much more than just the case.’
Brian didn’t answer right away, and I felt the tension in the air as he pondered his decision. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he muttered, ‘Okay. I’ll drop it.’
When James hung up, I exhaled, not even realising I had been holding my breath. I looked at him, expecting some kind of explanation, but he just smiled lightly. ‘I just told him the truth. Sometimes that’s all it takes.’
‘You’re different, you know that?’ I said, shaking my head.
‘I’ve been told that before,’ he joked, getting up to refill his coffee cup.
Sitting and watching him move around the kitchen as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I realised that karma had done its job. Not in the way I had expected, but in the way that seemed right to me. Brian had been stopped in his tracks, not by anger or revenge, but by the truth. And perhaps that was how it was always meant to be.
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