The moment Andrew’s name flashed across my screen, I declined the call.

One second later, he called again.

Then again.

By the fifth attempt, I finally answered.

“Olivia, listen to me.”

His breathing was rushed.

“This is all a misunderstanding.”

I leaned back in my airport seat and smiled.

“A misunderstanding?”

“My mom was only trying to help.”

“By bringing four strangers to appraise my house?”

There was silence.

“I didn’t know she’d gone that far.”

“You gave her the emergency key.”

“I…”

“You lied.”

Another long pause.

Then he lowered his voice.

“Can we please talk about this privately?”

I opened the live security feed.

Patricia was arguing furiously with Chief Wallace.

“I’ve told you already!” she shouted. “This house belongs to my son!”

Chief Wallace didn’t move.

“The title deed lists one owner.”

He held up a printed document.

“Mrs. Olivia Moore.”

Patricia’s confidence began to crack.

“My son lives here.”

“Occasionally.”

“My son is married to her.”

“That doesn’t transfer ownership.”

She turned toward the four men she had invited.

“Tell them!”

None of them spoke.

Finally, the man carrying the appraisal documents cleared his throat.

“Mrs. Bennett…”

“You told us you had the legal authority to sell the property.”

She forced a smile.

“I do.”

The man slowly shook his head.

“We asked whether the owner had signed the listing agreement.”

“You said your daughter-in-law had already approved everything.”

“I assumed she would.”

He immediately stepped away from her.

“That isn’t what you told us.”

The photographer packed away his camera.

The inspector closed his equipment case.

Within seconds, all four men had distanced themselves from Patricia.

They suddenly realized exactly what they had walked into.

My phone vibrated again.

This time it was my lawyer.

“Olivia.”

“Yes?”

“The police have received all the recordings.”

“They’ve watched everything.”

I glanced back at the security footage.

Patricia was still shouting.

“They’re trespassing now!” she screamed at the guards.

Chief Wallace calmly replied,

“Actually, Mrs. Bennett…”

“You are.”

Just then, two police vehicles entered the driveway.

Andrew’s voice exploded through my phone.

“Olivia!”

“I just got home.”

I switched to another security camera.

His car had stopped outside the security barrier.

He jumped out before it had fully stopped.

“Don’t let the police inside!” he yelled.

Chief Wallace simply raised one hand.

“They’re expected.”

Andrew froze.

His eyes widened as two officers walked toward the front entrance.

He looked up directly at the camera.

He knew I was watching.

“Olivia,” he pleaded into the phone, “please don’t do this.”

“Do what?”

“My mother made a mistake.”

“No.”

I watched Patricia being questioned by the officers.

“She made several.”

One officer asked for identification.

Another requested proof that she had permission to enter the property.

Patricia proudly held up the emergency key.

“My son gave this to me.”

The officer nodded.

“Do you have written authorization from the owner?”

“No.”

“Do you have power of attorney?”

“No.”

“Do you have any document permitting you to market this property?”

Her face slowly lost all color.

“No…”

The officer quietly wrote something into his notebook.

Andrew ran toward his mother.

“Officer, this is just a family misunderstanding.”

The officer looked at him.

“Were you aware these individuals entered the property to conduct a valuation for sale?”

Andrew hesitated.

That hesitation lasted barely three seconds.

But it was enough.

The officer noticed it immediately.

“So you knew.”

“I…”

“You rejected three phone calls from the owner while this inspection was taking place.”

Andrew stared at the ground.

He couldn’t deny it.

Because I had already sent every phone record to my attorney.

Then another police officer walked out of the house carrying a large transparent evidence bag.

Inside were several folders.

My private financial files.

My passport.

Original property deeds.

My late parents’ wills.

The officer looked toward Patricia.

“Were you searching for these?”

She shook her head frantically.

“I was only organizing.”

The officer didn’t answer.

Instead, he pulled another item from the evidence bag.

A blank property transfer agreement.

Already prepared.

With my name printed beneath the signature line.

Only one thing was missing.

My signature.

I felt a cold wave pass through my entire body.

They hadn’t come to “look around.”

They had come prepared to steal everything.

My lawyer called again.

“Olivia…”

“What now?”

His voice was unusually calm.

“We’ve just finished reviewing Andrew’s financial records.”

“And?”

“There are over eleven million yuan in gambling debts hidden through multiple personal loans.”

I closed my eyes.

Everything suddenly made sense.

The pressure.

The lies.

The desperate attempt to sell my villa.

It had never been about Vanessa’s wedding.

That was only the excuse.

The real reason…

They needed my house because Andrew was already bankrupt.