If there's one thing you should know about me, it's this; I'm just a lawyer, nothing more, nothing less. I do what I'm told and I act in the best interest of the family. The patriarch had passed away and I was named executor of the estate. Not a godly fortune, but a substantial one, enough to make dignified people do crazy things.
All of this happened in the aftermath of the patriarch's passing and the family was waiting for their inheritance. As individuals, they're wonderful people, I've always gotten along with them, but as a family there are some underlying toxic dynamics. That's okay, many families have that.
Per the instructions of the trust, my orders were as follows:
i) That I would have control of distributing funds
ii) The family must remain close to receive an annual allowance
iii) A morality clause must be followed. No drinking, drugs, shameful behavior
This started at a high-end political event which Margaret also attended. She looked as beautiful as ever, wearing a long red gown and her hair was tied, which had streaks of white. Tall and thin. She was 52 at the time with the confidence of a woman who knew her worth. She was no longer tethered to a husband and that freedom allowed her to mingle as she pleased.
As the night went on, Margaret found me and pulled me aside, a gleam in her eyes.
"I may have a chance to run for Governor," she said. "The other candidates are polling horribly. So big donors want someone fresh, even at my age."
None of that surprised me. Margaret wasn't some typical socialite or housewife. She was a known business woman and had spent the last few years doing philanthropy at high profile events. The media loved her. Charisma had always been on her side. I'd heard whispers of her wanting to run for local office, her husband had always been uneasy about that, but with the husband gone, she was unstoppable.
"Well then, you have my vote."
"That's what I'd like to talk about," she said. "Some donors won't support me until after the primaries. They don't want to piss off their friends. So, I'll need to fund my campaign early on."
"And you want the money from the trust account."
"It's my only chance to win a primary contest. Apparently I test very well in focus groups."
"What's the dollar amount?"
"$10 million."
We talked for a good amount that night. The family is rich, but not wealthy, and the trust was designed to take care of them over the decades. In order for Margaret to pull that kind of money, the other beneficiaries -- the adult children -- must agree to change the trust.
"You must think I'm crazy," she said.
"No, not at all. I admire people who run for office with a specific worldview. You could do a lot of great things."
"And the amount of money I'm asking for? It's a risk."
"Even if you lose the race, your increased name recognition could benefit everyone, financially speaking."
"This is a dream of mine," she said. "The stars have aligned."
"I'm happy for you, but Daphne is a lavish spender, so is Oliver."
"He's back on drugs, you know."
"Are you sure?"
"The signs are there," she said. "Ever since his father passed, he's gone back to his old ways."
"Well there you go. Oliver could be disqualified from the inheritance because of the morality clause. More cash for you."
She smiled, "No, I could never do that."
"Would you like me to talk to them? See how they feel about this."
"Please. I was hoping you'd offer."
The next day I visited their family home, a modest estate outside the city. Margaret was busy on the phone and the maid let me in. I took what Margaret said to heart, about her eldest son and drugs. I had plenty of experience with spoiled young men who lacked direction and I interpreted Margaret's comments that I should intervene.
I went to Oliver's bedroom and searched around. Did I feel guilty for going through his closets and drawers? No. It was for his own good. Oliver was a bright young man with potential, but he's what happens when you have too much energy, access to everything, and a neglectful father. You get someone with a burning passion but nowhere to put it.
No drugs were found that day, though I found something that would change their lives forever -- a novel from the 1970's written by an author named HeyAll, a worn paperback with the cover torn off. A quick skim revealed that it was erotic. A closer look revealed that these were short stories involving family members. With a deeper inspection, the main focus was the mother.
Young men reading porn usually means nothing, but this is a bargaining tool.
A few minutes later I sat across Margaret in the home office and showed her the novel. It was funny seeing her reaction. It was like pills or ecstasy would have been easier to process, because at least she could understand drugs; how is a mother supposed to deal with a son's incest fantasy?
"This is gross," she said.
"Oliver is a complicated young man."
"Fair enough, but why are you showing this to me?"
"Think about it," I said. "Oliver is going through a rough time. He's lost his father. He seeks validation with wild friends. So it's either that... or this."
I pointed to the novel and Margaret scoffed that same second.
"You want me to fuck him?"
"Be pragmatic. The only leverage you have is being a mother."
Right then and there, she knew I was right, she didn't like it either. For the next hour we discussed potential next steps. Her main priority was amending the trust, her second priority was maintaining her dignity in the household. She refused to denigrate herself. But she also knew that vigorous young men like Oliver are easily manipulated by women. He built quite a reputation as a ladies man on the party scene. Everybody in our social circle knew that.
"Wait here," she said.
She was annoyed and didn't try to hide it. I waited there for a while and Margaret returned wearing a form fitting black dress, smaller than anything I'd ever seen her wear before, with her arms and legs showing. She also wore red heels and sheer stockings.
"You look fantastic."
"My husband loved this outfit. I only wore it for him."
When she sat down, I'll never forget the sound of her heels clicking on the floor. It was the music of a dignified woman. The force of each step. The confidence and rhythm. She sat with upright posture but she wasn't relaxed. Sitting there with her legs crossed, I could tell she was embarrassed being dressed like that around me.