All Chapters of Luxury for Her Mother, Lectures for Mine: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Lucy, that's my mom. What does 800 dollars even mean to our family?" I asked.My wife, Lucy Glaser, didn't look up. "Caleb, family ties don't override the principles of household asset allocation. 800 dollars times 12 months is 9,600 dollars. That's a 0.0096% fluctuation in annualized returns."Any off-budget expense is you digging a hole for your future self."She paused, opened an app, and turned the screen toward me."Look. Last month, you bought a tie without authorization and pushed the 'nonessential personal items' category over budget by 312 dollars and 50 cents."This month, you want to rent an apartment for your mother. And next month? What, are you going to hire a caregiver for her?"I stared at the glaring red number on the screen and felt nothing but disbelief.Last month, I settled a major case. On my way home, I passed a boutique and noticed a tie in the window. It was clean-lined and understated.I thought about how worn my old ties were and decided to buy one.

Chapter 2

Feeling hungry, I ordered takeout. It wasn't until I went to pay that I realized Lucy had linked my digital wallet to a family card. Any charge over 15 dollars triggered an alert to her.On my phone screen was a message she'd just sent."Toast and coffee are enough for breakfast. A croissant combo costs way more, and both the calories and the price are over the limit."I deleted the message. On the drive to the firm, I called my best friend, Evan Thorne.Evan was a no-nonsense divorce lawyer. After hearing my story, he blew up on the other end of the line."Caleb Hatcher, are you out of your damn mind? You're a top-tier corporate lawyer, and you let a mid-level lawyer box you in like this? What were you thinking when you signed that bullshit agreement?"Did you lose your damn mind? If this gets out, how are you supposed to survive in this profession?"I gave a bitter laugh. "I'd just made partner back then. I was drowning in work. She said she'd handle everything so I could focu

Chapter 3

Lucy took a deep breath. "This is an investment! It's for a better future for us!"She suddenly smiled, her voice turning gentle. "Tell you what. You sign the papers, and I'll call the agent right away and rent the place your mom likes. I'm not just renting it. I'll pay three years upfront."I'll get her the latest high-end smart massage chair, too, plus another 100,000 dollars in spending money. How does that sound?"She was trying to use 800 dollars in rent to get me to sign a guarantee that could bankrupt us.What did she take me for? A dog she could buy off with a bone?I laughed in anger and pushed the agreement back toward her. "Lucy, do you know what kind of work I'm best at?"She stalled.I looked straight into her eyes. "Corporate bankruptcy liquidation. I've seen too many investors like you—people who got carried away and ended up losing everything. Even the clothes on their backs."Lucy's face turned hard and gray in an instant. "Caleb Hatcher, don't be so ungrateful

Chapter 4

My heart skipped a beat, but my face stayed calm.I pointed at the computer. "I suddenly remembered a case I have in court tomorrow. There was a detail in the evidence I wanted to double-check."Lucy watched me for a few seconds, then gave a quiet laugh. "You workaholic. Do you even know what time it is? The electricity bill is going to blow past the limit again this quarter."She turned and walked away after saying thatI stayed where I was, chilled to the bone.If she wanted to use the law as a weapon, then I would use what I knew best and settle this myself.…"Ms. Sweeney, I wanted to hire you to investigate my wife, Lucy Glaser."Teresa Sweeney leaned back in her chair and flicked her eyes up at me. "Investigate what?""Everything—her financial transactions, her social circle, her call records. And her friend Jean Zeller, the founder of a renewable-energy company."Ms. Sweeney raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Hatcher, that kind of work doesn't come cheap."I slid a card across t

Chapter 5

"Caleb, what is all this about?" Mr. Lambert asked.I handed him the report I'd already prepared, which was a complete psychological evaluation from one of the city's top hospitals."Mr. Lambert, this is a comprehensive assessment I completed last week. The results show I'm in excellent mental health."He flipped through the pages, but his expression didn't soften. "Even so, the impact of that post is serious. Clients are talking. Two major accounts have already asked to switch lead counsel."Of course, I knew.That was Lucy's real objective. She wanted to ruin my career, cut off my income, and turn me into someone who could only cling to her to survive.I walked out of Mr. Lambert's office. In the hallway, my colleagues watched me with openly curious looks.I went back to my office, closed the door, and called Evan."Evan, I need a favor. Pull all the call records between Lucy and that childhood friend of hers who runs a psychiatric hospital. I need everything from the past fi

Chapter 6

A week before the trial, the court scheduled the final pre-trial mediation.In the mediation room, Lucy sat across from me in a white dress, her makeup immaculate, smiling like victory was a done deal.Her attorney was Harry Jones, Evan's sworn rival and a notorious courtroom shark with a reputation for playing dirty. He cleared his throat and took the first shot."Your Honor, my client, Ms. Lucy Glaser, has long been devoted to preserving and growing her family's wealth. Her professional asset-management expertise is beyond dispute."Mr. Caleb Hatcher, on the other hand, not only lacks basic financial judgment but has recently shown serious emotional instability. He has even circulated false claims online to defame my client."We therefore have serious doubts that Mr. Hatcher remains legally capable of managing substantial assets."The moment Mr. Jones finished speaking, I slid a thick stack of documents across to the judge."Your Honor, this is the full evidence showing that m

Chapter 7

In the photos, Lucy was wearing a prison uniform. Her hair was cut short, and her eyes were empty. She looked nothing like the polished, beautiful woman I remembered.I said evenly, "Lucy got exactly what she deserved."Mrs. Glaser spat out, "Deserved? Everything she did, she did for this family. It's for you! You heartless bastard. You ruined her! Do you have a heart at all?"She shrieked and lunged at me, swinging like she meant to hit me.Alex moved fast and stopped her. "Ma'am, please calm down. This is a law firm. Everything here is on record."I looked at her and, for a moment, found the scene almost ridiculous.I said calmly, "Mrs. Glaser, try not to get so worked up. That outfit and the bag on your arm are worth close to a million dollars, right? I paid for them. If you damage them, I'll expect you to pay me back."She froze."Lucy bought you a 230-thousand-dollar bag. She stocked Mr. Glaser's garage with vintage supercars worth tens of millions. All of it was paid for

Chapter 8

I watched Mrs. Glaser in silence.I waited until she had cried enough, then said evenly, "You have three minutes. Sign it, or don't."Mrs. Glaser signed in the end. Her hand trembled as she pressed her fingerprint onto every page. When she finished, she collapsed back into the chair, her eyes blank.I collected the documents without sparing her a glance and said to Alex, "See her out."…A week later, Lucy and I finalized the divorce at the prison.Separated by the cold iron bars, she looked at me, her expression hard to read. "Caleb, when did you start suspecting me?"I looked back at her, but what came to mind was Mom, looking uneasy and out of place."The day you refused to give my mom 800 dollars for rent."A scoff came through the phone, laced with self-mockery and disbelief. "All this over 800 dollars?"I shook my head. "No. It was what that 800 dollars really meant, because it showed the contempt and calculation you had for my family and me."Lucy went quiet.After a

Chapter 9

It had the reporters scribbling furiously in their notepads. Even Lucy, seated at the defense table, looked at me with tears of gratitude in her eyes.She probably thought I still couldn't let go of what we once had. She didn't know this was just the beginning.In the end, Lucy's sentence was reduced from ten years to eight.When I walked out of the courthouse, Evan was already waiting by the entrance. He gave me a thumbs-up as soon as he saw me."Not bad, Caleb. Somebody owes you a trophy for that performance. You made your eyes turn red just like that. Even I almost believed you were still crazy in love with her."The news broke quickly, each headline more sensational than the last."True Love Lives On! Lawyer Pleads for Leniency for His Ex-Wife Accused of Fraud, and the Internet Crowns Him Ex-Husband of the Year!"Evan read it off his phone, laughing so hard he nearly doubled over."Ex-husband of the year? I'd love to see their faces if they knew you turned around and put Gl

Chapter 10

I ignored Mrs. Glaser. My eyes never left Lucy as I spoke."Aren't you the one who's always talking about asset allocation and calculating returns? Fine. Then hear this. There's a kind of debt called reputation debt. Once you rack it up, you spend the rest of your life paying it back."And now you've added a new crime on top of the old one. Lucy, do the math. How many years do you think you still get to live on the outside?"Her whole body shook. She pointed at me, her lips trembling, but no sound came out. Despair closed in on her.Only then did she understand—the leniency letter I had written for her was never merciful. It was there so that this moment would cut deeper and hurt more.In the end, Lucy was convicted of illegally using surveillance devices. With multiple charges combined for sentencing, she received a 15-year prison term. This time, no one could save her.Mrs. Glaser was also sentenced for receiving stolen property and witness tampering.The once calculating fami

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