บททั้งหมดของ Get Your Hands off My Coat and Card: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

The moment I reached for the coat hanger, Mom slapped my hand away. The back of my hand turned bright red."I'm wearing this to my best friend's wedding tomorrow," I said, staring at her."When did you get so selfish?" Mom stepped in front of my sister-in-law, Selena Walker. "You used to borrow my clothes whenever you wanted. Now that you're all grown up, you can't even lend your Selena one of your coats? Besides, we're family. Why does it matter whose it is?"I pointed at the coat, which was stretched tight around Selena's waist."Take it off."The coat was designed to fit at the waist, and Selena was nearly 50 pounds heavier than me. The cashmere had already been stretched to its limit.Selena's eyes welled up with tears, and she shrank back. "Forget it. If Eleanor doesn't want me to wear it, then I won't. I shouldn't have tried on something this expensive anyway.""You're keeping it on!" Mom said, grabbing Selena's hand.She then glared at me. "Your brother just got married.

On Monday at 10:00 am, I was going over the next quarter's PR budget at my desk when the receptionist called my extension."Eleanor, you'd better come downstairs. Your family's causing a scene in the lobby."I closed my laptop and headed for the elevator with my key card in hand. The doors slid open, and the noise hit me before I even left the elevator.The lobby had polished marble floors. The company logo behind the reception desk was blindingly bright, and the icy air blowing from the vents left my chest feeling tight.Mom was sitting on the floor with her hair in a wild mess. Her voice was shrill from all the crying.Between sobs, she sneaked glances at the crowd gathering around us. She wouldn't stop talking about how ungrateful I was for cutting her off from my money. She even mentioned that I make tens of thousands of dollars a month but won't pay for her meals.Harry stood nearby, livestreaming the whole scene with his phone on a gimbal. The camera panned back and forth b

Selena stared at the paper on the floor. The arrogance on her face had completely disappeared."You can't fool everyone with a fake document!" She took a step back and pointed at the loan agreement. "180 thousand dollars for a coat like this? Is it made of gold or something?"I bent down and picked up the paper.I unfolded it and held up the side with the official stamps so everyone could see them. "Look at the seals. It's been stamped by Cavell's dry cleaner and the brand's legal department."I pulled a copy with the company's letterhead from my bag and held it up."Cavell Autumn/Winter Haute Couture cashmere coat, item number C-2024-FW-001. Loaned by Cavell to the Huffton branch PR department and placed under Eleanor Whitmore's care. Please return by September 16. The garment remains the property of Cavell."A wave of whispers rippled through the crowd.A coworker from the fashion department pushed her way to the front. She leaned in for a closer look and took a deep breath.

The security guard opened the glass doors, and two police officers entered the building. The officer in front rested a hand on his body camera."Who called us? What seems to be the problem here?"The moment Mom heard the officers, she acted as if she'd found a lifeline. She didn't even end the call with the bank before dropping to her knees in front of the officers.She pointed at me and exclaimed, "You came at just the right time, officer! My daughter's working with outsiders to scam us out of 180 thousand dollars! She even froze my card behind my back. Now the bank's coming after me!"She held her phone up at them. The bank's number was still on the screen."Listen to this! The bank's already coming after me! She makes over ten grand a month, but she won't even support her own mother. She's abandoned me!"The officer frowned. He looked at the coat on the floor, then at me."Were you the one who called?"I calmly stepped forward.I opened my phone and pulled up the credit car

The next morning, back in my hometown, two enforcement officers stood outside a worn metal door. One of them held a roll of official seal tape."The plaintiff has requested a court order to freeze assets before the lawsuit due to a major debt dispute," the officer said, recording it with his body camera. "This property is now sealed. No one is allowed to remove the tape or enter the house without permission."They placed two yellow strips of tape across the door in the shape of an X. The bright red official stamp stood out in the sunlight.Several neighbors gathered in the hallway, trying to see what was happening."I heard their son and daughter-in-law got into trouble in the city. They damaged a clothing piece worth over 100 thousand," one said."Well, now they've lost their house."Mom sat on the stairs as she stared at the strips of tape on the door.She slapped her thigh and wailed. "What a disaster! That was my son's marital home! Where are we supposed to live now?"No on