Family Until Fortune のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

The day after I found out I was still on the hook for Caroline Fox's loan, I went straight to the bank.The loan officer pulled up her account and turned his monitor toward me. The outstanding balance was 600,000 dollars."She originally borrowed 120,000. Since then, she's renewed the loan 5 times and borrowed additional funds twice," he explained, pointing at the screen."Mr. Knight, you signed a continuing guarantee. That means you're also responsible for any additional borrowing covered by the agreement."I stared at the number, my palms growing slick with sweat.When I signed that guarantee, she had only borrowed 120,000.I pulled out my phone and called Caroline. It rang twice before she declined the call.I tried again, but this time, I couldn't get through.I called her office instead. A woman answered in an overly sweet voice. "I'm sorry, Ms. Fox isn't available.""I'm her brother."She laughed. "You wouldn't believe how many people call here claiming they're related

The restaurant barely made it to spring before I had to shut it down.The day I handed it over to the new owner, creditors showed up demanding their money. I crouched on the kitchen floor, listening to them pound on the front door.Including interest, I owed 26,000.Stella worked night shifts at a pharmacy, earning just 12 dollars a shift. When she got off work, she went straight to the farmers market to pick through the bruised fruit and wilted vegetables the vendors were about to throw away.I worked as a driver during the day and delivered food at night. Some days, I left home at 2 a.m. and didn't make it back until noon.I lost 20 pounds in 6 months.That fall, Jake collapsed at school. His teacher called me.The hospital ran tests for three days before the doctors finally gave us a diagnosis. Leukemia.The doctor called me into his office and went over the results.Jake needed chemotherapy first, followed by a bone marrow transplant if they could find a suitable donor. Tr

Stella stopped me at the door that morning. "Are you really going to meet her?""Yeah.""Make sure you record everything."I shook my head. "I don't need to."She studied me for a moment, then pulled two crumpled bills from her pocket and tucked them into my shirt pocket. "Make sure you eat something."I took the money without a word.I had chosen a little diner in the old part of town, with half its sign missing. I arrived an hour early and picked a table against the wall, with my back to the door.At exactly noon, the door opened.But it wasn't Caroline. Arthur walked in first, followed by Nancy, who took one look around and wrinkled her nose in disgust.Arthur set his briefcase on the table, pulled out the settlement agreement, and slid it toward me."Mr. Knight, you've had all night to think it over. Surely you've come to your senses by now."I pushed the papers right back. "I asked to see Caroline.""Ms. Fox is busy." Nancy drummed her fingers on the table. "She doesn'

The next day, a man contacted me and asked to meet.We agreed to meet at a coffee shop on the corner. He arrived before me and took a seat by the window.He looked to be in his early forties, dressed in a light gray cashmere sweater. He wasn't wearing a watch.He stood up. "Mr. Knight, I'm Eric. Caroline's fiancé."I sat down, and he slid a cup of coffee toward me."Caroline told me you've been harassing her and demanding money." He looked me in the eye. "Is that true?"Instead of answering, I slid the guarantee agreement across the table. Then I laid out five years' worth of loan records, one page at a time.He went through them carefully. When he reached the 600,000 balance, he stopped and stared at it for a long time."She never told me any of this." His hands trembled as he pushed the papers back toward me. "That 160,000 you gave her. You sold your house to get that money?""It was the house my parents left me.""And you sold it for her?""I did."He stood up so abruptl

Caroline never apologized. Instead, she filed a lawsuit against me.She accused me of defamation and damaging her reputation, demanding 100,000 in damages.That same week, the bank called."Mr. Knight, Caroline Fox has refused to provide the missing signatures and has stopped making payments. Her loan is now in default.""What's that got to do with me?""You're the guarantor," the man explained politely. "Under the terms of the agreement, we're pursuing repayment from both Ms. Fox and you.""How much?""Including the outstanding principal and penalties, 616,000 dollars."I stood outside the farmers market, gripping my phone. For a good 30 seconds, I couldn't move.Overnight, I had gone from trying to collect the money Caroline owed me to being on the hook for a debt I could never afford to repay.At the hospital, Stella read the summons three times, her hands trembling. "Caroline's the one who owes the bank money. Why are they coming after you?""Because I signed that guaran