Reign Falls Down (eBook)

PROLOGUE

“One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.”

Two years earlier Harrison and Claire Marks were living in their two-bedroom apartment. The newlyweds settled in Broad Ripple, Indiana. The town offered great restaurants and nightlife that appealed to most young couples, but not for these two career-focused professionals.

They often congregated in the bedroom as night began to fall. Harrison turned on the television only to drown out the noise coming from the apartment next door. The couple shared their day and scrolled through mobile devices while stretched on the king size bed too big for the tiny bedroom.

“Check this out, Claire,” Harrison exclaimed half irritated. “My dad is finally returning my call.”

Both rolled their eyes and wondered whose birthday was approaching they may have overlooked. They didn’t see any events on their social calendar.

Harrison hadn’t seen his father in nearly two months. Typically, if it weren’t a special occasion, the family wouldn’t get together or even text or talk on the phone. It was foolish to expect random invitations to his father’s house as the elder Marks centered on their social agenda. The last time the young couple dropped in for a surprise visit, they were asked to call first.

Harrison didn’t mind the emotional distance. Visits with his father were often uncomfortable since the two didn’t have much in common. Therefore, it was with great surprise when Harrison saw the call come through. He left his dad a message five weeks earlier to share the news of his job promotion, but his father never returned the call.

Harlan Marks didn’t bother much with greetings. Once Harrison answered, Harlan launched into his conversation.

“Victoria and I want to meet with you as soon as possible,” his father said enthusiastically.

“What did we do wrong?” his son said hoping to get a rise out of his father.

Passive aggressive. Not a good trait, Harrison thought to himself.

Regardless, he knew this had nothing to do with his stepmother’s desire to meet. Victoria, his father’s wife of three years, didn’t want anything to do with Harrison unless it included writing him out of the will.

Harlan didn’t miss a beat. “Ha! Nothing yet. When do you think the two of you can come?”

Harrison knew the old man would want to play host. There wasn’t a chance his father and his unfriendly wife were going to stop by their apartment. Victoria wouldn’t dare step foot into a multi-family complex for a social visit.

Harrison pretended to check his calendar. He knew they had nothing going on for the next month. Going out with friends proved too costly for a young couple focused on saving money to purchase a home.

“We can meet you tomorrow night if that works?” Harrison was talking to his dad but looked at Claire for approval.

Claire cringed, but nodded reluctantly. Going over to her in-law’s house required mental preparation and 24 hours didn’t provide the mandatory time. It would have to work.

“Plan on coming for dinner. Then we’ll talk,” Harlan added. “See you at six.”

Harrison was about to offer his salutations, but his dad already hung up. It was one more chapter in the madness.

Harrison and Claire were gifted at evaluating the behaviors of other people. They both had a communication degree from Butler University to validate the claim. It helped them be more understanding with one another, but not even a behavioral science degree from an Ivy League school could help Harrison deal with his father.

Harrison and Claire arrived the following evening. Although they had been to the house before, each time they were amazed at the 90-acre lake that took center stage in the Hidden Shores community situated in the northwest corner of Indianapolis. All thirty-single-family homes showcased lakefront property with a view of the sparkling water.

When everyone sat down for dinner, Harlan carried the majority of the conversation as small talk was never Victoria’s gift. Neither was cooking.

Harrison and Claire kept entertained by staring out the back windows. The outside view was stunning while adding a much needed break from Harlan’s latest topic.

The 2,000 square foot, three-bedroom, single-story home featured floor-to-ceiling windows across the back that showcased a view from every room in the open concept dwelling.

Harlan interrupted the silence, “Yep, Victoria and I need to go to Louisville this weekend.”

Harlan stared at his 24-year-old son hoping he would bite on the topic.

Harrison ignored the cue. In an immature fashion he enjoyed frustrating his father, and especially Victoria who by this time was glaring across the table. Harrison couldn’t compete with the money his father and step-mother flashed, but when it came to getting under people’s skin, he could easily hold his own. Claire realized her husband’s child-like behavior and bailed Harlan out of the awkward silence.

“What’s in Louisville?” she asked much to Harlan’s delight.

“Oh, we need to pick up our new Jag,” Harlan said trying now to downplay the trip.

“You bought a Jaguar? As in…a car?” Harrison questioned with disgust.

He couldn’t disguise his abhorrence earning him another kick in the leg from Claire – his second kick since they arrived.

This is why we’re here. The son-of-a-bitch needs a ride to Louisville, Harrison thought to himself. He offered me dinner so I wouldn’t turn him down when he drops the question.

Surprisingly, the question never came. Harlan completely changed the subject much to Harrison’s relief.

After another long pause, Harlan caught his son and daughter-in-law staring at the lake again.

“You like the view?” he inquired.

“It’s beautiful,” Claire answered.

“How would you like to live here?” asked Victoria. She hadn’t said much throughout the evening, but she was all too eager to set the bait.

“Oh, I would just love it,” Claire dreamed out loud.

“Well that’s why we brought you here. We have an offer you can’t refuse,” Harlan said applying a horrible Godfather impression.

“What are you talking about?” Harrison inquired.

“Victoria and I are moving to Geist Reservoir,” Harlan waited for the younger Marks to be impressed, but they were too pre-occupied with the current proposition.

Harlan wasted no time, “We want to sell this house to you. We have a plan to make it affordable and we want to share it with you. Our proposal includes the pontoon boat. $450,000 is the offer, but here’s how it works,” Harlan continued. “We’ll call it an open ended mortgage.”

Claire was in shock. Once Harlan offered the house, she didn’t hear anything else he had to say.

Harrison’s head was spinning, but he somehow managed to mumble, “What’s an open-ended mortgage?”

Harrison and Claire didn’t have any experience with home buying, especially homes they couldn’t afford. They lived in apartments since the start of college and paying rent was all they knew. A month ago, they toured a home in Carmel, but the young couple didn’t take it very seriously.

Harlan went on trying to get the younger Mark’s to snap out of their trance. “Victoria and I will act as the bank for this transaction. We know you can’t afford a $425,000 home using a traditional bank loan, so we devised an alternative. If you can apply a $15,000 down payment toward this property, our attorney will construct two promissory notes. The first will be for $200,000 over 30 years.”

“Time out,” Harrison interrupted as he tried to regain feeling in his body. “What’s a promissory note?”

“It’s simply a contract that says you agree to pay your lender. In this case your lender is me.” Harlan was doing all the talking on behalf of Victoria who returned to glaring across the table.

Although she tried to be kind, she went along with her husband who called the shots. Victoria hated the fact she and Harlan could sell the house for more than 30 percent of what she paid and use the profit to purchase a women’s Rolex, the new Jaguar, and more.

Harlan stayed the course. “The second note will be for $225,000.”

He noticed their confusion and tried to hide his frustration with the younger couple. Had he been negotiating with someone other than his own family he would have...