The settlement conference took place six days later.<\/p>\n
I agreed only because Rachel said it might force Dad to state his theory clearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does not mean you\u2019re conceding anything,\u201d she reminded me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does not mean we\u2019re settling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd do not react when he says something outrageous.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re expecting outrageous?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve met families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fair enough.<\/p>\n
The conference room belonged to Dad\u2019s law firm.<\/p>\n
Neutral enough in theory.<\/p>\n
Not neutral in atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Dad arrived with his attorney, Charles Denning.<\/p>\n
Mom came separately.<\/p>\n
That told me more than anything anyone said.<\/p>\n
She sat at the far end of the table beside a lawyer I had never met.<\/p>\n
Her own lawyer.<\/p>\n
Dad noticed me noticing.<\/p>\n
His mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
Mom looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
Lily was not there.<\/p>\n
That was one mercy.<\/p>\n
Rachel and I sat across from Dad.<\/p>\n
No one hugged.<\/p>\n
No one attempted small talk.<\/p>\n
Charles opened with the usual language about confidentiality and finding practical resolutions.<\/p>\n
Then he described the dispute as \u201ca regrettable family breakdown complicated by informal financial arrangements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel did not move.<\/p>\n
I nearly did.<\/p>\n
Informal.<\/p>\n
Grandpa\u2019s will apparently qualified as informal when inconvenient.<\/p>\n
Charles continued.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that forty thousand dollars had been designated for my education.<\/p>\n
He said my parents accepted that \u201ccircumstances prevented direct application of those funds to Hannah\u2019s tuition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cCircumstances did not spend the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad shifted in his chair.<\/p>\n
Charles tried again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe funds were redirected with an intent to restore them later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout Hannah\u2019s consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn breach of the written estate terms.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not concede breach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are we here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause everyone is pretending this happened in a vacuum.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
First time we had been in the same room since the kitchen four years ago.<\/p>\n
He appeared smaller than at my gate.<\/p>\n
Not physically.<\/p>\n
The table did something to him.<\/p>\n
A gate had let him perform authority.<\/p>\n
Here, every sentence had witnesses.<\/p>\n
Charles put a hand near Dad\u2019s file.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou built your company out of that neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kept my face still.<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou bought your first property because you knew redevelopment was coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believed redevelopment was likely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the same information I had.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had information from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were doing a school project.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you quoted it to Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou discussed it at our kitchen table.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily conversations are shared.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
Rachel lightly touched my sleeve.<\/p>\n
Outrageous.<\/p>\n
Expected.<\/p>\n
I stayed quiet.<\/p>\n
Dad continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy investment brought Mercer\u2019s group into that area.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is false.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Mercer was already evaluating multiple parcels.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew redevelopment interest existed then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is exactly what I mean. You rewrite everything so you did it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The accusation hit an old nerve.<\/p>\n
I felt it.<\/p>\n
Then let it pass.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never said I did everything alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour social-media post did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Built without inheritance, without family money, and without waiting for anyone\u2019s permission.<\/p>\n
I remembered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat statement was accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s face reddened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou inherited opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Cole, your attorney has requested this conference to discuss legal claims. Let\u2019s identify them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles looked relieved to regain control.<\/p>\n
He opened a folder.<\/p>\n
Their theory, carefully stripped of Dad\u2019s emotion, went like this:<\/p>\n
RBM\u2019s acquisition activity helped establish investor interest in the block.<\/p>\n
That activity contributed indirectly to property appreciation.<\/p>\n
I later purchased and improved a duplex nearby.<\/p>\n
A successor developer bought both RBM\u2019s failed parcel and my duplex.<\/p>\n
Therefore, Dad believed some portion of my early gain could be traced to the market activity and relationships surrounding RBM.<\/p>\n
Then came the larger leap.<\/p>\n
My first profitable sale had helped fund later investments.<\/p>\n
Those investments helped build my company.<\/p>\n
Therefore, Dad claimed a continuing equitable interest in the chain of profits.<\/p>\n
I stared at Charles.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believe this?\u201d<\/p>\n
He chose his answer carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy role is to communicate my client\u2019s position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Translation: no.<\/p>\n
Rachel asked, \u201cWhat damages does your client claim?\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles looked at Dad.<\/p>\n
Dad answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo million.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not a note.<\/p>\n
Not a theory.<\/p>\n
A demand.<\/p>\n
Two million dollars.<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you calculate that?\u201d<\/p>\n
He had prepared for the question.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour initial property gain was approximately one hundred twenty thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
He knew the number.<\/p>\n
Not exactly, but close.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad glanced at Charles.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic estimates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice stayed calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe purchase price and sale price are public. Renovation costs are not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just quoted a profit estimate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a guess.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very good guess.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles intervened.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s not get distracted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel\u2019s gaze sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not distracted.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned toward Dad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat nonpublic information did you obtain about Hannah\u2019s first project?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is your answer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I watched him.<\/p>\n
He looked back.<\/p>\n
Something was wrong.<\/p>\n
My renovation cost had never been public.<\/p>\n
Ben knew it.<\/p>\n
Priya knew enough to estimate it.<\/p>\n
My old employer knew some.<\/p>\n
Martin might have known.<\/p>\n
But Dad\u2019s number was close enough to suggest access to more than property records.<\/p>\n
Rachel wrote something.<\/p>\n
Then asked, \u201cHow did you calculate two million?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad explained.<\/p>\n
He had taken an estimate of my first-project gain.<\/p>\n
Applied growth assumptions.<\/p>\n
Then allocated a percentage to what he called the \u201cfamily-originated opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited for him to finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this is compound interest on a fantasy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom made a sound that might have been a suppressed laugh.<\/p>\n
Dad glared at her.<\/p>\n
Charles cleared his throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard\u2019s position is that without the early opportunity\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich opportunity?\u201d Rachel interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did not own the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did not introduce Hannah to the seller.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did not fund Hannah\u2019s purchase.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad spoke sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy risk helped create the market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel turned to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour failed investment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
Even Charles looked pained.<\/p>\n
Dad realized how it sounded and tried to recover.<\/p>\n
\u201cFailure doesn\u2019t mean there was no value.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Rachel said. \u201cBut we should distinguish between market activity and legal ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad folded his arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t only legal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere it is,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Rachel glanced at me.<\/p>\n
I continued carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the part you keep hiding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think because I became successful, I owe you for raising me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not what I said.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think because I studied a neighborhood, told you what I saw, and then you made your own investment, you bought part of my future.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think your failed deal gives you ownership over my successful one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou benefited from groundwork I helped create.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd my forty thousand?\u201d<\/p>\n
The room changed.<\/p>\n
Dad looked toward Charles.<\/p>\n
I did not let him escape.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid my forty thousand help fund your seventy-five-thousand-dollar RBM contribution?\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe dispute the characterization\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked directly at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid it?\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
Mom answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the bank records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did we,\u201d Rachel said.<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s attorney closed his eyes briefly.<\/p>\n
Mom continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty-two thousand from Hannah\u2019s educational account went into our joint checking. Your RBM contribution came out nine days later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked furious.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat does not mean the same dollars\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard,\u201d Mom said, \u201cstop.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word was quiet.<\/p>\n
It silenced him anyway.<\/p>\n
She looked across the table at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have stopped it then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad pushed his chair back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou signed the transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t sit there pretending this was all me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice remained even.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m saying it was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stared at her as though she had changed languages.<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s lawyer finally spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy client is prepared to acknowledge her role in the estate administration and discuss restitution independently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad turned toward Charles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel closed her folder halfway.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe may be done here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles held up a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s take five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stood before anyone agreed.<\/p>\n
He left the room.<\/p>\n
Charles followed.<\/p>\n
Mom remained seated.<\/p>\n
Her lawyer whispered something to her.<\/p>\n
Then Mom looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found more papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel immediately became alert.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat papers?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s lawyer answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe provided them to Ms. Kim this morning under separate cover.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t checked secure intake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are they?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Mom swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies of Richard\u2019s calculations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the two million?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNotes about your first property.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of notes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had renovation numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became still.<\/p>\n
Rachel\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cExact?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Mom.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho gave them to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben.<\/p>\n
Priya.<\/p>\n
Martin.<\/p>\n
My old employer.<\/p>\n
Someone had.<\/p>\n
Or Dad had obtained documents another way.<\/p>\n
Mom continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was also an email printed behind the calculations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom who?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the door Dad had exited through.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvan Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he could get the closing file from someone at the title company.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel\u2019s expression went flat.<\/p>\n
Not angry.<\/p>\n
Worse.<\/p>\n
Professional concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat closing file?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy duplex sale.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat file contains settlement figures.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd sometimes other financial information,\u201d Rachel said.<\/p>\n
Mom nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe email says Richard asked for the full packet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned back.<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s approximate profit calculation suddenly made sense.<\/p>\n
If he had the closing file and enough renovation details, he could estimate almost everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mercer get it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The door opened.<\/p>\n
Dad and Charles returned.<\/p>\n
Rachel did not mention the new documents.<\/p>\n
Instead she waited until both men sat down.<\/p>\n
Then she said, \u201cBefore we continue, we have a question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles looked wary.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid your client obtain nonpublic closing records relating to Hannah\u2019s first property transaction?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
Tiny.<\/p>\n
But enough.<\/p>\n
Charles turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad recovered.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel watched him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask Evan Mercer to obtain them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom stared at him.<\/p>\n
He noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She said nothing.<\/p>\n
Rachel leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles looked confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy good?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we now have a clear representation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means your answer is recorded in my notes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at her.<\/p>\n
The power in the room shifted so subtly that I almost missed it.<\/p>\n
Dad had spent years collecting information about me.<\/p>\n
Now every answer he gave created information about him.<\/p>\n
Charles requested another break.<\/p>\n
Rachel declined.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re close to the end anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Dad.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere is my client\u2019s position.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt every muscle tighten.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour forty-thousand-dollar claim against Hannah does not exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad started to interrupt.<\/p>\n
Rachel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour two-million-dollar claim does not exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face darkened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are prepared to resolve the estate matter if Hannah receives the full forty thousand, appropriate interest, fees related to obtaining the accounting, and complete documentation concerning the educational funds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles wrote.<\/p>\n
Rachel added, \u201cIn return, Hannah will consider a narrowly drafted release concerning the administration of those funds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about my claim?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there\u2019s no deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there\u2019s no deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d rather tear the family apart than compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt something inside me settle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI compromised when I paid my own tuition.\u201d<\/p>\n
He flinched.<\/p>\n
\u201cI compromised when I worked nights.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHannah\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI compromised when Grandpa\u2019s money went to Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI compromised when the rest funded your investment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou benefited from that investment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked at me but did not stop me.<\/p>\n
Dad stared.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cFile the lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles immediately said, \u201cThat is not necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kept my eyes on Dad.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been thinking about it for more than a year. File it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHannah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPut your theory in a complaint. Swear to the facts. Let discovery happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
His mouth closed.<\/p>\n
There it was again.<\/p>\n
Discovery.<\/p>\n
The thing that had stopped him before.<\/p>\n
I leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you genuinely believe I owe you two million dollars, stop using it as a private threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked at Charles.<\/p>\n
His lawyer said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cFile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s face reddened.<\/p>\n
Then he stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis meeting is over.\u201d<\/p>\n
He walked out.<\/p>\n
Charles remained seated for several seconds with one hand over his mouth.<\/p>\n
Finally he gathered his papers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll contact you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel nodded.<\/p>\n
Mom did not move.<\/p>\n
Her lawyer touched her arm.<\/p>\n
She looked across the table at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did what I should have done years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made him say it where other people could hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not know what to do with that.<\/p>\n
So I said nothing.<\/p>\n
Outside the building, Rachel and I stood on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n
Traffic hissed over wet pavement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat now?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we see whether he files.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think he will?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo predictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
She almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cLawyer habit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s another problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe closing records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Mercer obtained them illegally?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if he did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat could become much more serious than a family money dispute.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked back at the glass building.<\/p>\n
For years Dad had tried to convert my life into a balance sheet where every success created a debt to him.<\/p>\n
At the settlement table, he had finally put a number beside it.<\/p>\n
Two million dollars.<\/p>\n
But in trying to justify that number, he had exposed the method he used to calculate it.<\/p>\n
And that method might cost him far more than the claim was ever worth.<\/p>\n
The settlement conference took place six days later. I agreed only because Rachel said it might force Dad to state his theory clearly. \u201cIt does not mean you\u2019re conceding anything,\u201d … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-every-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9250"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9285,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9250\/revisions\/9285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}