At eight forty-three the next morning, I stood outside Pacific Meridian Bank with Susan on one side of me and Michael Sanders on the other.<\/p>\n
The building looked almost offensively ordinary.<\/p>\n
Gray stone.<\/p>\n
Tinted glass.<\/p>\n
A brass sign.<\/p>\n
Nothing about it suggested that somewhere inside was a sealed packet my dead mother had arranged to survive ten years of interference, intercepted letters, substituted witnesses, hidden ledgers, and one man\u2019s conviction that everything could eventually be forced into his possession.<\/p>\n
Lily had wanted to come.<\/p>\n
Susan refused.<\/p>\n
This time, I agreed.<\/p>\n
She had spent the night on the sofa at Magnolia even though there were bedrooms upstairs. When I asked why, she said she liked being near the front door. Neither of us said what that really meant.<\/p>\n
Detective Ortiz had arranged for an officer to remain near the property until Dad was located.<\/p>\n
Carol had not returned there.<\/p>\n
She was still at Dad\u2019s house with her attorney.<\/p>\n
Victor Hale remained missing.<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s phone had gone dark after the call.<\/p>\n
At 8:58, the bank doors unlocked.<\/p>\n
Andrea Holt met us in a private reception room ten minutes later.<\/p>\n
I recognized her voice immediately.<\/p>\n
She was younger than I expected, perhaps forty, with tightly curled hair and the calm posture of someone who had spent years telling wealthy people no.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Reynolds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDiane.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiane.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her attention shifted to Sanders.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re counsel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Ms. Susan Reynolds?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy aunt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrea checked the paperwork Detective Ortiz had provided.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sealed packet is held in restricted estate custody. Eleanor\u2019s instructions require beneficiary verification in person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already verified by phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor account controls. Physical retrieval requires a second process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course it did.<\/p>\n
My mother had built locks inside locks.<\/p>\n
Andrea asked for my identification.<\/p>\n
Passport.<\/p>\n
Birth certificate.<\/p>\n
Then a biometric scan.<\/p>\n
Then the phrase.<\/p>\n
I said it quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you on ordinary Tuesdays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something softened in Andrea\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
She entered it into the terminal.<\/p>\n
\u201cConfirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest loosened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I escort you downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vault level smelled faintly of metal and recycled air.<\/p>\n
Andrea led us through two secure doors into a private room containing a polished table and no windows.<\/p>\n
A bank employee brought a long metal storage box.<\/p>\n
My hands began shaking before he set it down.<\/p>\n
Susan noticed.<\/p>\n
She said nothing.<\/p>\n
Andrea produced two keys.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne is institutional.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned the first.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second is beneficiary.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have a key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrea looked toward the documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor specified that it would be provided to you separately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan and I exchanged a glance.<\/p>\n
The wooden box.<\/p>\n
The brass key.<\/p>\n
I had almost left it at Magnolia.<\/p>\n
Almost.<\/p>\n
I opened my bag and took it out.<\/p>\n
Andrea smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat appears correct.\u201d<\/p>\n
The key entered the second lock perfectly.<\/p>\n
For a moment I could not turn it.<\/p>\n
I remembered carrying it as a child without knowing it opened anything that mattered.<\/p>\n
Susan placed two fingers against my wrist.<\/p>\n
Not urging.<\/p>\n
Just there.<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
The lock clicked.<\/p>\n
The metal lid lifted.<\/p>\n
Inside lay a thick cream envelope sealed with red wax.<\/p>\n
My name was written across it.<\/p>\n
Beneath that:<\/p>\n
For Diane, when she can choose without Arthur in the room.<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
I touched the handwriting.<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Not photocopied.<\/p>\n
Not scanned.<\/p>\n
Ink pressed into paper by her hand.<\/p>\n
Andrea stepped back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis room is private. Take as much time as you need.\u201d<\/p>\n
She left.<\/p>\n
Sanders did not reach for the envelope.<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
He waited.<\/p>\n
I broke the wax.<\/p>\n
Inside were three documents and a letter.<\/p>\n
The first document was another version of Mom\u2019s estate amendment.<\/p>\n
It looked almost identical to the one Sanders already had.<\/p>\n
Except for the witness page.<\/p>\n
Marianne Cole.<\/p>\n
The name was there.<\/p>\n
So was another witness.<\/p>\n
Priya Shah.<\/p>\n
Both signatures.<\/p>\n
A notary seal.<\/p>\n
Dr. Mercer\u2019s capacity certification attached directly behind it.<\/p>\n
Sanders leaned closer but still did not touch it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s valid?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn its face, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to compare everything, but this is what should have existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the signatures.<\/p>\n
The corrected execution.<\/p>\n
Mom had known the first packet had been compromised.<\/p>\n
She had fixed it.<\/p>\n
Quietly.<\/p>\n
Without Dad knowing where the original went.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad said it was unsigned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
That should not have surprised me anymore.<\/p>\n
It still did.<\/p>\n
I turned to the second document.<\/p>\n
It was a notarized declaration from Mom.<\/p>\n
Short.<\/p>\n
Precise.<\/p>\n
She described learning that the original witness page had been removed after execution.<\/p>\n
She named Victor Hale.<\/p>\n
She stated that she had seen him near her hospital room and later learned he had access through Arthur.<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
Susan read over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe named him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The declaration continued.<\/p>\n
She did not claim Dad ordered the removal.<\/p>\n
She wrote only what she personally knew.<\/p>\n
Arthur objected to the revised estate plan.<\/p>\n
Victor worked with Arthur.<\/p>\n
The executed witness page disappeared.<\/p>\n
A substitute page appeared.<\/p>\n
The corrected version was signed afterward with new witnesses and placed in independent custody.<\/p>\n
Mom had not guessed.<\/p>\n
She had documented.<\/p>\n
I turned the page.<\/p>\n
One sentence stopped me.<\/p>\n
If Arthur later argues that my illness made me incapable of understanding these choices, let this declaration serve as notice that the danger I feared was not imaginary and the steps I took were intentional.<\/p>\n
Susan covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
Sanders closed his eyes briefly.<\/p>\n
I read it again.<\/p>\n
Intentional.<\/p>\n
Not confusion.<\/p>\n
Not medication.<\/p>\n
Not revenge.<\/p>\n
Choice.<\/p>\n
My mother had known exactly what she was protecting.<\/p>\n
The third document concerned the reserve account.<\/p>\n
It directed that the reserve remain tied to Magnolia until I took control.<\/p>\n
But there was another provision.<\/p>\n
A transfer clause.<\/p>\n
I read it twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders took the page after I handed it to him.<\/p>\n
His eyes moved quickly.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is why Arthur wanted the property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeyond the money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan leaned over.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf beneficial control of Magnolia had lawfully transferred away from Diane before her eighteenth birthday, the reserve would have been distributed differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Arthur?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA charitable trust Eleanor created.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad never could have gotten the reserve?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot under this version.\u201d<\/p>\n
That made no sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why was he trying?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders read again.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause after Diane turned eighteen, if she voluntarily transferred Magnolia, the reserve follows her ownership decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
Before eighteen, Dad could not take the money.<\/p>\n
After eighteen, I could give him the house and unintentionally bring the reserve with it.<\/p>\n
That was why my birthday mattered.<\/p>\n
That was why he had waited.<\/p>\n
That was why he needed me afraid, dependent, or convinced the property was a burden.<\/p>\n
Susan whispered, \u201cHe spent ten years waiting for a signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders looked grim.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr preparing alternatives if he couldn\u2019t get one.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned to Mom\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
The first paragraph was not about money.<\/p>\n
Of course it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
She wrote about the house.<\/p>\n
The lemon tree in the yard.<\/p>\n
The scratch on the kitchen door where I had once ridden a scooter inside and lied about it.<\/p>\n
The blue star on my bedroom wall.<\/p>\n
I had to stop twice because the words blurred.<\/p>\n
Then the letter changed.<\/p>\n
Diane, if you are reading this, it means you are old enough for people to tell you that love and control are not the same thing, even when they arrive from the same person.<\/p>\n
I read slowly.<\/p>\n
Arthur loved you in the ways he knew how. I believe that. But your father has always confused providing with owning the right to decide.<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
Susan looked away, giving me privacy she could not actually create in a bank vault.<\/p>\n
Mom continued.<\/p>\n
Do not spend your life trying to answer whether he was good or bad. People are rarely that convenient. Ask instead whether what he asks of you is honest, whether you are free to say no, and whether the price of his help is becoming smaller.<\/p>\n
My breathing became uneven.<\/p>\n
Dad had paid for things.<\/p>\n
School supplies.<\/p>\n
Shoes.<\/p>\n
Dentist visits.<\/p>\n
Birthdays.<\/p>\n
And somehow every expense had eventually become evidence that I owed him obedience.<\/p>\n
Mom had seen the pattern before I knew enough to name it.<\/p>\n
The letter contained no dramatic revelation about him.<\/p>\n
No secret affair.<\/p>\n
No hidden second family.<\/p>\n
Nothing that would make him easier to hate.<\/p>\n
That almost made it harder.<\/p>\n
She wrote that Dad had taken increasing risks with his business.<\/p>\n
That he believed a successful future justified aggressive decisions.<\/p>\n
That after Magnolia was used in discussions without her permission, she stopped trusting him with assets intended for me.<\/p>\n
Then came the final paragraph.<\/p>\n
There is one more thing in this box. I hope you never need it.<\/p>\n
I looked inside.<\/p>\n
Nothing obvious remained.<\/p>\n
Susan checked the envelope.<\/p>\n
Empty.<\/p>\n
Sanders examined the storage box.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a false bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDifferent depth.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pressed along one edge.<\/p>\n
A thin panel lifted.<\/p>\n
Underneath lay a small digital recorder.<\/p>\n
Old.<\/p>\n
Silver.<\/p>\n
Wrapped in plastic.<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
Susan whispered, \u201cEleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
A sticky note was attached.<\/p>\n
October 14.<\/p>\n
I looked at Sanders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe signing day.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
Andrea had left a charging cable in the box.<\/p>\n
Mom had planned for ten years of dead batteries too.<\/p>\n
We plugged the recorder into a wall socket.<\/p>\n
For several seconds nothing happened.<\/p>\n
Then the screen flickered.<\/p>\n
One audio file.<\/p>\n
01:17:42.<\/p>\n
More than an hour.<\/p>\n
Sanders said, \u201cBefore we play this, we should consider chain of custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pressed play.<\/p>\n
Static.<\/p>\n
Hospital sounds.<\/p>\n
A cart rolling.<\/p>\n
Then Mom\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
Weak but unmistakable.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it on?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another voice.<\/p>\n
Grandma Ruth.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t trust that answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth said, \u201cIt\u2019s on, Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
My knees weakened.<\/p>\n
Ten years vanished.<\/p>\n
Her voice came out of a cheap silver recorder and suddenly I was eight years old again, standing in a kitchen waiting for her to finish cutting an apple.<\/p>\n
I sat.<\/p>\n
The recording continued.<\/p>\n
Mom spoke to Dr. Mercer.<\/p>\n
To Priya.<\/p>\n
To Sanders.<\/p>\n
They discussed the estate amendment.<\/p>\n
Magnolia.<\/p>\n
The reserve.<\/p>\n
Her intention that I inherit.<\/p>\n
Her voice was tired.<\/p>\n
Not confused.<\/p>\n
She asked detailed questions.<\/p>\n
Corrected Sanders twice.<\/p>\n
At one point she said, \u201cIf Diane wants to sell it when she\u2019s eighteen, fine. It is hers to sell badly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan laughed through tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
Then, forty-three minutes into the recording, a door opened.<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything inside me tightened.<\/p>\n
Mom answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinishing something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me we were waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You told yourself that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s voice grew sharper.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is reckless.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy property is not your business capital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re married.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sentence has never meant what you think it means.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Dad said, \u201cYou\u2019re medicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019re angry. Only one of those things has been medically evaluated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan gave a startled laugh.<\/p>\n
Sanders lowered his head.<\/p>\n
Dad continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you sign this, I will challenge it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think Michael can protect it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think documentation can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Mom said something that changed my understanding of the last two days.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know about Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad went completely silent on the recording.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know he entered the room after the signing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told the page went missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s voice remained steady.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes it matter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Arthur. It matters to you because you\u2019re deciding which person to pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
She knew him exactly.<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re destroying our family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I\u2019m making sure Diane still has choices after I\u2019m gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The recording ended several minutes later with Dad leaving.<\/p>\n
Mom asked Ruth whether the recorder was still running.<\/p>\n
Ruth said yes.<\/p>\n
Mom whispered, \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cPut this with the bank packet.\u201d<\/p>\n
The file clicked off.<\/p>\n
Nobody moved.<\/p>\n
Finally Sanders said, \u201cThis destroys a capacity challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCompletely?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing is completely guaranteed in litigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gave him a look.<\/p>\n
He corrected himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes Arthur\u2019s position extremely weak.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan wiped her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the witness fraud?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recording establishes Eleanor knew about the missing page and intentionally executed a corrected document.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Magnolia is safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLegally? Much safer than it was yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
That should have felt like victory.<\/p>\n
It did not.<\/p>\n
Because Dad was still missing.<\/p>\n
Victor too.<\/p>\n
And Mom\u2019s recording had revealed something important.<\/p>\n
Dad had known about the safeguards ten years ago.<\/p>\n
Maybe not every detail.<\/p>\n
Enough.<\/p>\n
He had not stumbled into this plan when I turned eighteen.<\/p>\n
He had been waiting.<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
Detective Ortiz.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiane?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a motel near Burbank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Dad with him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Victor okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wording chilled me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was assaulted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow badly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cConcussion. Broken wrist. He says Arthur did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe claims Arthur believed he was cooperating with police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Sanders.<\/p>\n
Ortiz continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor says Arthur took his laptop and a folder of documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor says Arthur is not running.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says Arthur has one more transaction planned.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat transaction?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cA sale.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the corrected estate packet on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can\u2019t sell Magnolia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Magnolia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz\u2019s next sentence made Sanders straighten.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur is trying to sell Reynolds Commercial Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s company.<\/p>\n
The business he had spent decades building.<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy should I care?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz said, \u201cBecause Victor claims the company is carrying debt secured by documents connected to the Magnolia reserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat should be impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor says Arthur created the debt years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe unauthorized collateral?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the ledger.<\/p>\n
Mom had blocked a $2.4 million collateralization in 2016.<\/p>\n
Or thought she had.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if Dad sells the company?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to Victor, he gets enough money to disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the debt?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt stays behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith who?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Arthur used forged estate guarantees, potentially with Diane.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room suddenly felt very small.<\/p>\n
Dad had failed to take the house.<\/p>\n
Failed to take the reserve.<\/p>\n
But he might still have spent ten years creating liabilities in my mother\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
And if he sold his company before we exposed them, he could walk away with the proceeds.<\/p>\n
I looked at Andrea\u2019s closed vault-room door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz said, \u201cVictor says the closing is today.\u201d<\/p>\n
At eight forty-three the next morning, I stood outside Pacific Meridian Bank with Susan on one side of me and Michael Sanders on the other. The building looked almost offensively … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4458"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4476,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4458\/revisions\/4476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}