I read the first sentence three times.<\/p>\n
Not because it was difficult.<\/p>\n
Because hearing Ruth\u2019s voice in my head after three years still had the power to rearrange the room around me.<\/p>\n
Lucas, if you are reading this, then Richard has finally tried to do exactly what I was afraid he would do.<\/p>\n
I sat at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
The chair across from me remained empty.<\/p>\n
For forty-three years, Ruth had occupied that side.<\/p>\n
She drank coffee there every morning.<\/p>\n
Balanced checkbooks there.<\/p>\n
Helped Daniel with algebra there.<\/p>\n
Argued with insurance companies there.<\/p>\n
Now her handwriting lay where her hands used to rest.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
She explained that nineteen years earlier, shortly after Merritt completed its first major expansion, Richard proposed eliminating several protections granted to early investors.<\/p>\n
He called them outdated.<\/p>\n
Ruth called them inconvenient.<\/p>\n
There was a difference.<\/p>\n
According to her letter, Richard had especially objected to the provision covering transactions involving relatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said sophisticated companies don\u2019t need distrust built into contracts,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI told him sophisticated people know exactly why contracts exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
A real laugh.<\/p>\n
It came unexpectedly and hurt at the same time.<\/p>\n
I could hear her saying it.<\/p>\n
I kept reading.<\/p>\n
Richard backed down after other investors supported Ruth.<\/p>\n
But over the years, consolidation changed the ownership structure.<\/p>\n
Some early shareholders sold.<\/p>\n
Others transferred holdings.<\/p>\n
A few accepted buyouts.<\/p>\n
Protected shares became rarer.<\/p>\n
Ruth noticed.<\/p>\n
I had not.<\/p>\n
That realization stung.<\/p>\n
I had always handled operations when we owned our business.<\/p>\n
Ruth handled details.<\/p>\n
She remembered clauses.<\/p>\n
Deadlines.<\/p>\n
Promises.<\/p>\n
She noticed when someone\u2019s explanation differed by one word from the explanation they gave a month earlier.<\/p>\n
After we sold the company, I relaxed.<\/p>\n
Ruth never entirely did.<\/p>\n
Her letter continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the protected shares become concentrated enough, Richard may eventually decide they are a threat. He will not call them a threat. He will call them inefficient, outdated, confusing, or unfair. Those are words people use when rules stop benefiting them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I placed the letter down.<\/p>\n
She had known him better than I did.<\/p>\n
Or perhaps she had simply refused to be charmed.<\/p>\n
The next page described our trust.<\/p>\n
Several years after the initial investment, Ruth and I moved a portion of our Merritt holdings into a trust.<\/p>\n
I remembered that clearly.<\/p>\n
What I did not remember was a modification she had insisted upon later.<\/p>\n
The trustee could not transfer protected shares to a Merritt family member, controlling shareholder, or entity under their influence without independent review.<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
That was unusual.<\/p>\n
Then I reached the explanation.<\/p>\n
Richard had approached Ruth privately fourteen years earlier.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
Privately.<\/p>\n
I reread the paragraph.<\/p>\n
He offered to purchase a portion of our holdings.<\/p>\n
Ruth declined.<\/p>\n
He increased the offer.<\/p>\n
She declined again.<\/p>\n
Then he suggested structuring the transaction through another investor so our shares would eventually return to Merritt family control.<\/p>\n
She refused.<\/p>\n
She never told me.<\/p>\n
At least, I did not remember her telling me.<\/p>\n
That hurt more than it should have.<\/p>\n
Not because she had acted wrongly.<\/p>\n
Because marriage had taught me to believe I knew almost everything important that passed through her mind.<\/p>\n
Apparently I did not.<\/p>\n
Her reason followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t tell you because you liked Richard then, and I knew you would say I was reading too much into it. Maybe I was. But if I am wrong, no harm is done. If I am right, someday this letter will save you time.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have told me,\u201d I said aloud.<\/p>\n
Then I imagined her answer.<\/p>\n
You\u2019d have argued.<\/p>\n
She was right.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
The final pages became more specific.<\/p>\n
Ruth believed Richard\u2019s greatest weakness was not greed.<\/p>\n
It was control.<\/p>\n
Money mattered to him because money created leverage.<\/p>\n
Ownership mattered because ownership allowed other people to say no.<\/p>\n
He hated no.<\/p>\n
I looked at the amendment again.<\/p>\n
All evening, a strange transformation had been occurring inside me.<\/p>\n
Yesterday\u2019s humiliation had been personal.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s problem had become structural.<\/p>\n
Richard had not merely insulted me.<\/p>\n
He had been pressing against protections my wife had spent years preserving.<\/p>\n
Then I reached the final page.<\/p>\n
At first, I thought I had misread the name.<\/p>\n
I brought the paper closer.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Victoria.<\/p>\n
Not Richard.<\/p>\n
Victoria Merritt.<\/p>\n
Ruth wrote:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is one person in that family who knows more about Richard\u2019s early ownership maneuvers than he realizes. Victoria once came to me privately and warned me not to sell.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
Victoria.<\/p>\n
The same woman who had stood in her doorway and told me Thanksgiving seating had been arranged carefully.<\/p>\n
The same woman who had watched her husband\u2019s business guests matter more than her son-in-law\u2019s father.<\/p>\n
Victoria had warned Ruth?<\/p>\n
I read faster.<\/p>\n
The meeting occurred eleven years earlier.<\/p>\n
Victoria contacted Ruth without Richard\u2019s knowledge.<\/p>\n
She told Ruth that Richard had begun trying to consolidate voting control using intermediaries.<\/p>\n
Nothing Ruth described appeared necessarily illegal.<\/p>\n
But Victoria believed he was concealing the extent of the consolidation from some shareholders.<\/p>\n
She was frightened.<\/p>\n
Not for the company.<\/p>\n
For her marriage.<\/p>\n
According to Ruth, Victoria had said, \u201cWhen Richard thinks he\u2019s protecting what\u2019s his, he stops noticing what he\u2019s destroying.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat motionless.<\/p>\n
It did not fit the woman I knew.<\/p>\n
Or perhaps that was the point.<\/p>\n
People become easier to understand when we reduce them to one role.<\/p>\n
Snob.<\/p>\n
Coward.<\/p>\n
Victim.<\/p>\n
Manipulator.<\/p>\n
Family rarely allows anyone to remain only one thing.<\/p>\n
Ruth\u2019s letter ended with an instruction.<\/p>\n
If Richard ever challenged the trust, I should contact Victoria before taking formal action.<\/p>\n
Not because Ruth trusted her completely.<\/p>\n
Because she believed Victoria might possess records.<\/p>\n
I folded the letter carefully.<\/p>\n
My phone sat beside me.<\/p>\n
Victoria had called repeatedly since Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n
Until that moment, I had assumed every call came at Richard\u2019s instruction.<\/p>\n
Now I wondered.<\/p>\n
I checked voicemail.<\/p>\n
There were three messages from her.<\/p>\n
The first was brief.<\/p>\n
\u201cLucas, please call us. There has been a serious misunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Us.<\/p>\n
The second:<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard needs to speak with you before outside people become involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded exactly as expected.<\/p>\n
The third was different.<\/p>\n
It had arrived at 2:13 that morning.<\/p>\n
Her voice was low.<\/p>\n
\u201cLucas, I know you have no reason to trust me after tonight. But if Harold Stein is reviewing Merritt, do not sign anything Richard sends you. Please.\u201d<\/p>\n
The message ended.<\/p>\n
No explanation.<\/p>\n
No request to call back.<\/p>\n
Just that.<\/p>\n
Do not sign anything Richard sends you.<\/p>\n
I called Harold.<\/p>\n
He answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou read the letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t call me at nine-forty at night to discuss football.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth says Victoria warned her years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe also says Victoria may have records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo specifics.\u201d<\/p>\n
I read him the relevant paragraph.<\/p>\n
Harold listened without interruption.<\/p>\n
When I finished, he said, \u201cDo not call Victoria tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we don\u2019t know who has access to her phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think Richard monitors her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we should assume any Merritt communication can reach Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds paranoid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did a nineteen-year-old shareholder clause until this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated when Harold made sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat should we do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll speak with Michael. If we contact her, we do it carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Ruth\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarold.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Ruth ever tell you any of this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That bothered me.<\/p>\n
Ruth trusted Harold.<\/p>\n
If she hid it from both of us, she had either believed the risk was remote or feared that documenting it more formally would create another problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow,\u201d Harold said, \u201cbring the letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the original file.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPriya found Northbridge Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n
I straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho owns it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the interesting part.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarold.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was formed four months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn attorney acting as registered agent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat tells us nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe traced the controlling entity.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarold.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthbridge is ultimately owned by a trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeneficiaries are not publicly listed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trustee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn entity controlled by Martin Merritt\u2019s wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
The detour.<\/p>\n
Martin could move assets into Northbridge.<\/p>\n
Merritt could acquire Northbridge.<\/p>\n
And Richard could argue that the direct seller was not his brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould that avoid Ruth\u2019s clause?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is likely what they hoped.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWould it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThink?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe language focuses on beneficial interest, not just legal title.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked back at the amendment.<\/p>\n
Of course it did.<\/p>\n
Ruth had insisted on that language.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Richard know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe should have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless he forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard does not strike me as someone who forgets restrictions on his authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he was testing whether anyone else remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n
That felt right.<\/p>\n
I ended the call and went upstairs.<\/p>\n
I did not sleep.<\/p>\n
At six in the morning, I made coffee.<\/p>\n
At seven-thirty, Daniel called.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you find anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Ruth\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome to Harold\u2019s office at ten.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you\u2019re going to tell him everything you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel sounded uneasy.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I need a lawyer?\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the correct question.<\/p>\n
I appreciated him asking it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He inhaled sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cAm I in trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to lie to make you feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard told me lawyers were just trying to scare everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard has had lawyers around him for thirty years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet your own,\u201d I continued. \u201cNot Merritt\u2019s. Not Richard\u2019s. Yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know someone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWill you help me?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question stopped me.<\/p>\n
Not because of money.<\/p>\n
Because of what it meant.<\/p>\n
He still expected his father to help.<\/p>\n
Part of me resented that expectation.<\/p>\n
Another part remembered every night I had stood beside his bed when he was sick.<\/p>\n
Every scraped knee.<\/p>\n
Every school problem.<\/p>\n
Every bad decision that seemed enormous at seventeen.<\/p>\n
Being a father did not end when your child became capable of disappointing you.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll give you a name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t thank me yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sent him the contact information for a criminal and corporate attorney Harold trusted.<\/p>\n
At ten-fifteen, we all sat in Harold\u2019s conference room.<\/p>\n
Daniel had brought his attorney, Angela Ruiz.<\/p>\n
She was compact, direct, and unimpressed by everyone.<\/p>\n
I liked her immediately.<\/p>\n
Before anyone spoke, she said, \u201cDaniel is here voluntarily. He will answer factual questions. If we move into territory that exposes him personally, I may stop the discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harold nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael and Priya joined us.<\/p>\n
I placed Ruth\u2019s letter on the table.<\/p>\n
Daniel recognized the handwriting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething your mother left.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That disappointed him.<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
But I did not apologize.<\/p>\n
We reviewed the amendment.<\/p>\n
The trust.<\/p>\n
Northbridge.<\/p>\n
Daniel confirmed seeing Northbridge on draft transaction diagrams.<\/p>\n
Angela asked, \u201cDid you create those diagrams?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you suggest Northbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you participate in discussions about using it to avoid shareholder approvals?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel hesitated.<\/p>\n
Angela turned slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard Richard say the new structure would prevent unnecessary interference.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he identify Lucas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly did he say?\u201d Michael asked.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n
Then at his lawyer.<\/p>\n
Angela nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Lucas won\u2019t even know he has a right to object until it\u2019s done.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke for several seconds.<\/p>\n
I stared at the grain of the conference table.<\/p>\n
There was a difference between suspecting someone considered you irrelevant and hearing the exact sentence.<\/p>\n
Richard expected my ignorance to be part of the transaction.<\/p>\n
Priya asked, \u201cWho was present?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard. Martin. Me. Evan Cole.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCFO?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Evan respond?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looked uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked whether outside counsel had approved the structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said outside counsel approves what they\u2019re told to approve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael wrote something.<\/p>\n
Harold\u2019s expression changed in a way I had learned to recognize.<\/p>\n
He had just moved from concern to strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel,\u201d Harold said, \u201cdid you see any documents suggesting disclosure to the board?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see documents omitting Martin\u2019s beneficial interest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angela raised a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone did.<\/p>\n
She whispered with Daniel.<\/p>\n
He looked terrified.<\/p>\n
After a moment, she said, \u201cMy client will answer one more question on this topic, then I need to confer with him privately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harold nodded.<\/p>\n
Michael asked, \u201cDid Daniel participate in preparing any misleading disclosure?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know the disclosure was misleading when you saw it?\u201d<\/p>\n
A long pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angela closed her folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n
I could see shame there.<\/p>\n
But there was something else too.<\/p>\n
Relief.<\/p>\n
He had finally said it in a room where it mattered.<\/p>\n
Angela took him into the hall.<\/p>\n
I remained at the table.<\/p>\n
Harold leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s lawyer for terrible?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRoughly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDepends on what he did after he recognized the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
I rubbed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan he fix it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harold\u2019s answer was immediate.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople cannot erase actions. They can decide what they do next.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded like Ruth.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the closed conference-room door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need documentary proof beyond Daniel\u2019s recollection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHelpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth\u2019s amendment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVery helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe misleading board material?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCritical, if we obtain it properly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at me.<\/p>\n
I told them what Ruth had written.<\/p>\n
Then I played Victoria\u2019s voicemail.<\/p>\n
Do not sign anything Richard sends you.<\/p>\n
When it ended, Priya said, \u201cShe knows something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harold nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to speak with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael asked, \u201cCan we do it without Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my phone.<\/p>\n
Then at Ruth\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe came to Ruth once.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harold said, \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean she\u2019ll come to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
I folded the letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means Ruth believed she might.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conference-room door opened.<\/p>\n
Daniel returned with Angela.<\/p>\n
He sat.<\/p>\n
His face was pale.<\/p>\n
Angela spoke first.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel is prepared to cooperate with an independent investigation, subject to appropriate legal protections.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harold nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not answer.<\/p>\n
Not because I wanted to punish him.<\/p>\n
Because apology was not the same as repair.<\/p>\n
He seemed to understand.<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
A message.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
Lucas, this is Victoria. Richard has taken my phone. I\u2019m using another number.<\/p>\n
A second message appeared.<\/p>\n
Ruth told me years ago that if Richard ever tried to force control of your shares, I should show you what I kept.<\/p>\n
I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
Then the third message arrived.<\/p>\n
I have the original records.<\/p>\n
And one of them has Richard\u2019s signature on something he now claims never existed.<\/p>\n
I read the first sentence three times. Not because it was difficult. Because hearing Ruth\u2019s voice in my head after three years still had the power to rearrange the room … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5207","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\/5207","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=5207"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5225,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5207\/revisions\/5225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}