Chapter 13 - THE MAN WATCHING FROM ANOTHER HOUSE
The family security system had a remote administrator portal.
Harlan managed it.
That explained how he knew I accessed the cloud.
It also explained something worse.
He could watch the dining-room feed live.
Bethany’s cloud backup included notification logs from the old system.
At 6:08 p.m., Harlan logged in.
Three minutes before I arrived.
At 6:11:
Live view active.
At 6:12:
Recording export started.
The nine-second clip uploaded to the family group chat at 6:19.
Harlan had cut it almost immediately.
Dana obtained the file metadata from my mother’s posted video.
Editor account:
HP-FINANCE.
There it was.
Not speculation.
Harlan created the clip.
But who told him where to cut?
Bethany searched her recovered cloud texts.
A group conversation.
Dad.
Mom.
Harlan.
Bethany had muted it but never left.
At 5:41:
Dad: Mark says he’ll be here around six.
Harlan: Camera is live.
Mom: Bethany has Rosie.
At 5:57:
Harlan: Need visible injury before he arrives.
Bethany stared at the message.
“I didn’t see that.”
Maybe.
The messages continued.
Dad: Already handled.
Mom: Cheek is more than planned.
Harlan: Better.
My stomach turned.
At 6:10:
Dad: He’s pulling in.
Harlan: I’m recording.
Then 6:12:
Dad: He hit Bethany.
Harlan: Got it.
6:13:
Mom: Cut before he checks Rosie.
Harlan: Yes.
Then:
Dad: I’ll push him again.
I stopped breathing.
Three minutes later, Dad threw the glass at us.
He hadn’t lost control.
He had deliberately escalated.
Harlan replied:
Keep him in frame.
Dad:
Watch.
My father hurled a glass toward my four-year-old daughter because he wanted more footage of my reaction.
The camera went dark before the throw because Mom had disabled the local system.
But Harlan’s remote session may have remained active.
Dana checked.
Remote recording continued until 6:21.
The cloud archive had been deleted.
But Harlan’s editing workstation may contain a local copy.
Bethany whispered:
“His office.”
Dad’s company headquarters.
Harlan kept a private room there.
If the local cache existed, it could contain the full confrontation.
Including Dad throwing the glass.
Including Mom screaming after me.
Maybe even conversations after I left.
“Can we access it?”
Dana answered:
“Not lawfully without authorization.”
Bethany said:
“I have authorization.”
We looked at her.
“I still work there.”
“You said part-time.”
“I never formally resigned.”
“Access level?”
“Payroll administrator.”
Not enough to enter Harlan’s private files.
Evidence first.
No breaking in.
No illegal access.
Then Bethany said:
“I don’t need his computer.”
“What?”
“Harlan backs everything up to the office server.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Dad screams every time backup fees increase.”
We checked Bethany’s company login.
Still active.
Standard employee.
No private folders.
Then one shared media directory appeared.
Training.
Security.
Marketing.
TEMP.
Inside:
MARK_INCIDENT_FINAL.mp4.
And:
MARK_INCIDENT_FULL.mp4.
My hands started shaking.
Bethany looked at me.
“Open it.”
We did.
Full video.
Remote feed.
My entrance.
Rosie against me.
Bethany’s dismissal.
My slap.
Then me turning away.
Checking Rosie.
Walking toward the door.
Mom chasing me.
Dad standing.
Lifting the glass.
Throwing it.
Me covering Rosie.
Everything.
The frame even captured Bethany staring at Dad afterward.
Shocked.
Then Mom turned toward him.
Audio:
“What the hell was that?”
Dad:
“More believable if he thinks we’re all against him.”
Harlan’s voice came through the remote speaker.
“You missed him.”
Dad laughed.
“I wasn’t trying to hit him.”
I felt sick.
Mom:
“You almost hit Rosie.”
Dad:
“She was covered.”
My own father had calculated the angle.
He knew I would shield my daughter.
They treated my instincts like predictable mechanics.
Then Harlan said:
“Doesn’t matter. We have enough.”
Dad:
“Send the violent clip.”
Mom:
“And the child statement.”
Harlan:
“Trust transition first thing tomorrow.”
Dad:
“Then fund the company.”
The whole plan.
Recorded.
Clear.
Then Mom said something none of us expected.
“And Reserve B?”
Silence.
Dad:
“After the loan.”
Harlan:
“No.”
Dad:
“What?”
Harlan’s voice changed.
“Reserve B is mine.”
The room went silent.
Harlan Pierce was not merely helping my parents access Rosie’s trust.
May you like
He believed part of it belonged to him.
📖 Discover why Harlan claimed Reserve B as his own—and what Sarah’s settlement documents reveal about his hidden ownership interest in my father’s company in CHAPTER 14. 👇
