Reddit Stories - BETRAYED_ How My Father MANIPULATED and Stole My Mother's COMPANY_

Episode Date: October 9, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #betrayal #familydrama #parentalmanipulation #businessbetrayal #emotionaltraumaSummary:A heartbreaking tale of betrayal unfolds as a daughter recounts how her father cunningly manipulated and stole her mother's company, shattering the family's trust and unity in the process.Tags:redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, betrayal, familydrama, parentalmanipulation, businessbetrayal, emotionaltraumaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Father deceived my mother into transferring her company ownership while under the influence of medication, then bestowed it upon my sister's husband, who had no involvement in the business, rather than me, despite my dedicated efforts there. Twenty years. Five years ago, my mother passed away after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She was an incredible woman who built a successful interior design business from scratch, turning it into one of the most respected firms in our city.

Throughout my childhood and early adulthood, I worked alongside her whenever I could, learning every aspect of the business. It was always understood that I would take over someday, not just because I was the eldest daughter, but because I had dedicated myself to learning the craft and building relationships with our clients. My mother started this business in our garage when I was just five years old. I remember watching her work late into the night, sketching designs, and making phone calls while still making time to help me with my homework. She built her client base one project at a time, often taking on small jobs that other designers wouldn't consider, treating each client with the same level of respect and dedication whether they were renovating a mansion or just redecorating a bedroom. By the time I was in high school, she had moved into a beautiful downtown office and had a team of talented designers working for her.

I literally grew up in that business. After school, I would do my homework in her office, listening to her client meetings and absorbing everything I could about design and business. By 16, I was helping with administrative tasks, and by 18, I was accompanying her to client sites and design shows. She made sure I learned every aspect of the business, from the creative side to the financial management. When I went to college, I majored in business with a minor in interior design, taking summer internships with other firms to broaden my experience, but always coming back to work with Mom during breaks. My younger sister, Rachel, never showed any interest in the business.

She was more focused on her social life and eventually married James, a okay man from a wealthy family who had never worked a day in his life. While I was spending weekends at client sites and attending design shows with Mom, Rachel was planning elaborate parties and posting about her luxurious lifestyle on social media. She would occasionally drop by the office to borrow money from Mom or show off her latest but she never once asked about the business or showed any interest in learning what we did. Even before she met James, Rachel had always been Dad's favorite.

He loved her carefree attitude and social butterfly personality, while my more serious, business-focused approach reminded him too much of Mom's independence, which I think secretly threatened him. When Rachel married James, Dad was pretty happy. He saw James as the son he never had, completely buying into James's grandiose talks about his business ambitions despite his track record of failed ventures and squandered opportunities. When Mom was diagnosed with cancer, I reduced my hours at my intern job to help her manage the business while she underwent treatment. I watched her fight through chemotherapy sessions, still insisting on reviewing designs and meeting with important clients whenever she had the strength. Even on her worst days, she would speak with long-time clients.

The business wasn't just a company to her, it was her life's work, and she was determined to ensure it would continue to thrive after she was gone. In her final months, she made it clear to everyone, including my father, that she wanted me to take over the business. She even had her lawyer draw up paperwork to transfer ownership to me upon her death. I remember sitting with her in the hospital as she went over every detail of the business with me, sharing client relationships, supplier contacts, and her vision for the future. She made me promise to maintain the company's reputation for integrity,

saying that she knew I was the only one who truly understood what she had built. The day before she passed away, Mom called me to her hospital room alone. She was weak but determined to tell me something important. She revealed that James had been visiting her when I wasn't there, pressuring her to change her will and give him control of the business. He had even brought papers for her to sign, telling her it would take the burden off her daughter. Mom was furious and had him thrown out of her room. She made me promise that no matter what happened, I wouldn't let James anywhere near her life's work.

Mom also confided in me about her concerns regarding Dad and Rachel. She worried that they might try to interfere with her wishes, knowing how Dad had always favored Rachel and how James had been trying to get involved in the business. She made sure all the legal documents were in order and even spoke to her key employees about supporting me through the transition. Everything was set for a smooth transfer of leadership. What I didn't know then was that Dad had already betrayed Mom's trust. While she was still fighting for her life in the hospital, he had been secretly meeting

with lawyers to find ways to contest her will. He even went through her office after hours, taking documents and making copies of contracts. Rachel helped him, using her spare key to the office. The one mom had given her for emergencies only. They were literally plotting behind Mom's back while she was on her deathbed. The day after Mom's funeral, literally the day after we buried her, Dad called a meeting with the company's lawyers. He hadn't even waited for the flowers on her grave to wilt. That's when I discovered the full extent of his deception.

It turns out that while Mom had properly documented her wishes to transfer the business to me, Dad had been building a legal case based on the company's original incorporation documents from 25 years ago. When Mom first started the business, she had listed Dad as a 50% owner for tax purposes, even though he never contributed anything beyond basic bookkeeping. This was common practice for married couples at the time, and Mom had trusted him completely. She had attempted to update these documents during her illness. but Dad had deliberately delayed signing them, claiming he was too overwhelmed with her medical care to deal with paperwork. Meanwhile, he was secretly meeting with corporate lawyers who

specialized in hostile takeovers. What broke me completely was finding out about what happened during Mom's final days in the hospital. Dad had waited until she was at her weakest just two days before she passed, when the doctors had increased her morphine to manage her pain. He came to her room alone, after visiting hours, using his staff. as her husband to get past the nurses. Mom's regular nurse later told me she had protested his visit, saying Mom needed rest, but Dad insisted it couldn't wait. He brought a stack of documents, telling Mom there were urgent insurance forms needed to cover her final round of treatments. Mom could barely hold the pen, but she signed multiple pages. Mom was on heavy pain medication

at the time and trusted her husband of 30 years. The night nurse, who witnessed the signing because she thought they were medical documents, said Mom kept asking questions, but Dad just rushed her through it, saying there wasn't time to read everything because the insurance office needed them first thing in the morning. Those papers turned out to be a complete transfer of her shares to Dad, along with documents giving him power of attorney. The signatures were barely legible, just wobbly lines that looked nothing like Mom's signature that I had seen on hundreds of client contracts. But Dad had been clever, he got the nurse to sign as a witness and had brought a notary with him who didn't know Mom's regular signature.

Everything was technically legal. I only discovered this because the nurse felt guilty and reached out to me after Mom passed. She had realized something was wrong. I tried to fight it, of course. I spent over $50,000 of my own savings on lawyers, who all agreed that what Dad did was ethically reprehensible but technically legal. The fact that he was listed as an original owner, combined with the documents he'd tricked Mom into signing, gave him just enough legal standing to take control. When I brought up Mom's recent will and transfer documents, Dad's lawyers

argued that she wasn't of sound mind during her final months due to her medication, while conveniently defending the validity of the papers she'd signed under the same conditions. Then Dad announced that he was giving control of the business to James, my sister's husband. His reasoning? The business needs a man's touch in James has an MBA. Never mind that James's business experience consisted solely of losing his trust fund in various failed ventures, or that I had practically grown up in this company and knew every aspect of its operation. The announcement was made at a company-wide meeting where I had to sit there, humiliated in front of employees who had watched me grow up in the business, as dad praised James's

fresh perspective and modern business acumen. James actually had the nerve to say, I know some of you might be concerned about the changes ahead, but I promised to honor Sarah's legacy not only had they gone against mom's explicit wishes, but they had done it in a way that completely dismissed my years of dedication and experience. Dad didn't even have the courtesy to discuss it with me beforehand. I found out at the same time as everyone else. The look of smug satisfaction on Rachel's face during the announcement told me everything I needed to know about her role in this decision. What made it even worse was discovering later that James had already promised several of mom's long-term employees that they would be taken care of if they

supported his takeover. He had been secretly meeting with them, offering promotions and raises if they would back him instead of me. Most of them refused and came to tell me about it, but a few actually took his side. These were people who had worked with mom for decades, people who had watched me grow up, now suddenly acting like James was the second coming of Steve jobs. I was devastated. Not just because of the betrayal of mom's wishes, but because I knew James would run the company into the ground. He had no understanding of design, no relationships with our clients, and no respect for the legacy mom had built. During the transition meetings, he kept talking about his plans to modernize and disrupt the business, showing complete disregard

for the reputation and relationships mom had spent decades building. Rachel supported her husband completely, telling me I was being dramatic and that I should be happy for their success. I couldn't bear to watch them dismantle everything Mom had created, so I resigned immediately. Several key employees followed me out the door, but I convinced them to stay, knowing they had families to support. Some of them cried when I told them I was leaving, and a few even offered to quit in solidarity, but I knew Mom would have wanted me to protect their jobs if I could. I moved to another city and started over, building my own design consultation business from scratch. It was hard work, but I had learned from the best. For three years, I had minimal contact with my family.

Dad would occasionally call to complain about how ungrateful I was being, while Rachel would send passive-aggressive messages about how I had abandoned the family. I focused on my work, gradually building a strong client base and reputation in my new city. Some of Mom's old clients sought me out, having heard through that I had started my own firm, and their support helped me establish myself more quickly than I had expected. Then last month, I received a frantic call from Rachel. It turns out that James had run Mom's company into the ground, just as I had predicted. He had taken out massive loans to fund unnecessary expansions,

alienated our long-term clients with his arrogant attitude, and eventually started embezzling money to cover his gambling debts. The business was facing bankruptcy, and James was potentially facing criminal charges. The worst part was learning that he had been using the company's reputation to secure loans and contracts, then failing to deliver on the promises made to clients who had trusted Mom's name. What really got me was their response to this crisis. Instead of taking responsibility, they're now claiming that this is somehow my fault. Dad called me crying, saying that if I had stayed to help James learn the business,

none of this would have happened. Rachel insists that I have an obligation to come back and fix things because mom would have wanted you to save her company. They seemed to have conveniently forgotten that they were the ones who pushed me out in the first place. The audacity of their request is stunning. They want me to leave my successful business, move back home, and use my connections and expertise to save the company they stole from me.

James even had the nerve to suggest that I could work under him as a senior consultant while he maintains control of the company. I refused outright. I told them that they made their choice three years ago when they dismissed Mom's wishes and my expertise. I've built something new now, something that's entirely mine, and I won't abandon it to clean up their mess.

The irony is that many of Mom's former clients have already reached out to me, seeking to work with someone who maintains the standards and integrity she was known for. This has caused a huge rift in the family. My father is telling everyone who will listen that I'm letting my mother's legacy die out of spite. Rachel has been posting on social media about how I've betrayed the family and abandoned mom's dream. Even some longtime family friends have reached out to suggest that I should put aside my pride

for the sake of preserving what mom built. So I'd offer refusing to help Reddit. I'll update if anything significant happens with the situation, though I doubt they'll stop trying to guilt me into fixing their mess. Update 1, after my last post, things have escalated significantly. I found out that James has been doing far worse than just mismanaging the company. He's been actively stealing from clients. Several of Mom's longtime clients contacted me directly after discovering that James had taken their project deposits but never started the work.

We're talking about hundreds of thousands in missing funds, including a $250,000 deposit from mom's very first client 25 years ago. I also learned from Lisa, mom's former assistant who still works there, that James has been forging client signatures on contracts and inflating project costs, then pocketing the difference. He's been using mom's old signature stamps on documents, which she had specifically told me to destroy after her death because she was worried about exactly this kind of fraud. Then Mr. Chen from the bank called me. He's been handling mom's business accounts since she started the company, and he's known our family forever. He asked to meet me for coffee, looking really uncomfortable about breaking client confidentiality, but said he felt morally obligated

to warn me about what was happening. Turns out Dad did something incredibly stupid. Remember our family dad remortgaged it. Not just a small loan either, he took out nearly $800,000 against it to cover what he called emergency business expenses for James. Mr. Chinn discovered where that money actually went when the bank was reviewing some suspicious transactions. James had gotten himself deep into some seriously sketchy gambling debts at these underground poker games. Not casino poker, we're talking about those illegal games run out of warehouse basements where people get hurt if they don't pay up. James had apparently been going to these games for months, losing more and more money, and telling these people he'd pay them back with his company's money.

Dad never told Rachel about remortgaging the house. She has no idea they could lose her childhood home because her husband needed to pay off illegal gambling debts. The monthly payments are insane, like $6,000, and James blew through all that money in less than two months. He didn't put a single cent toward actual business expenses. Mr. Chen only told me because he's worried about dad's safety. Apparently, James has been hanging around with some really dangerous people, and the bank has noticed some concerning patterns in the withdrawals. He even suggested I might want to hire security for my own office, just in case. I was still trying to process all this information when Rachel showed up unannounced at my office.

She looked terrible, eyes all red and puffy from crying, like she hadn't slept in days. Then she said she just found out she's pregnant with their third child. She broke down completely in my office, sobbing about how they're totally broke. They've already sold all her designer stuff. The whole time she was talking, I kept thinking about how she has no idea about the gambling or the dangerous people James is mixed up with. All she knows is that they're struggling to pay bills. Then, in typical Rachel fashion, she switched from crying to demanding.

She had the nerve to suggest I could loan them money from my business since I'm doing so well now. When I refused, pointing out that I'd worked hard to build my company from scratch after they took moms from me, she completely lost it. Started screaming about how I was enjoying watching them suffer and that mom would be ashamed of me for not helping family. Rich coming from her, considering everything they've done. What Rachel doesn't know is that three major design firms have already contacted me about buying out what's left of mom's company. They've heard about the financial troubles and are circling like vultures. I could probably arrange a deal

that would save the company's name and protect the remaining employees, but it would mean James and Dad would face consequences for their financial misdeeds. I've been sitting on these offers, not sure what to do. Part of me wants to watch them crash and burn, but I keep thinking about the loyal employees who've stuck around. I was actually reviewing one of these buyout proposals when Dad called this morning. He was crying, which is something I've only heard twice before, at mom's diagnosis and at her funeral. He kept going on about how he should have listened to Mom about James, how he made a terrible mistake, how everything was falling apart.

But you know what really got me? Through all his sobbing and apologizing, he never once actually acknowledged what he did to me. He's not sorry he hurt me, he's just sorry his plan failed. Then he started talking about how to fix everything. Even now, with everything literally crumbling around them, he still thinks James should stay in charge. He actually suggested that I should come back and mentor James to be a better businessman. Can you believe that? As if the problem is just that

James need some business coaching, not that he's literally committing fraud and gambling with company money. Dad kept saying things like we're still family and we need to stick together. But where was all this family loyalty when they were stealing mom's company from me? After everything I learned from Mr. Chaun and Lisa, I went to see my lawyer. She suggested I document everything to protect myself, since James's fraud might eventually lead to investigations that could splash back on anyone who ever worked there. While we were talking, she mentioned that one of her other clients, a forensic accountant, had actually been hired by some of mom's old clients to investigate where their deposit money went. Turns out these clients hired her after they couldn't get straight

answers from James about their projects. She's already found evidence of at least six cases of clear fraud. Lisa has been secretly sending her copies of paperwork showing how James has been misusing company funds, including documentation of a business trip to Paris that was actually a vacation with some woman who definitely wasn't Rachel. I'm keeping quiet about the mistress thing for now,

but honestly, the way things are going, Rachel's going to find out soon enough. I'm documenting everything but staying firmly out of the mess. My own business is thriving. I just landed a major contract that Mom had always dreamed of getting, and I did it on my own merits. Several of her former clients have sought me out, saying they see in me the same integrity and attention to detail that made Mom special. I'll update again if anything significant happens, but for now, I'm focused on growing my own business and honoring Mom's legacy my own way.

Let them deal with the consequences of their choices. Final update, it's been six months since my last post, and everything finally came to a head. Those clients who hired the forensic accountant ended up filing a lawsuit against James and the company. Once that happened, everything else started tumbling out, the gambling debts, the misused funds, all of it. James tried to run, but apparently those guys he owed money to caught up with him before he could leave town. He ended up in the hospital with a broken arm and some bruised ribs. Rachel showed up at my door at 2 a.m. that night, crying and pregnant and finally knowing the whole truth. She'd found papers in their house about the remortgage, the gambling

debts, even receipts from his trips with the mistress. I let her stay with me for a few days while she figured things out. She kept alternating between being angry at James and being angry at herself for not seeing what was happening. Dad had a minor heart attack when everything came out. He's okay now, but seeing him in the hospital really brought home how old and broken he looks. The doctors say stress was a major factor. He tried to apologize to me again, and this time it felt real. He actually acknowledged what he'd done wrong, not just the recent stuff with James, but how he betrayed both me and mom by going against her wishes.

Too little too late maybe, but at least it was honest. The company is being sold. Not to any of those design firms I mentioned before, they all backed out when they realized how bad the financial situation was. Instead, one of mom's old employees put together a group of investors. They're buying what's left and rebuilding under a new name. They asked me to come on as a partner, but I declined. I did agree to act as a consultant though, and I'm helping them reconnect with some of mom's old clients. Rachel filed for divorce. She's moved back in with dad for now, turns out losing the house

isn't a sure thing anymore. The bank is working with them to restructure the mortgage since they can prove James committed fraud. She's due any day now. Despite everything, I've been helping her get the nursery ready. Mom would have wanted that. James is facing criminal charges for fraud. His lawyer is trying to work out a plea deal, but he's definitely doing some time. The evidence was just too clear, especially after Lisa turned over all the documentation she'd been quietly collecting. Turns out she'd been keeping copies of everything since the day James took over, like she knew this would happen eventually. As for me, my business is doing great. I just bought a beautiful old building downtown that I'm renovating into my company's new headquarters. I probably

won't update again. This chapter of my life is closing, and I'm ready to focus on writing my own story now.