She had unwittingly confirmed exactly what my analysts had suspected.

The Ralston family empire was a hollow shell, held together by nothing but pride and borrowed time.

And Graham was about to walk right into the trap.

I reached for my desk phone and dialed a direct extension.

“Marcus,” I said when he answered on the second ring.

“I need you to pull the deed records for the Highland Park property again.”

“The primary residence?” Marcus asked.

“Yes. Confirm the exact legal description of the owner on record.”

“It’s held under Ralston Partners LLC,” Marcus said immediately.

“I have the file right here. Graham is listed as the sole manager of that specific LLC.”

“But who owns the underlying debt?” I asked.

There was a brief pause, the sound of keys tapping on a keyboard.

“We do,” Marcus said.

“Through the legacy acquisition last quarter. We bought the primary mortgage from Chase.”

“And the secondary lien?”

“Also us,” Marcus said.

“Jocelyn, if Graham tries to refinance or use that house for a new loan, he’s going to have to go through our front company.”