At a table laden with meat and seafood, my mother-in-law was the only person who left me with an empty plate: “We’ve run out of food for you.”

tied up in my portfolio this month,” Lauren stammered.

Aaron frowned. “Tied up in what?”

“In… a business venture.”

“What venture, Lauren?”

Before she could invent an answer, the doorbell rang.

It wasn’t thugs or debt collectors. Two formal representatives from a recovery firm stood there with a process server, carrying legal documents concerning several large personal loans Theresa insisted she had never taken out.

One representative placed a dossier on the coffee table. “Mrs. Theresa Ramirez, we need you to verify these signed credit agreements.”

Theresa flipped through the