Page 153 - Too Much and Never Enough - Mary L. Trump

Donald, Robert, and Irwin Durben—but they apparently had little interest in protecting us, especially at their own expense.
Rob leaned forward, suddenly serious. “Listen, if you don’t sign this will, if you think of suing us, we will bankrupt Midland Associates and you will be paying taxes on money you don’t have for the rest of your lives.”
There was nothing left to say after that. Either Fritz and I gave in, or we fought. Neither option was a good one.
We consulted with Irwin, who felt like the only ally we had left. He was incensed about how poorly our grandfather had treated us in the will. When we told him how Robert had responded when asked about Midland Associates and our share in other Trump entities, he said, “Your share of the ground leases under Shore Haven and Beach Haven alone are priceless. If they’re not going to do anything for you, you’re going to have to sue them.”
I had no idea what a ground lease was, let alone that I had a share in two of them, but I knew what priceless meant. And I trusted Irwin. Based on his recommendation, Fritz and I made a decision.
After all those months, William was still in the hospital, and Fritz and Lisa were feeling overwhelmed. I told him I’d take care of it and called Rob that afternoon.
“Is there anything you guys can do, Rob?” I asked. “Sign the will, and we’ll see.”
“Really?”
“Your father’s dead,” he said.
“I know he’s dead, Rob. But we’re not.” I was so sick of having that conversation.
He paused. “Maryanne, Donald, and I are simply following Dad’s wishes. Your grandfather didn’t want you or Fritz, or especially your mother, to get anything.”
I took a deep breath. “This is going nowhere,” I said. “Fritz and I are going to hire an attorney.”
As if a switch had been flipped, Robert screamed, “You do whatever the fuck you need to do!” and slammed the phone down.
The next day, there was a message from Gam on my answering machine when I got home. “Mary, it’s your grandmother,” she said tersely. She never referred to herself that way. It was always “Gam.”
I called her back right away.