Chapter 3 - The Victory Brunch
Two days later, across town in an upscale uptown café with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, Lucia Montgomery was in her absolute element.
Sitting at a prime corner table surrounded by three of her closest social circle friends—Eleanor, Beatrice, and Margaret—Lucia radiated the self-satisfied smugness of a queen who had successfully defended her kingdom from foreign invaders.
She lifted her porcelain teacup with a delicate pinky extended, her diamond rings catching the morning sunlight.
“Honestly, girls, I don't know how Felix put up with her for eight whole years,” Lucia sighed dramatically, shaking her head as if recounting a tragic war story. “Absolute dead weight. She contributed nothing to the household. No ambition, no pedigree, no financial contribution whatsoever. Just sat around tapping away on her little laptop all day.”
Eleanor nodded sympathetically, leaning across the white tablecloth. “Well, thank goodness Felix finally woke up. A handsome, successful man like him needs a woman who can elevate his status, not drag him down. Did he manage to get his things out safely?”
“Oh, my dear, it was a military operation,” Lucia beamed, practically glowing with pride. “We cleaned that house from top to bottom. Took the television, the designer dining set, the kitchen appliances—every single thing my boy paid for with his hard-earned engineering salary. We left her with bare walls and empty rooms. She didn't even shed a tear. I think she was simply too stunned to realize her free ride was finally over.”
Across the café, seated at a secluded table near the back with a clear view of Lucia’s group, I calmly stirred a spoonful of honey into my green tea. I wore a tailored cashmere camel coat, dark oversized sunglasses, and a quiet, untouchable smile.
Sitting directly across from me was Victoria Vance, who casually lowered a slim tablet showing real-time updates from the county courthouse clerk's office.
“The emergency freeze orders on all of Felix’s corporate accounts, personal debit cards, and investment portfolios were signed off by Judge Callahan thirty minutes ago,” Victoria whispered, her lips curling into a sharp, professional grin. “Simultaneously, our bailiffs and financial receivers have just locked down the executive suites at Montgomery & Vance Engineering. As of ten minutes ago, your husband’s corporate credit card was declined at a gas station three blocks from here.”
I took a slow sip of my tea, savoring the warmth. “And the house?”
“The property deed was formally re-registered solely under your maiden name trust yesterday morning,” Victoria replied smoothly. “Any attempt by Felix to claim equity in that house is currently being flagged as fraudulent asset misappropriation.”
I looked back across the room toward Lucia. At that exact moment, Lucia threw her head back and laughed loudly at something Eleanor had said, raising her teacup in a silent toast to her own perceived brilliance.
She had no idea that her toast was actually celebrating the final moments of her son's financial solvency.
“Vicky,” I murmured, setting my teacup down on the saucer with a quiet click. “I think it’s time to deliver the invitations to the party.”
May you like
Victoria nodded once, signaled to a sharp-looking young man in a dark suit sitting at a neighboring table, and watched as he stood up, adjusted his tie, and began walking directly across the café toward Lucia’s table.
The trap was about to spring.
