Chapter 5 - The Eviction of Royalty
Evelyn and Daniel spun around as Marcus stepped into the foyer.
"What is the meaning of this?" Daniel demanded, trying to summon whatever authority he had left, though his voice shook violently. "Get the hell out of my house!"
"It is not your house, Mr. Vance," Marcus said smoothly, stepping over the threshold. "As you can see from the notices in your hand, your lease has been terminated effective 9:00 AM today. It is currently 9:05 AM. You are trespassing."
Evelyn stepped forward, her voice shrill. "I am Evelyn Vance! You cannot turn me out onto the street! My son pays for this place!"
"Your son hasn't paid a dime for this place, madam," Marcus replied, his tone icy and professional. "Mrs. Clara Vance has graciously allowed you to live here rent-free under the guise of your son’s corporate success. A success that,
I might add, was entirely manufactured by her capital. But that grace expired the moment your son laid a hand on her."
Daniel looked like he was going to vomit. "Where is she? Let me speak to her! Clara! I know you can hear me! We can talk about this!" He shouted toward the ceiling, realizing for the first time that the security cameras were watching him.
Marcus signaled the locksmith, who immediately went to work on the heavy front door lock, preparing to change the cylinders. The two security guards stood imposing and silent by the doorway.
"Mrs. Vance has no desire to speak with you," Marcus said, pulling a document from his briefcase. "I am also serving you with a temporary restraining order. You are to stay five hundred yards away from her person, her penthouse, and any properties owned by Vanguard Holdings. Furthermore, the bank has officially initiated the repossession of your yacht, and Vance Logistics will be forced into involuntary bankruptcy by the end of the week."
"No..." Evelyn moaned, sinking onto the bottom step of the grand staircase—the staircase I had designed. "No, this can't be happening. We have a reputation. The gala next week..."
"You won't be attending the gala, Evelyn," a new voice said.
They both froze.
Marcus turned, holding his phone up, the screen facing Daniel and Evelyn. I was on a live FaceTime call, my face perfectly framed, the faint bruise on my cheek visible but overshadowed by the absolute coldness in my eyes.
"Clara..." Daniel took a step toward the phone, but one of the security guards shifted his weight, cutting him off. "Clara, please. I was angry. My mother was upset. It was a mistake. We're a family."
"Family?" I asked through the speaker, my voice echoing in the vast marble foyer. "A family doesn't sit in silence while an innocent woman is degraded. A family doesn't strike a wife for standing up for herself. You told me to leave everything your son paid for, Evelyn. I did. I left. Now, it's your turn."
"Clara, please," Evelyn begged, her voice cracking, all her aristocratic pride draining onto the floor. "Think of what people will say. Have some mercy."
"I had mercy for three years," I said coldly. "I funded your luxury, I built your son's career, and I swallowed your poison. My mercy is officially bankrupt."
I looked directly at Daniel, whose eyes were wide with a mixture of terror and realization.
"Pack whatever cheap clothes you came with, Daniel," I said, repeating his mother's words with brutal precision. "Leave the luxury cars. Leave the designer watches. Leave everything I paid for. You have twenty minutes to vacate my property before the guards forcibly remove you."
"Clara, wait—!" Daniel cried out.
"Goodbye, Daniel. I'll see your lawyers in court."
I tapped the screen, ending the call.
On the security feed, I watched the final collapse. Evelyn buried her face in her hands, weeping genuinely now, not the dry-eyed performance she had put on before. Daniel stood frozen in the center of the foyer, looking at the crystal chandelier, the imported Italian tiles, and the family portrait above the fireplace.
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The portrait where I stood like an expensive shadow.
He realized too late that the shadow wasn't hiding behind them. The shadow was the one holding the pillars of their entire world. And with a single flick of my wrist, I had let the whole roof come crashing down on their heads.
