The phone remained pressed to my ear, but the voice of Gloria—my mother-in-law, my parasite-in-law—faded into white noise. I stared past the glass wall of the corporate skyscraper at the Chicago skyline, glittering like an endless circuit board under a frozen night sky. / Chapter 5 / 20

Chapter 5 - The Illusion of OwnershipSebastian stared at the folder as if it were a venomous snake.

"What is this?" he whispered, his voice trembling.

"It's a reality check," I replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down uninvited. I crossed my legs, resting my hands on the table. "You spent the last three weeks trying to get me to transfer the Highland Park house into your name. You thought it was because I was suspicious of your loyalty. But the truth is, Sebastian? You never understood corporate structure."

"The house is mine," Sebastian insisted, though his voice lacked any real conviction. "My name was on the initial mortgage application back in—”

"In your dreams," I interrupted smoothly. "When we bought that house eight years ago, your credit score was in the gutter from your failed tech startup. I had to finance it entirely through Carter Holdings' commercial tier. Legally, the deed, the mortgage, and the underlying land are held in a corporate land trust where Carter Holdings owns a ninety-nine percent beneficial interest. You were merely listed as an occupant."

Alyssa stepped forward, her eyes wide with panic. "That's impossible! We checked the county registry! It said Carter Holdings, but Sebastian said that was just a tax formality!"

I turned my gaze to Alyssa, letting a cold, sharp smile touch my lips. "And you believed him? Alyssa, you’ve been my executive assistant for three years. You handle my calendar, you book my flights, you process my expense reports. Yet you didn't bother to read the corporate bylaws?"

Sebastian dropped back into his chair, burying his face in his hands. "Vicky... please. We can talk about this. We can work something out. Don't throw me out of the house."

"Throw you out?" I chuckled softly. "Sebastian, the locks were changed at 4:00 AM Chicago time. By now, moving crews are clearing out your designer suits, your watch collection, and every single thing you bought with my corporate cards. They're being deposited into a storage unit on the south side of Chicago—pre-paid for thirty days. After that, it's your problem."