Chapter 3 - The Eviction NoticeBack at the house, the atmosphere had shifted from tense to volatile.
Teresa’s face had flushed a deep, mottled crimson. She stepped forward, pointing a long, manicured finger straight at my chest. “Are you out of your absolute mind, Eleanor? Kick us out? We are David’s parents! This house belongs to our son!”
“Actually, it doesn’t,” I said calmly, stepping closer to them and pulling a printed document from my briefcase. “Look at the deed, Teresa. My name is the sole owner. David quitclaimed this property to me three years ago to protect it from his corporate liability lawsuits. He doesn't own a single brick of this foundation.”
Arthur lurched out of his armchair, his face twisted in disbelief. “You conniving little witch! You trick our boy into going away, and now you’re turning us out on the street? David will destroy you! He makes the money in this family!”
“David made the money?” I let out a sharp, genuine laugh that cut them deeper than any insult could have. “Arthur, your son has been living off my startup exit funds for the last four years. The venture capital firm I built and sold before we even got married? That’s what’s been funding his designer suits, his golf memberships, and his little apartment in Tribeca.”
Teresa gasped, clutching her pearls as if she were having a medical emergency. “Lies! Absolute lies! David is a senior executive!”
“David is unemployed,” I corrected flatly, tapping my phone screen. “His company laid him off six months ago. He’s been spending my capital to pretend he’s a high-roller. And right now, he’s stranded in Manhattan with six frozen black cards, a furious mistress, and divorce papers being hand-delivered to his hotel lobby.”
Before either of them could process the crushing weight of my words, the front door swung open.
May you like
David stood on the threshold, disheveled, sweating, his designer suit wrinkled, and his phone pressed frantically to his ear. He had taken an emergency cab all the way from Manhattan, blowing through hundreds of dollars in cash just to get here.
“Eleanor!” he roared, slamming the door behind him. “What the hell have you done?”
Related Stories
