Chapter 6 - THE SILK ROPEThe estate was eerily quiet when I returned at dawn. The snow had finally stopped, leaving a blinding blanket of pure white across the long driveway. The police cars were gone, but the front door of the mansion still hung slightly open, the lock broken from the earlier federal raid.
I walked inside, my footsteps echoing in the massive, hollow house.
Sitting in the drawing room, wrapped in the same silk robe, was my mother, Evelyn. A fresh glass of wine sat on the table beside her, untouched. She was staring blankly into the cold fireplace, her eyes sunken, her hair unkempt.
She didn't look up when I entered.
"They took him, didn't they?" she asked, her voice dry and hollow.
"Richard is facing federal racketeering, wire fraud, and grand theft charges," I said, standing near the doorway. "He won't see the outside of a federal prison for twenty years. Neither will Marcus Vance."
Evelyn let out a bitter, soft laugh. "And what about me? Are you going to hand your own mother over to the police, Daniel? I didn't sign those financial papers. I didn't steal your money."
"No," I said, walking over to the mantelpiece and picking up a framed family photograph from ten years ago—back when I was a kid who actually believed my parents were good people. "You didn't sign the papers. But you were the one who orchestrated the eviction. You were the one who convinced Dad to take everything. You were jealous of Claire because she represented a life I chose without your permission."
Evelyn finally looked at me, her eyes flashing with cold fury. "She was a nobody! A low-class girl who didn't belong in this family! She was taking you away from us! From your legacy!"
"My legacy?" I smashed the framed photo onto the brick hearth, glass shattering everywhere. "Your legacy is a fraud built on stolen money and treason! You threw an innocent woman and a baby into a sub-zero blizzard because of your sick, twisted pride!"
Evelyn flinched, but she didn't apologize. She never would. Narcissists don't feel guilt—they only feel pity for themselves when they get caught.
"The bank issued an emergency asset seizure two hours ago, Evelyn," I said, pulling a legal notice from my coat and placing it on the table next to her wine glass. "This house, the cars, the accounts, the art collection... everything has been frozen by the federal government. By noon today, federal marshals will evict you and place a padlock on that door."
Evelyn stared at the paper, her breath catching in her throat. "They... they can't do that. Where am I supposed to go?"
"I don't know," I said, turning my back on her. "Maybe you can find a nice porch to sit on. I hear the snow is soft this time of year."
"Daniel! Wait!" she shrieked, scrambling out of her chair and running after me, grabbing my sleeve. "You can't leave me with nothing! I'm your mother! I gave you life!"
I pulled my arm away from her grip with absolute disgust.
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"You gave me life, Evelyn," I said, looking down at her as she trembled in her silk robe. "But Claire and Lily gave me a reason to live. And you tried to take that from me."
I walked out the front door, leaving her screaming my name into the cold, empty morning air.
