Chapter 4 - The Eviction NoticeThe heavy mahogany doors of the dining room swung open.
Marcus Vance, my cousin and the chief executive officer of Vance Global Holdings, stepped inside. He wore a sharp charcoal-gray tailored suit, his silver-rimmed glasses catching the light. Two armed security operatives in black tactical gear stood quietly behind him in the doorway.
"Good evening, family," Marcus said, his voice cutting through the heavy tension like a scalpel. He didn't even look at Julian; his eyes landed straight on Beatrice, who shrank back into her chair.
"Marcus!" Julian gasped, finding a shred of desperate hope. "Thank God. You know how these family trusts work. Elena is having a breakdown—she’s freezing assets maliciously, and—"
"Quiet, Julian," Marcus said smoothly, holding up a single hand. "I didn't authorize you to speak in my presence. In fact, under the corporate restructuring guidelines of the Vance Master Trust executed at 8:00 PM tonight, your employment contract with Thorne Capital has been terminated for gross financial misconduct and fiduciary breach."
Julian stumbled backward, hitting the edge of the sideboard. "Terminated? You can't fire me! I own thirty percent of the partner equity!"
"You owned thirty percent of a subsidiary shell corporation that was entirely underwritten by Vance capital," Marcus corrected him, pulling a thick folder from his leather briefcase. "When you attempted to transfer this estate to an unauthorized third party for fraudulent consideration—namely, one US dollar—you triggered an automatic default clause in your partnership agreement. Every share you hold has been repossessed to cover your outstanding liabilities."
Chloe’s face went completely white. She looked wildly from Julian to Marcus, her voice pitching up in panic. "Wait! This isn't my fault! Julian told me the house was his! He said his wife was just a penniless nobody who had no claim to anything! He promised me we’d remodel it next month!"
Camilla turned on Chloe with venom. "Shut up, you gold-digging little parasite! This is all because of you and your cheap perfume! You pushed him into this!"
"Me?!" Chloe shrieked, tears ruining her expensive makeup. "You all sat there laughing when he threw the dollar at her! You were cheering him on!"
"Enough," Marcus commanded, his voice dropping an octave with absolute authority. He looked at the two security operatives. "Escort the unauthorized guests off the premises. They have ten minutes to collect their personal belongings. Anything left behind will be treated as abandoned property and donated to charity."
"You can't do this!" Leo screamed as the two guards stepped forward, grabbing him by the shoulders. "You can't throw us out in the rain! Do you know who we are?!"
"You are trespassing on private Vance property," Marcus replied coldly. "Move."
Beatrice was weeping openly now, her diamond-encrusted rings clicking together as she wrung her hands. She looked up at me, her expression twisting from arrogance to pathetic pleading. "Elena... sweetie... please. Remember when I taught you how to arrange those floral centerpieces for the charity gala? We’re family, darling. Don't do this to us."
May you like
I looked down at Beatrice, remembering the countless times she had humiliated me, mocking my quiet demeanor and treating me like a hired maid in my own ancestral home.
"You told me I had no bloodline resilience, Beatrice," I said quietly. "You were right. I don't break under pressure. I apply it."
