Chapter 2 - The In-Laws’ Desperate AmbushBy 7:00 AM, news of George Stanford’s death had hit the financial sector, but the real shockwave hit when the board of directors of Crestview Construction received an emergency summons.
Beverly Vance and her daughter, Annika, rushed into the Bel Air mansion, finding Edwin sitting in the dark, surrounded by empty glasses of whiskey. Annika was dressed in head-to-toe luxury brands—all purchased using Camila’s father's funds without her knowledge.
"Edwin! What is going on?" Beverly barked, her heavily face-lifted features contorted in anger. "The black card you gave me was rejected at the jeweler's! The valet at the salon nearly called the police on me!"
"It's Camila," Edwin rasped, his voice hollow. "She did something. She called a lawyer named Wayne."
Annika burst out laughing, a shrill, obnoxious sound. "Camila? That quiet little mouse? Edwin, are you insane? Her father was a deadbeat who died penniless in a local clinic! What could she possibly do?"
"She broke the lock with a statue," Edwin said, looking up with wide, terrified eyes. "She told me... she told me this house, the company, everything belongs to her family."
"Nonsense!" Beverly snapped, waving her manicured hand dismissively. "We will go to the hospital right now. We will confront her at her father's deathbed! She is married to you, Edwin. Legally, half of what she has belongs to you anyway. We’ll force her to sign a waiver!"
An hour later, Beverly, Annika, and Edwin stormed into the VIP waiting lounge of St. Jude Memorial Hospital. They expected to find a sobbing, broken woman kneeling beside a coffin.
Instead, they found Camila seated at the head of a mahogany conference table set up inside the private wing, flanked by four legal teams dressed in bespoke suits. She was clad in an elegant black tailored suit, her hair pulled back into a sleek, commanding bun. The soft, docile wife they knew was completely gone.
"Camila!" Beverly shouted, marching forward. "How dare you turn off our cards! Your father is dead, and this is how you treat your family? You ungrateful leech!"
Camila didn't even look up from her documents. She calmly took a sip of black coffee.
"Security," Camila said coolly.
Two massive guards stepped forward, blocking Beverly’s path.
"Don't you touch me!" Annika screamed. "Camila, you thief! You’re using our family's money to pay these lawyers!"
Attorney Wayne stood up, adjusting his glasses. "Correction, Miss Vance. You have been living on the Stanford Family Charitable Trust for five years under the delusion that Edwin was a self-made man. Every luxury bag you bought, every car Edwin drove, every wire transfer sent to your mother’s offshore account was underwritten by George Stanford."
Wayne flipped open a thick binder and slid a document across the table.
"And here are the receipts. Over twelve million dollars illegally siphoned by the three of you. We have already filed criminal charges for fraud and grand larceny."
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Edwin’s blood ran cold. "Camila... please... let’s talk about this privately. We’re husband and wife!"
Camila finally raised her eyes. They were as cold as ice. "We were husband and wife until 1:45 AM today, Edwin. Now, you are just a criminal debtor."
