Chapter 1 - The Eviction Notice
The silence in the freezing kitchen was heavier than lead.
I kept my cell phone pressed firmly against my ear.
Ethan’s arrogant smirk wavered for a fraction of a second before returning to his face.
"Who exactly are you calling, crazy lady?" he asked with a cruel scoff.
"I am calling the actual owner of the house you live in," I repeated calmly.
Beatrice let out a sharp and mocking cackle from her seat at the table.
"My successful son bought this beautiful house with his own hard-earned money," she sneered.
"Did he really have the nerve to tell you that lie?" I asked while raising an eyebrow.
The person on the other end of the line finally answered the call.
"Mister Harrison, it is Eleanor Sterling," I said clearly into the receiver.
"Yes, Eleanor, what can I do for you tonight?" the property manager replied.
"I am invoking the immediate eviction clause on the Willow Street property due to domestic endangerment," I stated.
Ethan dropped his fork onto the porcelain plate with a loud clatter.
"What kind of insane bluff is this?" Ethan demanded while taking an aggressive step toward me.
"Cancel the lease and send the local authorities to enforce the removal," I instructed Harrison.
I ended the call and slipped the phone safely back into my heavy winter coat.
Maya was staring at me with wide and completely terrified eyes.
"Mom, what did you just do?" she whispered through trembling pale lips.
Before I could comfort my daughter, Ethan’s phone began to ring loudly in his pocket.
He pulled it out and saw the caller ID belonging to his luxury real estate broker.
He answered the call with a forced and confident tone.
"Yes, David, what is going on?" Ethan asked smoothly.
I watched as the color completely drained from Ethan’s face within seconds.
He ended the call and stared at me with pure venom burning in his dark eyes.
"You own the corporate LLC that holds the deed to this property?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Beatrice gasped and stood up so fast that her heavy chair scraped harshly against the floor.
"That is impossible because my son is the master of this household!" Beatrice yelled in denial.
"Your son is a broke fraud who has been secretly renting from my corporate holdings," I clarified coldly.
I turned my back to them and held out my hand to Maya.
"Grab your coat, sweetheart, because we are leaving this nightmare right now," I said gently.
Maya took a hesitant and shaking step toward me.
Ethan suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Maya roughly by her heavily bruised wrist.
"She is not going anywhere with you," Ethan growled while pulling her backward.
"Take your hands off my daughter before I break them," I warned him with absolute deadly seriousness.
Ethan laughed darkly and pulled a folded piece of paper from his back pocket.
"She cannot leave me unless you want her to go straight to federal prison," Ethan whispered.
He unfolded the document and shoved it directly into my face.
May you like
It was a notarized confession of corporate embezzlement completely filled out in Maya’s handwriting.
"If she walks out that door, I send this signed confession directly to the FBI," Ethan smiled cruelly.
