Chapter 13 - The Shattered Crown
While Daniel wandered aimlessly through the dangerous slums,
Evelyn was caught in a deep,
inescapable spiral of pure,
psychological delusion on the opposite side of the sprawling city.
She was marching down the upscale,
expensive avenue of the fashion district,
her cheap thrift-store dress torn at the hem,
her hair a wild,
tangled bird's nest of ruined curls.
Pedestrians dressed in designer coats actively stepped out of her way,
shooting her looks of extreme disgust and alarm,
but Evelyn simply smiled a tight,
creepy smile,
believing they were moving aside out of deep respect for her high social standing.
"Good morning,"
she mumbled incoherently to a terrified young woman holding a poodle,
"yes,
my son is closing a massive merger today,
thank you for asking."
Her mind simply could not,
and would not,
process the catastrophic trauma of her complete financial and social annihilation,
so it had fractured completely,
retreating into a fantasy world where she was still the wealthy,
untouchable matriarch.
She stopped in front of 'Le Petit Bijou',
the most exclusive,
insanely expensive French restaurant in the entire city,
a place where she used to dine weekly using my hidden funds.
Evelyn confidently pushed past the velvet ropes,
ignoring the panicked shouts of the imposing security guard,
and marched directly into the opulent,
crystal-adorned dining room.
The smell of roasted truffles and expensive champagne filled the air,
making her mouth water,
as she dramatically waved her hand at the horrified maître d',
a strict,
judgmental man named Henri.
"Henri,
darling,"
Evelyn proclaimed loudly,
her voice grating against the soft classical music playing in the background,
"I will take my usual table by the window,
and bring me a bottle of the vintage Dom Pérignon immediately,
I am absolutely parched."
Henri stared at the filthy,
smelling,
deranged woman standing in his immaculate foyer,
his face turning pale with absolute shock and outrage.
"Madame,"
Henri hissed,
gesturing frantically for the massive bouncers standing near the kitchen doors,
"you cannot be in here,
you are disturbing my very important guests,
please leave the premises instantly!"
Evelyn scoffed loudly,
placing her hands on her hips,
her eyes flashing with toxic,
unwarranted indignation.
"Do you know who I am?"
she shrieked,
spit flying from her cracked lips,
"I am Evelyn Sterling,
I practically own this restaurant,
I demand to be seated right now,
or I will have you fired and blacklisted from every kitchen in the country!"
A wealthy couple sitting at a nearby table gasped,
recognizing the disgraced woman from the viral video that had dominated the morning news cycle.
"Good heavens,"
the wealthy woman whispered to her husband,
shielding her face with a menu,
"it's that horrible,
abusive woman,
she looks completely insane."
Henri did not hesitate for another second,
nodding sharply at the bouncers,
who immediately stepped forward and grabbed Evelyn by her frail,
shaking arms.
"Get your filthy hands off me!"
Evelyn screamed at the top of her lungs,
kicking her legs wildly,
her cheap shoes flying off into the expensive dining room,
"I am rich,
I am powerful,
my son will destroy you all!"
The bouncers dragged her forcefully out the front doors,
throwing her unceremoniously onto the hard,
unforgiving concrete sidewalk,
while Henri quickly dialed the local police department.
Within minutes,
the wailing sirens of a police cruiser pierced the morning air,
and two stern officers stepped out,
approaching the sobbing,
hysterical woman sitting in the gutter.
"Ma'am,
you are trespassing and causing a public disturbance,"
the taller officer stated firmly,
pulling a pair of heavy,
metal handcuffs from his utility belt.
"No,
you don't understand,"
Evelyn babbled,
tears streaming through the dirt on her face,
"I am a VIP,
I need my mansion,
call Obsidian Holdings,
tell them to give me my money back!"
The officer sighed,
grabbing her wrists and snapping the cold steel cuffs securely into place,
ignoring her desperate,
delusional ramblings.
As she was pushed roughly into the back of the cramped,
smelling police cruiser,
Evelyn looked out the barred window,
watching the luxurious world she loved so dearly fade away forever,
trapped in a prison of her own making,
May you like
destined for the cold,
sterile halls of a state psychiatric ward.
