Chapter 5 - Left in the Cold Rain
"Security,"
I called out,
my voice sharp and authoritative,
cutting through Daniel's pathetic sobbing.
Two massive guards immediately stepped into the boardroom,
their faces expressionless,
waiting for my command.
"Escort Mr. Sterling out of the building,"
I said,
not breaking eye contact with my soon-to-be ex-husband.
"And make sure he uses the service elevator,
he no longer has VIP privileges."
Daniel tried to stand,
reaching his hand out toward me in a desperate,
futile plea.
"Please,
give me a chance,
we can fix this,
I am your husband!"
he cried out,
but the guards grabbed him by the arms,
lifting him effortlessly and dragging him backward.
"We are done,
Daniel,"
I stated,
turning my chair around to face the massive window,
watching the dark,
stormy clouds gathering over the city skyline.
I listened to his screams fade away down the hallway,
feeling a profound sense of peace wash over my soul.
By the time Daniel made it back to the mansion,
the sky had broken open,
and a freezing,
relentless rain was pouring down in sheets.
I pulled out my phone,
opening the security camera application that monitored the estate,
wanting to watch the final act of this glorious play from the comfort of my dry,
warm office.
On the screen,
the front lawn of the mansion was a scene of absolute chaos.
Ms. Vance and her team had not been bluffing,
they had efficiently and mercilessly executed my orders.
Piles of cheap,
unbranded clothes,
the only things Daniel and Evelyn actually owned before I started funding their lives,
were thrown unceremoniously onto the wet grass.
Evelyn was standing in the pouring rain,
her expensive hairstyle ruined,
mascara running down her face in dark,
ugly streaks,
screaming hysterically at the security guards who blocked the grand entrance.
"Let me in!"
she shrieked,
banging her fists against the chest of a guard who didn't even flinch.
"My designer bags are in there,
my jewelry is in there,
you cannot do this to me!"
Daniel's sports car pulled up to the gate,
but the security system had already been updated,
and the massive iron doors refused to open.
He had to abandon the car on the street,
running through the rain to join his screaming mother on the ruined lawn.
"Daniel!"
Evelyn cried out,
grabbing his soaking wet suit jacket,
"tell them to let us in,
call the police,
do something!"
Daniel looked at his mother,
his face a picture of absolute,
crushing defeat.
"We can't,
Mother,"
he whispered,
falling to his knees in the mud,
the cold rain soaking him to the bone.
"It's hers,
all of it,
the house,
the company,
the money,
it all belongs to her."
Evelyn froze,
the rain plastering her hair to her face,
her mouth hanging open in silent shock as the reality of her son's words finally sank in.
They had nothing,
they were nobody,
and they were entirely at my mercy.
I watched them shivering in the mud,
the exact place they belonged,
and I smiled,
May you like
raising my glass of champagne to the screen.
This was only the beginning,
