Chapter 8 - The Collapse of the House of Cards
The gilded drawing room of the Moretti family estate in Chicago felt like a freezing tomb.
Sophia Reynolds paced frantically across the imported Persian rug, wringing her hands as she stared at Elena Moretti.
What do you mean his accounts are frozen, Elena? Sophia shrieked, her voice cracking with rising hysteria.
How are we supposed to pay for Noah’s private school tuition and the country club dues?
Elena sat stiffly on the velvet settee, her aristocratic face drained of all color, looking decades older than her actual age.
My son has cut off all secondary lines of credit, Elena whispered, her voice trembling with humiliation.
He blame us for Claire leaving.
He told me this morning that if I ever contact him or try to interfere with his marriage again, he will strip me of my estate allowance and cast me out of the family completely.
Sophia stopped pacing, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief and rising panic.
Cast you out? We are his family!
That ungrateful, manipulative bitch poisoned his mind the moment she realized she couldn't compete with the life Vincent built for Noah and me.
A sharp knock at the grand double doors interrupted their frantic whispering.
Before either woman could answer, two corporate liquidators accompanied by local bailiffs marched into the drawing room.
Mrs. Moretti, Ms. Reynolds, the lead liquidator announced coldly, holding a clipboard filled with asset seizure notices.
By order of Moretti Logistics and the federal asset freeze instituted under civil litigation, all luxury vehicles, designer jewelry, and properties registered under secondary beneficiaries are hereby repossessed.
Sophia gasped, clutching her designer handbag against her chest as if someone were trying to rip it from her hands.
You can't do this!
These diamond earrings were a gift from Vincent!
Everything in this house belongs to the Moretti family!
The bailiff pointed a stern finger toward the front entrance.
You have thirty minutes to vacate the premises and gather your personal clothing, or you will be removed by local law enforcement for trespassing.
Sophia felt the ground completely drop out from beneath her feet.
The luxurious safety net she had spent years weaving around Vincent Moretti had evaporated in less than forty-eight hours.
She looked at Noah, who was sitting quietly in the corner playing with a toy car, completely oblivious to the fact that their entire empire had collapsed.
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Elena Moretti buried her face in her hands, weeping softly as the realization finally set in.
They had won every minor battle against Claire Bennett, only to lose the entire war because they mistook her quiet grace for weakness.
