Chapter 13
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The humiliation outside the boutique was just the beginning. Cassandra returned home in tears, only to find three black sedans parked in her circular driveway. Men in sharp suits were walking out of her front door, carrying boxes of documents and speaking to her terrified housekeeping staff.
Cassandra rushed out of her car, her heart pounding. "What is going on here? Who are you people?"
A tall, severe-looking man stepped forward, holding a clipboard. "Mrs. Vance, we are auditors representing the Sterling National Bank. As your husband's company has officially defaulted on its massive loans, the bank has initiated asset seizure protocols to cover the debt. This includes the collateral tied to the loan."
"Collateral?" Cassandra gasped. "What collateral?"
"This property, ma'am," the auditor replied without an ounce of sympathy. "Your husband leveraged the deed to this mansion to secure emergency funding last year. Since the loan has defaulted, the bank is taking possession of the property. You have forty-eight hours to vacate the premises."
"You can't take my house!" Cassandra screamed, bursting into hysterical tears. "This is my home! You can't just throw me out onto the street!"
"We have the court orders right here," the auditor said, handing her a thick stack of legal papers. "I suggest you start packing, Mrs. Vance. And I would advise against trying to remove any valuable art or fixtures. They belong to the bank now."
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Cassandra fell to her knees on the manicured driveway, clutching the legal documents to her chest. Her mind was spinning in a vortex of absolute terror. In less than twenty-four hours, the slap she had delivered so casually had cost her her friends, her reputation, her husband's business, and now her home.
She realized with sickening clarity that Alexander and Elena Sterling were not just punishing her; they were systematically erasing her from the world she thought she ruled. She had absolutely nothing left.
