Chapter 2 - The Ultimatum
|
Inside the living room, the tension on the monitor reached a boiling point. I stood up from the leather chair, my eyes glued to the screen as Hector moved to unlock the heavy security door.
"I am not leaving," Marisol stated, her voice echoing through the speakers. "Mr. Vance hired me. You do not have the authority to terminate my employment."
"I am his future wife!" Chloe shrieked, grabbing a heavy crystal vase from the console table. She didn't throw it, but she held it like a weapon. "What is his is mine! He trusts me implicitly. When he gets back from Toronto, I am going to tell him that I caught you stealing again, and that you became violent when I confronted you."
"Tell him whatever lies you want," Marisol said, not backing down a single inch. "But I will not leave these girls alone with you. If you want me out of this house tonight, you will have to physically drag me out."
Chloe’s face turned a dangerous, mottled shade of crimson. She set the vase down with a loud, aggressive crack against the wood.
"Fine," Chloe hissed, pulling her smartphone from her pocket. "If you want to do this the hard way, we will do it the hard way. I am calling the Bel-Air precinct. I am going to tell them a disgruntled employee is threatening me and the children. Let's see how well your word holds up against mine when the police arrive in handcuffs."
Valeria let out a terrified whimper. "Please, Chloe, don't call the police. Marisol didn't do anything wrong!"
"Shut your mouth, Valeria!" Chloe snapped without even looking at my nine-year-old daughter. "This is what happens when people don't respect authority."
May you like
I pushed past Hector, stepping out of the dark security room and into the long, carpeted hallway leading to the main house. The blood in my veins felt like ice. The woman I had asked to share my life, the woman I had trusted with my most precious treasures, was a monster hiding behind a designer smile.
And she was about to learn that the master of the house had never actually left.
