Chapter 5 - Unplugging the Life Support
|
The screen flashed as the first automated payment system went red.
CANCELED.
I clicked the next line item.
Vivian Mercer – Luxury SUV Lease Auto-Pay: CANCELED.
“What are you doing over there?” Vivian snapped, stepping closer, her heels clicking angrily against the floor. “What is she clicking on, Daniel?”
Daniel looked like he was about to vomit. His hands hovered over my keyboard, but he didn't dare touch me. “Emma, stop! You can’t just turn those off!”
I ignored him and kept clicking with rhythmic, precise speed.
Mercer Estate Private Housekeeper Payroll: CANCELED.
Mercer Estate Head Gardener Weekly Retainer: CANCELED.
Pine Valley Country Club Executive Membership Dues: CANCELED.
Vivian Mercer Personal Trainer & Wellness Allowance: CANCELED.
Boutique Wine Club Monthly Subscription: CANCELED.
With every click, another layer of Vivian’s luxurious life was stripped away. I canceled the monthly wire transfer that paid the interest on her old department store credit cards. I canceled the private climate-controlled storage unit holding her vintage furs.
Vivian stopped walking. Her confident smirk faltered for the first time all evening. “What exactly do you think you’re doing, young lady?”
“I’m separating my finances from yours,” I replied coldly, closing out the main authorization portal. “Permanently.”
Daniel grabbed his hair in pure desperation. “Emma, you can’t cancel those! My mother depends on those payments to live!”
I turned my head and stared directly into my husband’s pale face. “Exactly.”
His mouth opened, then closed. He looked like he had been struck by lightning.
May you like
Vivian slammed her palm down hard against the dining table, making the fine crystal glasses rattle loudly. “That money belongs to this family! You have no right to touch our accounts!”
“That money didn’t come from your family accounts, Vivian,” I said softly, turning the laptop screen around so the entire dining room could see the bold black numbers. “It came from mine.”
