Chapter 8 - The Eviction
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“Get out,” I said softly.
The words were quiet, but they echoed through the grand dining room like a thunderclap.
Daniel blinked, as if he hadn't heard me properly. “What?”
“I said, get out of my house,” I repeated, standing up from my chair and smoothing down the front of my silk blouse. “You, your mother, and your mistress.”
Margaret snapped out of her stupor, her eyes flashing with a desperate, wild fury. “You can't throw us out in the rain! I am a Mercer! My son built your company!”
“Your son embezzled from my grandfather's trust,” I countered coldly. “And as of ten minutes ago, he is no longer the president of Mercer Development. He is an unemployed, bankrupt criminal facing pending federal wire fraud indictments.”
Vanessa grabbed Daniel’s arm, shaking him violently. “Daniel! Do something! Speak up! Tell her she can't do this to us! I’m pregnant with your baby!”
Daniel looked at Vanessa, but for the first time, there was no affection in his eyes. There was only the bitter, toxic panic of a cornered animal.
“Shut up, Vanessa!” he snapped, shoving her hand off his coat. “Just shut your mouth!”
Vanessa gasped, stepping back as if she had been slapped. The golden fantasy she had built—the wealthy husband, the grand mansion, the high-society status—was crumbling into ash right before her eyes.
Evelyn Shaw gestured toward the security detail. “Gentlemen, please escort Mr. Mercer, his mother, and Ms. Vance off the property immediately. If they refuse to leave, contact the local precinct and have them removed for criminal trespassing.”
The two security guards stepped forward, their massive frames casting long shadows over the dining table.
“This way, sir,” the lead guard commanded, his tone leaving zero room for negotiation.
May you like
Daniel stared at me, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish. He had come into this room expecting to break me, expecting to strip me of my dignity and throw me out with two hundred thousand dollars.
Instead, he was leaving with nothing but the clothes on his back and a mountain of catastrophic debt.
