Chapter 1 - The Red Folders
The heavy oak front door swung open, and the cold autumn wind rushed into the foyer, bringing with it three men in dark, tailored suits. At the front stood Marcus Vance, my personal attorney and the senior partner of one of the city’s most ruthless law firms. Behind him were two uniformed officers from the domestic violence unit.
Ethan froze, his hand still gripping the brass doorknob. His face flushed a deep crimson, then faded into a sickly pale white.
"Ethan Vance?" the taller officer asked, his voice echoing off the marble floors of the foyer. "We have a warrant for your arrest on charges of felony domestic assault and battery."
From the dining room, the laughter instantly died. The clinking of silverware against porcelain stopped. Victoria and Natalie emerged from the hallway, their faces twisted in confusion that quickly turned into indignation.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Victoria bellowed, her voice screeching through the house. "Do you know who we are? Get these people out of our home!"
Marcus Vance stepped forward, pulling a stack of bright red folders from his briefcase. He didn't even look at Victoria. He looked directly at Ethan. "Correction, Mrs. Vance. This is not your home. This estate, the land it sits on, and every piece of furniture inside it belongs entirely to the Harper Trust—which is solely controlled by my client, your daughter-in-law."
"What?" Natalie gasped, her eyes darting from Marcus to me as I walked slowly out of the dining room.
I stood at the edge of the foyer, my broken arm cradled in its black sling. The purple bruising on my fingers was fully visible under the bright chandelier lights. I looked at Ethan, who was now being turned around by the officers, his hands forced behind his back. The metal handcuffs clicked shut with a cold, definitive sound.
"Clara, tell them this is a mistake!" Ethan hissed, his eyes wide with panic. "Tell them you fell! We talked about this!"
"No, Ethan. You talked. I just survived," I said, my voice deadpan and steady. I pulled my phone from my pocket and tapped the screen to stop the recording app. "And unfortunately for you, your mother and sister just confirmed the motive on a live audio recording."
Victoria lunged toward me, her manicured nails clawing at the air. "You ungrateful b***h! After everything my son did for you? You're going to ruin his life over a domestic dispute? He is a Vance!"
"He is a criminal," the officer stated firmly, pulling Ethan toward the door.
"Clara! Fix this! You can't do this to me!" Ethan screamed as he was dragged down the stone steps. His polished shoes dragged against the gravel. The flashing red and blue lights of the police cruisers illuminated the front yard, casting long, dark shadows across the lawn.
Marcus handed one of the red folders to Victoria. "Inside, you will find a formal eviction notice. As of this exact moment, you and your daughter have exactly thirty minutes to pack what you can carry and vacate the premises. The rest of your belongings will be moved to a storage unit tomorrow morning. The fees will be billed to your—now frozen—joint accounts."
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Natalie grabbed the folder, ripping it open. "This is insane! The eighty thousand dollars! The house! Ethan said we were partners!"
"Ethan lied to you, Natalie," I said, stepping closer to them, ignoring the throbbing pain in my arm. "Just like he lied to himself. You thought you were putting me in my place. But you forgot one thing: I bought the corner you tried to shove me into."
