Chapter 6 - The Fall of Rachel
With the family trust completely secured under Marcus’s sole leadership and Brenda’s income reduced to a fraction of its former glory, Rachel found herself in a position she had never anticipated: she was broke.
Used to an endless stream of allowance money, Rachel’s credit cards were declined at her favorite high-end boutiques. Her landlord in her luxury downtown apartment building—who happened to be a close associate of Marcus’s firm—issued a strict three-day notice to quit or pay rent after her monthly check bounced.
Desperate and furious, Rachel ignored the legal warnings and stormed into the office building where Marcus worked. She bypassed the security desk by using an old visitor pass and burst into his corner office during a meeting with international investors.
"You ruined my life!" Rachel screamed, throwing her designer handbag at Marcus’s desk. It missed, hitting a floor-to-ceiling glass window with a loud thud. "I’m getting evicted, Marcus! My friends are laughing at me! All because you wanted to play the big, protective husband to that boring, pathetic little house-wife!"
Marcus didn't blink. He calmly looked at the international investors. "Gentlemen, please excuse us for five minutes. My sister is having a financial reality check."
Once the investors cleared the room, Marcus stood up and walked over to his sister. He didn't look angry; he looked profoundly disappointed.
"You had every opportunity to build a life of your own, Rachel," Marcus said quietly. "You were given the best education, the best connections, and millions in seed money. Instead, you chose to be Brenda’s attack dog and live a life of unearned luxury while mocking the people who actually work for a living."
"I don't care about your lectures!" Rachel sobbed, her manicured nails digging into her palms. "I need fifty thousand dollars by tomorrow, or I’m going to lose my apartment! You owe me that much! We’re blood!"
"Blood doesn't give you the right to abuse my wife and neglect my sick daughter," Marcus countered, his voice cold as ice. "And I don't owe you a single cent. In fact, you owe my firm. You failed to delete the defamatory posts within twenty-four hours, Rachel. The civil lawsuit was filed in federal court this morning."
Rachel’s breath caught in her throat. "You... you actually sued me?"
"I did. And since you have no assets to your name, the court will likely order the garnishment of any future wages you earn," Marcus explained. "Which means when you inevitably have to get a normal, minimum-wage job to survive, a portion of every single paycheck you earn for the next twenty years will go directly into a college fund for Lily and her unborn sibling."
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Rachel sank into one of the office chairs, her face pale, finally realizing that the protection of her family name was completely gone. She was no longer a wealthy heiress; she was just a defendant in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit brought by the most powerful lawyer in the city.
"Go home, Rachel," Marcus said, turning back to his computer. "Or rather, go pack your apartment. You have a lot of changes to get used to."
