Chapter 3 - The Eviction Notice
"Isabella!" Marcus gasped, taking a step toward her, his arrogant demeanor crumbling into panic. "What is the meaning of this? What did your father do?"
"My father didn't do anything you didn't bring upon yourself, Marcus," Isabella said calmly, stopping a few feet away from him.
Chloe stepped forward, her eyes flashing with anger. "You crazy woman! You can't just come in here and make up stories! Marcus owns this hotel! We are staying in the Presidential Suite!"
Isabella slowly turned her gaze toward Chloe. Her eyes lingered on the antique sapphire brooch pinned to the silk robe.
"That brooch," Isabella said quietly, "belonged to my mother, Lady Eleanor Vance. It was smuggled out of Europe during the war and handed down to me on my eighteenth birthday. You are currently wearing stolen property."
"Marcus gave it to me!" Chloe snapped, clutching the robe tighter.
"Marcus had no right to give you anything in that room," Isabella replied. "Because every piece of art, every antique, and every thread of silk in this hotel is registered under the Vance Family Trust."
Isabella turned to Chief Daniel. "Daniel, please call the local precinct. Report a grand larceny regarding the brooch, and file a formal trespassing notice against Chloe Bennett and Marcus Sterling."
"Right away, Ms. Vance," Daniel said immediately.
Marcus’s jaw dropped. "Ms. Vance?" he repeated, the name echoing in his mind like a thunderclap. "Vance? As in... Vance Global?"
"Did you really think a mid-level manager from Chicago suddenly secured fifty million dollars in seed capital eleven years ago because of your 'brilliant business plan'?" Isabella asked, a subtle, cold smile touching her lips. "You were funded by my family. Every contract you signed had my father's legal team embedded in it. You were given a golden opportunity to build something noble. Instead, you let greed, pride, and lust blind you."
Two police officers, who had been stationed nearby on routine patrol, walked through the revolving glass doors after receiving the emergency dispatcher's call.
"Is there a problem here, Ms. Vance?" the senior officer asked.
"Yes, Officer," Isabella said, pointing at Chloe. "That woman is wearing stolen jewelry valued at over two million dollars, along with clothing taken from my private quarters."
Chloe gasped, stepping back behind Marcus. "Marcus! Do something!"
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Marcus reached into his pocket to grab his private cell phone to call his high-powered lawyer, but as he pulled it out, the screen flickered red with a message: DEVICE RECONNECTED TO CORPORATE NETWORK - REMOTE WIPING IN PROGRESS.
His phone went black.
