Chapter 4 - The Eviction Notice
By the time Victoria Harrington finally gave up arguing with the bank and took a taxi back to Connecticut, her nerves were completely frayed.
She planned to pour herself a large glass of gin, call her lawyers, and figure out which computer glitch had caused her cards to be frozen.
But as the taxi pulled up to the grand wrought-iron gates of her estate, she froze.
The gates were wide open.
There were five massive moving trucks parked on the meticulously manicured lawn.
Dozens of men in gray uniforms were carrying furniture, paintings, and boxes out of the front door.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Victoria screeched, shoving money at the taxi driver and sprinting up the driveway in her designer heels. "Stop! Put that down! Those are antiques!"
Two local police officers were standing on the porch, sipping coffee and watching the chaos.
"Officers! Arrest these men! They are robbing my house!" she yelled, waving her arms frantically.
One of the officers pulled a clipboard from his belt. "Mrs. Harrington? We're here to oversee the lawful eviction of the premises. The property owner has taken repossession."
"I am the property owner, you idiot!" Victoria screamed, her face turning purple.
"Actually, Victoria, you haven't owned this house in two years."
The voice came from behind her.
Victoria spun around to see me stepping out of a black SUV, Marcus right by my side holding an umbrella to shield me from the light afternoon snow.
I was wearing a long, black cashmere coat, looking nothing like the girl she had thrown onto these very steps the night before.
"Evelyn?" Victoria gasped, her eyes darting between the moving trucks and my luxury car. "What did you do? Did you forge a deed?"
"I didn't have to," I smiled, walking slowly up the steps. "When Grant's father died, the estate was entirely underwater. The bank was going to foreclose on this house. I quietly bought the debt and put the deed in a blind trust to save you the embarrassment."
Victoria's jaw dropped. She looked like she had been physically struck.
"But you're just a nobody..." she whispered, her reality shattering.
"I'm the nobody who paid for the silk robe you wore last night. I'm the nobody who funded your country club memberships. And I'm the nobody who is kicking you out."
Victoria suddenly lunged at me, her hands raised like claws. "You little witch! I'll kill you!"
Before she could even get within three feet, Marcus stepped smoothly in front of me, catching her wrists and firmly pushing her back.
"Assaulting a billionaire in front of two police officers is not advisable, ma'am," Marcus warned coldly.
The officers immediately stepped forward, their hands resting on their belts. "Ma'am, you need to step back and leave the property immediately."
"Where am I supposed to go?" Victoria sobbed, finally realizing the absolute magnitude of her ruin.
"I don't care," I said, looking her dead in the eye.
"But before you leave, you should know that my auditors have finished reviewing the Harrington Foundation's charity accounts."
Victoria stiffened, all the blood draining from her face.
"Yes," I nodded. "I know about the three million dollars you embezzled from the orphan fund to pay off your private gambling debts. The police have the file. You won't just be homeless, Victoria. You'll be going to federal prison."
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As she collapsed onto her knees in the snow, wailing loudly, I turned my back and walked away.
I didn't feel a shred of pity.
