Chapter 3 - The Mother-in-Law's Ambush
The next morning, at precisely 8:00 AM, my doorbell rang violently.
It wasn't a polite chime; it was an aggressive, continuous pressing of the button.
I was already awake, dressed in a sleek charcoal pantsuit, sipping black coffee. I checked the security cameras on my tablet.
Standing in the hallway was Gregory. But he wasn't alone. He had brought reinforcements: his mother, Martha, and his older sister, Chloe.
Martha was a sour-faced woman who always looked at me as if I was something she had stepped in. Chloe was a carbon copy of her mother, dripping in fake designer jewelry and entitlement.
I pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”
“Open this door immediately, Elara!” Martha screeched through the speaker. “How dare you lay hands on my son! You ungrateful, psychotic woman!”
I calmly walked to the door and pulled it open, leaving the heavy chain lock attached. I peered through the narrow gap.
“Good morning, Martha. Chloe. Gregory,” I said, my voice completely devoid of emotion.
“Take that chain off!” Gregory demanded, trying to puff out his chest to regain some of his lost masculinity.
“You attacked my son!” Martha yelled, pushing her face near the gap. “He told us everything! He simply asked for his dinner, and you assaulted him like a wild animal. Now open this door and pack your things. You are leaving.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I'm leaving? From my own home?”
“It's marital property now, sweetheart,” Chloe sneered, waving a manicured finger at me. “Gregory is the man of the house. You clearly aren't mentally stable enough to handle finances or property. We're here to collect your credit cards, your car keys, and the deed. You can go stay at a motel until you learn how to be a proper, obedient wife.”
The audacity was almost staggering. They truly believed they could intimidate me into handing over everything I owned just twenty-four hours after an abusive outburst.
“Gregory,” I said, looking directly into his bruised ego. “Is this your plan? Hiding behind your mother's skirt to steal my condo?”
His face flushed dark red. “You owe me! I married you! You're my wife, which means what's yours is mine.”
I let out a soft chuckle, shaking my head.
“You should have consulted a lawyer before planning your little heist,” I said smoothly. “This condo was purchased in cash, three years before we met. It is held under an LLC, of which I am the sole proprietor. There is an ironclad prenuptial agreement that you eagerly signed because you thought it only protected your meager savings.”
Martha’s face contorted. “Prenup? He never mentioned a prenup!”
“He didn't read it,” I smiled thinly. “He assumed a poor little analyst didn't have much to protect. Furthermore, I have already contacted the building's security. If you do not vacate the hallway in exactly thirty seconds, the police will arrest you for trespassing and harassment.”
As if on cue, the elevator doors at the end of the hall dinged. Two burly security guards stepped out, looking directly at the trio.
Gregory panicked, grabbing his mother’s arm. “Mom, let's go. We'll handle this at her office. We'll get her fired.”
“This isn't over, you witch!” Martha hissed as she was dragged away.
May you like
I closed the door, unbothered. They wanted to go to my office?
I smiled. Please do.
