Chapter 6 - The Scramble for Control
Chloe came running down the stairs behind her brother, her hair a mess and her phone screen flashing red with bank decline notifications.
“What do you mean my card doesn't work? I tried to buy a latte and the machine rejected it!” Chloe shrieked, looking wildly between the sheriff deputies and her mother. “Mom, make them do something! Make Natalie pay the bill!”
“Natalie doesn't pay your bills anymore, Chloe,” I said, taking a seat in the velvet armchair that Margaret had always forbidden me from sitting in. “In fact, Natalie is currently auditing every single luxury item you’ve purchased with corporate funds over the last three years to determine if they constitute grand larceny.”
Daniel gripped the wooden banister so hard his knuckles turned white. “You can’t do this. We’re married! Half of everything belongs to me!”
“Check the prenuptial agreement you forced me to sign before the wedding, Daniel,” I reminded him, tilting my head. “You insisted that all pre-marital assets remain strictly separate to protect your family’s ‘legacy.’ You just forgot that my family’s legacy included the venture capital firm that funded your entire adult life.”
Marcus stepped forward, placing a certified copy of the original marriage contract on the entryway table.
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“And under clause fourteen,” Marcus added smoothly, “financial abuse and physical assault constitute an immediate forfeiture of all spousal support claims.”
Margaret let out a low gasp and collapsed backward onto the living room sofa, clutching her chest in genuine distress. “You’re ruining us! You’re ungrateful! You’re a parasite!” she sobbed, the irony of her favorite word completely lost on her.
