Chapter 5 - The Mother-in-Law’s Downfall
With Penelope’s deception exposed, the fake marriage imploded instantly. Penelope packed her designer bags and moved back in with her bankrupt father, leaving Spencer and Evelyn entirely alone in the cramped apartment.
But Evelyn’s nightmare was just beginning. For years, she had paraded around as the matriarch of a wealthy family, throwing lavish charity luncheons and acting superior to everyone around her. She had funded this lifestyle by secretly siphoning money from the accounts I had generously provided for her "living expenses."
When I cut off those accounts, her credit cards bounced.
I decided to attend the annual Miami Country Club Gala, an event Evelyn had attended for the past ten years. I arrived wearing a stunning emerald green gown, completely unbothered by the whispers. I walked straight to the VIP section.
Across the room, I spotted Evelyn. She was trying to blend in, wearing an old dress from three seasons ago. She was aggressively cornering her so-called "best friends"—the relatives and socialites she used to gossip with about me.
“Margaret, darling,” I heard Evelyn pleading, her voice desperate. “I just need a small loan. Ten thousand. Just until Spencer gets his new business off the ground. Laura is just being vindictive.”
Margaret, a wealthy socialite, looked at Evelyn with pure disgust. “Evelyn, your son is toxic waste in this town. And frankly, we always liked Laura better. She actually paid the bills. Please let go of my arm, you’re making a scene.”
The relatives who had lived off my loans for years suddenly suffered from amnesia. When Evelyn approached them, they turned their backs. They knew that associating with Evelyn meant crossing me, and no one wanted to be on the bad side of Apex Holdings.
Defeated and humiliated, Evelyn saw me standing by the bar. She marched over, her eyes wild with desperation.
“Are you happy now, Laura?!” she hissed. “You’ve ruined us! My son is depressed, I’m being evicted again, and my friends won't speak to me! Have you no heart? After everything we've been through?”
I took a slow sip of my champagne, looking at her with absolute pity.
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“Evelyn, I gave you my heart when I took care of your son. I gave you my soul when I mourned my lost child while you complained about your allowance. You didn't just bite the hand that fed you; you tried to chop it off. Enjoy the life you actually earned.”
I turned and walked away, leaving Evelyn standing alone in the middle of a crowded room, completely invisible.
