“I didn’t sell it, Elara. The deed is in a trust. Your mother… she must have found the paperwork. She lied to you. She lied to me.”
Evelyn leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, the grandmother was gone. The business tycoon was back.
“Where are they now?” Evelyn asked.
“At the house,” I said. “Celebrating Leo’s new ‘Vice President’ job at Dad’s company.”
“Dad’s company,” Evelyn scoffed. “A company I funded. A company that is currently operating out of a building I own.”
She tapped her cane on the floor of the car.
“Arthur,” she said.
“Yes, Madam Vance?”
“Take us to the East-Side Estate. We need to verify occupancy.”
We drove through the city, leaving the modest suburbs behind for the gated, tree-lined streets of the wealthy district. We pulled up to a massive iron gate.
Behind it stood the mansion. It was illuminated by floodlights. There were cars in the driveway—my parents’ cars. And Leo’s new sports car.
There was music coming from inside.
“They aren’t at the old house,” I realized. “They moved in here.”
“Squatters,” Evelyn hissed. “Thieves. They stole your inheritance to play house with their golden boy.”
She turned to me. “Elara, are you warm enough?”
“Yes, Grandma.”
“Good. Because things are about to get very cold for them.”
Evelyn pulled out her phone. She dialed a number.
“This is Evelyn Vance. Account number 774-Alpha-Bravo. Yes. Freeze all secondary accounts linked to my estate. Immediately. Yes, including the ones my son uses for payroll. Yes, including the credit cards issued to my daughter-in-law. Total lockdown. Authorization code: Ice Queen.”
She hung up. She dialed another number.
“Security? This is Mrs. Vance. I am at the East-Side property. I have a 10-20 situation. Unauthorized occupants. Yes. Send the team. Four men should be enough to handle the trash.”
She looked at me. “Ready to take back your castle, my dear?”
I looked at the mansion where Leo was probably drinking champagne paid for with my money. I looked at Maya, sleeping peacefully now in the warmth.
“Yes,” I said.
Chapter 4: The Great Eviction
Arthur opened the car door. I stepped out, carrying Maya. Evelyn walked beside me, her cane clicking rhythmically on the paved driveway.
We didn’t knock. Evelyn used her master key code on the electronic lock. Beep-boop-beep-click.
The heavy double doors swung open.
The foyer was magnificent. Marble floors, a crystal chandelier, a winding staircase. And in the center of it all, my family.
My mother was holding a glass of wine. My father was smoking a cigar (ashes falling on my marble floor). Leo was sitting on a velvet chaise lounge, laughing at something on his phone.
They froze when they saw us.
“Mom?” my father stammered, the cigar falling from his mouth. “Elara? What… what are you doing here?”
My mother’s face went pale. “Evelyn! We… we didn’t expect you! We were just… warming up the house! For Leo! You know, getting it ready for when you sign it over!”
Evelyn walked into the room. She didn’t look frail anymore. She looked ten feet tall.
“Get off the furniture, Leo,” she said. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it echoed off the high ceilings.
Leo scrambled up. “Grandma! Hey! Look, Elara is here. Did you tell her? I told her to go to a shelter, but I guess she followed you…”
“Silence!” Evelyn barked.
She turned to my parents.
“You told Elara I sold this house,” Evelyn said. “You told her I paid for Leo’s tuition. You lied to her face while you stole her future.”
“Now, Mom,” my father tried to smile, sweating profusely. “We just thought… Elara is a girl. She was going to get married. She didn’t need a property like this. Leo is the man of the house. He needs a base of operations to carry on the Vance legacy.”
