Chapter 3 - The Eviction
Ricardo kept one arm firmly wrapped around Camila's waist as he guided her out of the smoky service kitchen and directly into the grand dining room.
The music was still blaring. Marcelo was pouring another round of expensive champagne for his friends. Dona Lourdes was laughing at the head of the table.
Ricardo walked straight over to the sound system and ripped the power cord from the wall.
The sudden, dead silence in the room was deafening. Dozens of heads turned.
"Ricardo!" Dona Lourdes gasped, dropping her crystal glass. She rushed forward, arms open wide. "My son! What a wonderful surprise! We... we were just having a small dinner!"
Ricardo held up a hand, stopping his mother dead in her tracks.
"A small dinner," Ricardo repeated, his eyes sweeping over the mountain of food, the imported liquor, and the designer clothes his family was wearing. Then, he looked at his brother. "And a toast to my bank transfers, wasn't it, Marcelo?"
Marcelo swallowed hard, the champagne glass trembling in his hand. "Bro, it’s not what it looks like. We were celebrating your success!"
"My success," Ricardo said, his voice terrifyingly calm. He gently pulled Camila forward, making sure every single person in the room looked at her raw hands and ruined clothes. "While my wife washes your pots."
"Ricardo, she offered!" Patrícia lied desperately from the doorway. "She likes to stay busy!"
"Shut up," Ricardo snarled, the billionaire finally letting the monster out of its cage. The entire room flinched. "I handed you the keys to my kingdom because I believed family protected each other. Instead, you turned my wife into your servant. You spent my money to play rich, and you treated the woman who built me like dirt."
Ricardo pulled his phone from his pocket. With three taps, he opened his banking app.
"You told me Camila was too naive to handle my money," Ricardo said softly, his thumb hovering over the screen. "Let's see how well you handle having none of it."
He pressed confirm.
"I just revoked every secondary card attached to my accounts," Ricardo announced. "I've cancelled the monthly allowances. And those new cars in the driveway? The ones in my company's name? My security team is collecting the keys right now."
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Dona Lourdes burst into tears. "Ricardo, you can't do this to us! We are your blood!"
"And she is my heart," Ricardo shot back, pulling Camila closer. "You have thirty minutes to pack whatever you can fit into a taxi. If any of you are still on my property when the clock runs out, my guards will physically throw you through the gates."
