Chapter 4 - The Illusions Shatter
Barbara let out a high-pitched, frantic sound. She rushed over to Marcus, trying to snatch the papers from the bed.
"This is fraud!" she screamed, her perfect silver hair falling out of place. "We are the Sterlings! This house has been in our family for generations! You cannot do this!"
"Actually, Barbara, this house was foreclosed on six years ago," I said, walking over to my dresser and picking up a tissue to finally dab the blood from my chin. "When Brad’s father died, the bank was preparing to seize the property. I bought the debt. I paid off the mortgage. I hold the deed. I allowed you to live here because I believed, foolishly, that Brad could be a good husband if the financial pressure was removed."
I turned to look at her, letting all the disgust I had hidden for six years bleed into my eyes.
"But you aren't a family of titans, Barbara. You're a family of parasites. And the host has decided to cut you off."
Brad let out a roar of rage. He lunged toward me, his hands outstretched, violently attempting to regain physical control of a situation that had entirely slipped from his intellectual grasp.
He didn't make it two steps.
The larger of the security guards stepped forward, grabbed Brad by the collar of his expensive dress shirt, and slammed him face-first into the wall. The impact rattled the framed photographs. Brad groaned, his legs buckling, but the guard held him pinned firmly against the drywall, twisting his arm painfully behind his back.
"Do not move, Mr. Sterling," the guard commanded, his voice a low, terrifying rumble.
Barbara screamed, covering her mouth with her hands. "Let him go! You're hurting him!"
"Marcus," I said, ignoring the chaos. "Read the terms of eviction."
Marcus pulled a final sheet of paper from his briefcase.
"Pursuant to the laws of this state, as you are not on the deed and do not hold a valid lease, you are considered unauthorized occupants."
"You have exactly fifteen minutes to gather your personal effects. This includes clothing and basic toiletries."
"Any attempt to remove artwork, jewelry purchased with Apex Capital funds, or electronics will be treated as theft and referred to law enforcement."
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"Once you cross the property line, any attempt to return will result in an immediate arrest for criminal trespassing."
Marcus looked up. "Fifteen minutes, Brad. I suggest you start packing."
