Chapter 3 - The Dining Room Execution
By 7:45 AM, I had bypassed the garage security door and slipped into the home office behind the grand dining room. Double pocket doors separated the office from the main dining hall, obscured by heavy velvet drapes. I stood in the dark space, watching through the crack in the woodwork.
The dining table was lavishly set. Sterling silver, fine china, fresh-cut lilies. Chloe sat at the head of the table in a silk robe, scrolling through her tablet, while my mother sat to her right, wearing a cashmere sweater and reading the morning paper like a queen reigning over her kingdom.
At 8:00 AM sharp, the kitchen door swung open.
Mariana stepped out carrying a silver tray with coffee pots, freshly baked pastries, and egg white omelets. She wore a simple black dress, devoid of any jewelry—no wedding band, no necklace I had given her. Her face was pale, dark circles shadowing her eyes, but her posture was surprisingly straight.
"You're two minutes late," Chloe said without looking up from her screen. "And the milk for the coffee isn't steamed properly."
"I used what was left in the pantry," Mariana replied quietly, placing the tray on the side sideboard.
"Don't take that tone with my daughter," Evelyn snapped, lowering her newspaper. "You should be grateful we allow you to remain on this property while the paperwork is finalized. A lesser family would have had you removed by the police for squatting."
Mariana didn't flinch. She set down the coffee pot and folded her hands in front of her. "The police wouldn't remove me, Evelyn. Because as of 9:00 AM today, the county recorder's office processes the land audit."
Evelyn stopped mid-reach for her cup. Her eyes narrowed. "What nonsense are you babbling about?"
"You spent the last five months trying to strip my name off the estate bank accounts," Mariana said, her voice chillingly calm. "You froze my personal credit, forced me out of my bedroom, and told the staff that Julian had ordered me placed under house arrest for financial fraud. You thought if you squeezed me hard enough, I would sign the quitclaim deed Marcus drafted for you."
Chloe laughed, though it sounded forced. "You're delusional. Marcus knows the law. You don't have a dime left. You couldn't even afford groceries yesterday."
"I couldn't afford groceries because you transferred the household card allowances to your personal account," Mariana replied. "I let you do it. I let you sign every single unauthorized document. I let you transfer funds from the estate accounts into Marcus’s offshore escrow."
Evelyn stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the marble floor. "That is enough! You are a guest in my son's house! Get back to your quarters before I call Julian and have him cut off your health insurance entirely!"
"Call him," Mariana said simply. "Go ahead. Pick up the phone."
Evelyn reached for her phone on the table, her hands shaking slightly with rage. "You think I won't? You think he'll side with a penniless outcast over his own mother?"
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I stepped out from behind the velvet drapes.
"He doesn't have to choose, Mother," I said, my voice echoing off the high ceilings. "He's already here."
