Chapter 8 - The Clean Sweep
By four o'clock that afternoon, the Sterling estate was completely quiet.
The twenty-two relatives had been escorted off the property by state troopers, their cars cleared from the stone driveway. Derek and Brenda were in federal custody in Hartford, facing arraignment without bail due to the massive flight risk posed by their offshore assets.
The sprawling mansion sat empty, its high ceilings and grand chandeliers reflecting only the pale light of the late afternoon sun.
I sat at the long mahogany table in the dining room—the very room where four hours earlier, a grease-soaked dish towel had been thrown into my face. A clean, white linen tablecloth had been spread across the wood, topped with two porcelain cups of hot tea and a folder of annulment papers.
Victoria sat across from me, reviewing the final signatures with a look of quiet, triumphant satisfaction.
"The marriage will be legally annulled by nine o'clock tomorrow morning, Chloe," Victoria said, sliding a pen across the table toward me. "On the grounds of fraudulent inducement and criminal misrepresentation. It will be as if you were never married to him."
I picked up the pen and signed my name on the final line: Chloe Whitmore.
"What will happen to the estate?" I asked, looking around at the grand room.
"It will be liquidated at public auction next month," Victoria explained. "With your priority mortgage note, you will recover one hundred percent of your investment capital, plus interest and legal fees. The remaining proceeds will go toward paying off the company's victims and creditors."
"Good," I said, setting the pen down. "I don't want a single room of this house."
Victoria leaned back in her chair, looking at me with deep, genuine admiration. "You handled yourself with remarkable discipline today, Chloe. Most women would have cried, screamed, or made a public scene."
"Emotion is an expensive luxury in business, Victoria," I replied softly, taking a sip of my tea. "When someone shows you who they truly are, you don't argue with them. You simply recalculate their value and liquidate the position."
Victoria let out a rich, warm laugh. "My dear, you are far more ruthless than any Sterling who ever walked through these doors. It's a pity you aren't staying in the family."
"I am my own family," I said smoothly.
Outside the French doors, a white transport van from a private moving company pulled up to the terrace. Two uniformed workers stepped out, carrying heavy cardboard boxes and packing tape.
I stood up, adjusting my jacket. "I hired them to pack up all of Brenda's personal clothing and heirlooms. Everything will be delivered to her sister's house in New Jersey by tonight. I may be ruthless, Victoria, but I am not petty."
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"A true professional," Victoria smiled, standing up and extending her hand. "It was an absolute pleasure doing business with you, Chloe."
I shook her hand firmly. "The pleasure was mine, Victoria."
