Chapter 3 - The Uninvited Guest
I opened the door smoothly, stepping out into the carpeted corridor. The house was quiet upstairs, but from the grand foyer below, the muffled sounds of laughter and clinking crystal floated up like toxic smog.
I walked to the balcony railing overlooking the main dining hall.
Derek was sitting at the head of the long mahogany table, a glass of vintage scotch in his hand, leaning back in his chair like a king reviewing his domain. Brenda sat to his right, pointing at a catalog of luxury cruises, giggling like a schoolgirl. His uncles and cousins were loudly discussing how to liquidate the assets of my family's charitable foundation once the marriage was officially recognized for tax purposes.
"She's probably crying her eyes out up there," one of Derek's younger cousins scoffed, taking a bite of smoked salmon. "You really set the tone early, Derek. Brilliant."
"You have to break them in on day one," Derek said smoothly, swirling his scotch. "If you let a woman with that much money think she has a voice, she'll try to run the household. Now she knows who holds the leash. She'll come down in an hour, apologize to my mother, and we'll start transfering her trust dividends."
Brenda smiled smugly. "I told you, darling. Women like Chloe are weak. They were raised with soft hands. A little firmness and she'll obey your every command."
I stood at the top of the stairs, taking out my phone. I sent a single text to my transport driver: “Execute stage two.”
I didn't sneak down the back stairs. I descended the grand marble staircase with slow, deliberate grace, my heels clicking sharply against the steps.
Click. Click. Click.
The rhythmic sound echoed off the vaulted ceilings of the foyer. The laughter in the dining room gradually faltered. One by one, Derek's relatives turned their heads toward the doorway.
Derek frowned, setting his scotch glass down hard on the table. He stood up, his brow furrowing in genuine confusion and rising anger.
"How the hell did you get out of that room?" he demanded, stepping out into the foyer to cut off my path to the front door. "I locked that deadbolt myself."
I stopped three steps above him, giving me a clear physical vantage point. I looked down at him, my expression completely serene.
"You locked a door connected to a system installed by my family's contractor, Derek," I said softly, my voice carrying into the silent dining room. "You really should pay closer attention to the vendors you hire."
Brenda stood up from her chair, her face contorted in synthetic rage. "Derek! Look at her! She's carrying a backpack! She's trying to run away after disrespecting this family!"
Derek stepped onto the first stair, reaching out his thick hand to grab my wrist. "Give me that bag, Chloe. You aren't going anywhere until you apologize to my mother and scrub that floor."
I didn't pull back. Instead, I reached into my coat pocket, pulled out the dirty, grease-soaked rag he had thrown in my face an hour ago, and dropped it right onto his polished leather shoe.
"Clean it yourself," I said softly.
Derek's face flushed a dark, dangerous purple. "You little bitch—"
Before he could lay a finger on me, the grand front doors of the estate swung open with a loud, resounding thud.
Three men in sharp black suits stepped into the foyer. Leading them was a tall, silver-haired man with piercing grey eyes, carrying a thick leather briefcase.
It was Arthur Vance.
Behind him, two armed private security officers stood at attention, blocking the main exit of the estate.
Derek froze, his hand hovering in mid-air. "Who the hell are you? This is private property! Security!"
"Your private security guards have been relieved of duty, Mr. Mercer," Arthur said calmly, stepping past the threshold and unbuttoning his suit jacket. "They were hired through Vanguard Security—a subsidiary of Vance Global. Their contracts were terminated five minutes ago."
Brenda shrieked, backing away toward her brothers. "What is the meaning of this?! Who are these people?!"
May you like
Arthur opened his briefcase, pulled out a thick red folder, and handed it directly to Derek.
"I am Arthur Vance, Chief Legal Counsel for Vance Global Investments," Arthur announced, his voice ringing through the entire house like a death knell. "And I am here to serve you with a formal notice of immediate asset seizure and corporate termination."
