Chapter 5 - The Office Ambush
Three days later, the reality of their situation hadn't quite penetrated Margaret's thick skull. They still believed they could bully me into submission.
I was in the middle of a quarterly review with my consulting team when my assistant, Sarah, knocked frantically on the glass door of the boardroom.
"Claire, I'm so sorry, but your husband and his mother are in the lobby. They're screaming at the receptionist, demanding to see you. They say if you don't come out, they're going to tell everyone in the building what a terrible wife you are."
I sighed, closing my laptop. "Call building security, Sarah. Tell them we have hostile trespassers."
I walked out of the boardroom and down the hall to the elegant, minimalist lobby of my firm. Margaret was pacing, waving her arms, while Daniel stood behind her, trying to look intimidating but mostly looking exhausted and unwashed.
"There she is!" Margaret shrieked as I approached. She pointed a trembling finger at me. "The woman who threw an elderly lady onto the street! You listen to me, you ungrateful little—"
"You have exactly one minute before security physically removes you," I interrupted, crossing my arms. Several of my employees were peering out of their offices, watching the drama unfold.
Daniel stepped forward. "Claire, you froze the grocery account. My cards are declining. We have no money for food. You have to lift the freeze. This is illegal! You can't just cut me off!"
"The joint account is locked by the bank's fraud department, Daniel," I said loudly, ensuring everyone in the lobby could hear. "Because they are investigating the forged signature you submitted for a five-hundred-thousand-dollar loan on my property. You're lucky you aren't in handcuffs yet."
Margaret's jaw dropped. She looked at Daniel, who suddenly went chalk white. He hadn't told her. He hadn't told her why the accounts were frozen.
"Forged?" Margaret whispered.
The elevator doors pinged open, and three massive security guards stepped out.
May you like
"Escort them out," I told the guards. "And if they ever return, call the police."
I turned on my heel and walked back to my boardroom. The empire I built was untouchable, and they were finally realizing they were entirely locked out of the castle.
