Chapter 4 - Eviction Notice
Mr. Vance closed his folder with a heavy snap. "Miss Claire Carter, First National Bank is formally withdrawing its loan offer. Furthermore, our legal department will be reviewing these asset documents to determine if criminal referral for attempted loan fraud is necessary."
"Criminal referral?!" Claire gasped, sinking into a nearby dining chair, her pristine designer dress catching on the broken glass still lying on the floor. "Mr. Vance, please! It was just a mistake! A paper error!"
"Falsifying property deeds is not a paper error, Miss Carter," Vance said coldly before turning to me. "Commander... excuse me, Miss Carter. Willow Gate Holdings will receive formal written confirmation of the loan cancellation by morning. Good evening."
As Mr. Vance left the building, the room descended into pure chaos. The fifty relatives who had gathered to toast Claire’s triumph were now looking for the nearest exit, utterly embarrassed to be caught in the middle of a public corporate execution.
My father turned on me, his eyes wide with rage. "You ruined her life! In front of everyone! You brought lawyers and accountants into our family home to publicly humiliate your sister!"
"This isn't your home, Dad," I replied, my voice steady and cold. "Grandmother left this home to me because she knew you and Mom would mortgage it into bankruptcy to feed Claire's vanity. She saw exactly who you were."
"You heartless bitch!" Claire spat out, rising from her chair. "You think you’re so smart? Without me, Meadowgate is nothing! I run the staff! I book the clients! If I leave, this entire place collapses, and you’ll be left holding an empty building!"
"The staff is already taken care of," I said calmly.
I raised my hand slightly, signaling toward the side doorway near the kitchen. The head chef, Marcus, along with the head of house operations, Sarah, stepped out into the hall. They weren't wearing their event aprons; they were holding official employment contracts stamped with the Willow Gate Holdings seal.
"Marcus, Sarah," I asked, "has your back-pay been deposited?"
"Yes, Miss Ivy," Marcus answered clearly, looking straight at Claire with long-overdue defiance. "The six weeks of unpaid wages that Miss Claire claimed were delayed by the bank were deposited into all staff accounts twenty minutes ago. Paid directly by Willow Gate Holdings."
Claire gasped, looking at her former employees. "You... you went behind my back?"
"You didn't pay us, Claire," Sarah said bluntly. "Miss Ivy did. Every single month when you said the business was struggling, Miss Ivy paid our salaries out of her personal savings while you bought a new sports car."
The revelation landed like a thunderbolt. The relatives who were still lingering near the doors shook their heads in utter disbelief.
"Effective immediately," I announced, turning back to my sister and parents, "Carter Event Management is barred from operating on these premises. The locks on the main house, the administrative wing, and the gates will be re-keyed tonight at nine o'clock."
"You're locking us out?!" my mother shrieked. "Where is Claire supposed to run her business?!"
"She isn't," Daniel Mercer interjected, presenting a formal legal document. "This is an emergency eviction order and a temporary restraining order restricting Claire Carter, George Carter, and Eleanor Carter from entering the operational facilities of Meadowgate Estate."
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My father looked at the legal notice, his hands shaking violently. "Ivy... you're evicting your own parents?"
"You don't live here, Dad. You live in the townhouse I pay the mortgage on," I reminded him coldly. "And if you want to keep living there, I suggest you grab your coats, take your favorite daughter, and leave my property before security escorts you out in handcuffs."
