Chapter 4 - The Eviction
The silence in the ballroom was so thick you could hear the soft gurgle of the water fountain in the lobby.
Giselle looked like she was about to faint. She clutched her pearl necklace so tightly the string snapped, sending white pearls bouncing across the polished marble floor.
“Serena!” Justin screamed, sprinting onto the stage. “Are you crazy?! You’re destroying my family! You’re destroying my sister’s life!”
Serena stepped back from the microphone, looking at Justin as if he were a bug on her windshield.
“You told me not to ruin your sister’s big day, Justin,” Serena said, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp whisper that didn’t need a microphone to be heard. “You stood there while your mother put her hands on our son, and you told me to let it go. So I let everything go. Including you.”
The general manager of Pine Valley Country Club, accompanied by four large security guards in dark suits, hurried onto the floor holding an iPad.
“Ms. Sterling,” the manager said deferentially, ignoring Justin completely. “We just received the official clawback notification from your legal counsel. The six-hundred-thousand-dollar authorization has been revoked due to breach of conduct and host default.”
“What does that mean?!” Felicia shrieked, running forward and grabbing the manager’s arm. “What does that mean for my wedding?!”
The manager cleared his throat, looking at Felicia with cold professional detachment. “It means, ma’am, that this event is no longer paid for. Per club policy, all non-paying parties must vacate the premises immediately.”
“No!” Felicia howled. “Zachary! Tell them! We’re about to get married!”
Zachary Vance stepped back from Felicia, pulling his boutonniere off his lapel and tossing it onto the floor.
“We’re not getting married,” Zachary said, his voice flat and disgusted. “Your entire family is a fraud. You lied about your wealth, you lied about your status, and your mother hits children. I’m done.”
“Zachary! No! Please!” Felicia collapsed onto her knees in her heavy silk gown, weeping hysterically on the marble floor.
Harrison Vance placed a firm hand on his son’s shoulder. “Let’s go, Zachary. Call our legal team. I want every engagement gift reclaimed by noon.”
The Vance family—along with all fifty of their high-society guests—turned around in unison and began marching out of the ballroom, leaving Felicia screaming into her hands.
Giselle rushed over to Serena, her eyes wide with frantic, ugly panic. “Serena! You can’t do this! Think of our reputation! Think of what people will say!”
“I am thinking of my son,” Serena replied coldly.
She turned to the head of security. “Guard, these three individuals—Giselle, Justin, and Felicia—are no longer guests on my tab. Please escort them off the property.”
“Right away, Ms. Sterling,” the head of security said.
Two large security guards stepped forward, seizing Justin and Giselle by their arms.
“Get your hands off me!” Justin yelled, flailing uselessly as he was pulled toward the exit. “Serena! You can’t leave me! We’re married!”
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“Not for long,” Serena said softly.
She held Toby tightly, turned her back on the chaos, and walked out the private side exit where her personal, chauffeur-driven Maybach was already waiting at the curb.
