Chapter 5 - Changing the Locks
By 2:00 PM that afternoon, the news of the Pine Valley Country Club disaster had spread through the elite social circles of the city like a localized nuclear strike.
Video clips recorded by venue staff and former guests were already circulating on social media. The image of Felicia crying on the floor in her wedding gown, paired with the photo of the six-hundred-thousand-dollar wire transfer receipt, was trending nationwide.
Serena sat in the sunlit library of her thirty-million-dollar estate in the gated community of Highland Crest.
Toby was upstairs, sleeping peacefully in his room after being examined by a private pediatrician, who had documented the contusion on his cheek for legal filings.
Arthur Vance—Serena’s chief legal council and lifelong family friend—handed her a warm glass of tea and a leather folder.
“The divorce papers are drafted, Serena,” Arthur said. “We’ve also filed an emergency protection order against Giselle for child abuse, and a motion for full physical and legal custody of Toby.”
“What about the house?” Serena asked quietly.
“This estate was purchased entirely by your family trust three years before you met Justin,” Arthur smiled grimly. “His name was never on the deed. He was merely a guest.”
Outside the heavy iron gates of the estate, the sound of screeching tires shattered the afternoon quiet.
A sleek black sports car—the one Serena had bought for Justin’s thirty-second birthday—came to a violent halt outside the guardhouse. Justin jumped out of the driver’s seat, his hair disheveled, his tuxedo jacket gone, his tie hanging loose around his neck.
He sprinted up the driveway, banging his fists against the massive double oak front doors.
“Serena!” Justin screamed, his voice hoarse. “Open this door! Open the damn door!”
Giselle got out of the passenger side of the car, her mascara running down her wrinkled face, hobbling up the driveway behind him. “Serena, let us in! The reporters are outside our apartment building! They’re everywhere!”
The heavy oak door creaked open six inches.
It wasn’t Serena who stood in the doorway, but two massive, uniform-clad private security officers, along with Arthur Sterling.
“Mr. Vance,” Arthur said, stepping forward with his hands tucked behind his back. “You are trespassing on private property.”
“This is my home!” Justin yelled, trying to push past the security guards. “I live here! My clothes are in there! My office is in there!”
“Correction, Mr. Vance,” Arthur said calmly, holding up a clear plastic bag containing three sets of luggage. “Your personal effects have been packed and placed outside. The electronic locks to this property were changed two hours ago.”
Justin stared at the luggage on the porch, his mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief. “You... you locked me out?”
“Your marriage to Ms. Sterling is effectively over,” Arthur stated. “Furthermore, Ms. Sterling’s forensic accounting team has initiated a full audit into your management of Vanguard Logistics subsidiary accounts. We have already discovered four hundred thousand dollars in unauthorized transfers to your mother’s personal checking account over the last eighteen months.”
Giselle let out a terrified squeak, her hands flying to her mouth.
“That’s embezzlement, Justin,” Arthur added, his eyes narrowing. “If those funds are not returned to the trust within forty-eight hours, federal authorities will be notified.”
“You can’t do this!” Justin wept, dropping to his knees on the concrete drive. “Serena! Please! Let me talk to my son! Let me talk to Toby!”
May you like
The second-story window of the library opened slightly.
Serena stood behind the glass, holding her tea, looking down at the man who had traded his son’s dignity for his mother’s vanity. She didn’t utter a single word. She simply reached out, pulled the heavy velvet curtain shut, and turned off the light.
