Chapter 4 - The House of Lies
Adrian stared at the paper in his hand, the text swimming before his eyes.
"This is ridiculous!" Celeste screamed, grabbing the paper from him and tearing it into pieces. "Adrian is the CEO of Vale Development! We have the best lawyers in the state! You can't just throw us out of our own home!"
"Vale Development is a subsidiary of Vance Capital, Celeste," Evelyn said, her voice quiet but carrying a weight that silenced the courtyard.
Adrian’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. "What... what did you say?"
"Five years ago, when you wanted to start your own firm," Evelyn explained, taking a step toward him. "You needed a forty-million-dollar seed investment. You thought you got it from an anonymous angel investor in New York called 'Apex Holdings.' Do you remember?"
Adrian’s breath hitched. "Apex... how do you know about Apex?"
"Apex Holdings is a shell company wholly owned by the Vance Family Trust," Evelyn said, a cold, beautiful smile touching her lips. "I was the one who authorized the loan, Adrian. I was the one who funded your company, your salary, and even the gold watch you're wearing right now. I kept my name off the documents because I wanted you to feel like a man."
She looked at Celeste’s black Birkin bag, which was resting on the porch railing.
"And that Birkin bag you gave your mistress? It was paid for by the corporate credit card of Vale Development. A card that has just been deactivated."
As if on cue, Adrian’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, his fingers trembling so badly he almost dropped it.
The screen displayed an urgent message from his CFO:
“Adrian, our main operating accounts have been frozen by Vance Capital due to an audit on suspected embezzlement. All corporate cards are declined. The board is calling an emergency meeting in one hour.”
"No..." Adrian whispered, the color completely draining from his face. "No, you can't do this, Evelyn. We have children! We have a family!"
"You had a family, Adrian," Evelyn said, turning her back on him and walking toward the mansion's double doors. "Now, you just have thirty minutes to get your things out of my house."
The security guards stepped forward, forming a wall between Adrian and Evelyn. One of them, a massive man named Marcus, looked down at Adrian.
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"Thirty minutes, Mr. Vale," Marcus said. "I suggest you start packing."
Celeste screamed in frustration, throwing her clipboard at the Range Rover, but the security guards didn't even flinch. Adrian stood on his driveway, looking at the massive, beautiful mansion that had suddenly become a prison, realizing that the empire he thought he had built was nothing but a house of cards—and the wind was just starting to blow.
