Chapter 3 - The Confrontation on the Stairs
At 9:45 p.m., the heavy brass knocker on the front door echoed through the quiet house.
Audrey met Dr. Vance and Nurse Sarah Jenkins at the entrance before the housekeeper could even rise from her quarters. Kenneth Vance was a tall, imposing man with silver hair and an aura of absolute authority. Nurse Jenkins carried a heavy, black medical case, her face set in a stern, professional mask.
"He’s upstairs," Audrey said, her voice a calm, dangerous hum.
"Audrey? Who the hell is at the door at this hour?"
Graham emerged from the dining room, holding a half-empty glass of scotch. His collar was unbuttoned, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot. When he saw Dr. Vance and the nurse, his brow furrowed in confusion, which quickly turned into defensive anger.
"Dr. Vance? What are you doing here? This is highly inappropriate. It’s nearly ten o'clock."
"I am here at the request of the primary guardian and maternal parent of Micah Keller," Dr. Vance said, stepping past Graham without waiting for an invitation. "I am conducting an emergency developmental and physical wellness check on the child."
"An emergency check?" Graham’s voice rose, cracking slightly. "There's no emergency! The boy has some mild delays, that’s all. My mother has been managing it. We don't need a circus in our foyer."
"Your mother is not a licensed medical professional, Graham," Audrey said, stepping between her husband and the stairs. She looked down at him from the third step, her posture commanding and absolute. "And judging by what I saw tonight, her idea of 'managing' is keeping my son on the floor like an animal while she feeds your mistress's child on the sofa."
"Watch your mouth, Audrey!" Lorraine’s sharp voice rang out as she appeared from the living room, her eyes flashing with aristocratic fury. "Sabrina is a guest in this house! And Theo is a sweet, gifted boy who actually responds to affection. Unlike that... that silent, difficult creature upstairs. We have done nothing but provide for him!"
"Provide for him?" Nurse Jenkins spoke up, her voice dripping with professional disgust. "Mr. Keller, keeping a four-year-old child in a room with no bed, no developmental stimulus, and visible signs of hygiene neglect is not 'providing.' It is a class-A misdemeanor in the state of New York, bordering on a felony depending on the medical findings."
Lorraine’s face turned an ugly, mottled red. "How dare you! This is my house! You have no right to be here!"
"Actually, Lorraine, this house is registered under the Keller Northstar Corporate Housing Trust," Audrey said, her voice deadly quiet. "And as the Chief Operating Officer and majority proxy holder of Keller Northstar’s East Coast operations, I am the authorized trustee of this property. You are guests here. Guests who can be evicted with twelve hours' notice."
Graham dropped his glass of scotch. It shattered on the marble floor, the amber liquid pooling around his designer leather shoes.
"Audrey... what did you just say?" Graham stammered, his eyes wide with a sudden, creeping terror. "Majority proxy holder? That’s impossible. My father’s will—"
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"Your father’s will left the voting shares to the active managing partners," Audrey said, offering a cold, razor-sharp smile. "During my twenty months in Seattle, I acquired the outstanding shares of the minority board members who were disgusted by your incompetence and your mother’s constant drain on the corporate expense accounts. I didn't just save your company, Graham. I bought it."
She turned back to Dr. Vance and Nurse Jenkins. "Please go upstairs. Secure my son. I will handle the trash down here."
