Chapter 5 - Protocol and Eviction
At 12:30 a.m., Audrey walked down the stairs, carrying Micah wrapped in a warm, clean blanket. The boy had fallen into a light, exhausted sleep, his small head resting against her shoulder. Nurse Jenkins followed closely behind, carrying Micah’s small bag of essentials.
As they reached the foyer, Graham stepped out to block the door, his face twisted in a mixture of anger and desperation.
"You can't just take him, Audrey!" Graham shouted. "He’s my son too! You can't just walk out of here and ruin my life!"
"Move, Graham," Audrey said, her voice incredibly calm, yet carrying a weight that made him instinctively step back a half-inch.
"Graham, don't let her leave!" Lorraine shrieked from the living room. "She’s stealing our grandchild!"
"Your grandchild?" Audrey turned slowly, her eyes locking onto Lorraine with the force of a physical blow. "You stopped being his grandmother the moment you decided to feed him on the floor like a dog. You are nothing to him now. And by noon tomorrow, you will be nothing to this estate."
Audrey turned to Dr. Vance, who was waiting by the front door. "Kenneth, please take Micah to the car. I’ll be out in one minute."
Once the doctor and nurse had safely escorted the sleeping boy outside, Audrey turned back to face her husband, his mother, and Sabrina, who was now standing on the stairs, clutching Theo to her chest as if she were the victim.
"Here is what is going to happen," Audrey said, her voice ringing out in the quiet foyer. "At 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, Keller Northstar’s board of directors will hold an emergency meeting. I have already secured the votes to strip Graham of his title, his salary, and his executive stock options. His corporate credit cards have already been deactivated."
Graham gasped, his hand flying to his pocket where his wallet sat. "Audrey, you can't do that! That’s my livelihood!"
"You embezzled over three hundred thousand dollars from the Western marketing budget to pay for Sabrina’s apartment in Manhattan and her luxury SUV, Graham," Audrey said, sliding her phone into her pocket. "I have the receipts. I have the wire transfers. I have been tracking them for six months. I didn't say anything because I wanted to see how far you would go. And you went exactly as far as I needed to ruin you legally."
She looked up at Sabrina, whose face had turned a sickly shade of green.
"The apartment in Manhattan is owned by Keller Northstar, Sabrina," Audrey continued. "The lease is terminated as of tonight. The locks are being changed as we speak. Your belongings will be placed in a storage unit, and if you attempt to enter the property, you will be arrested for commercial burglary."
"You... you monster!" Sabrina screamed, her voice cracking. "Where are we supposed to go?"
"I don't care," Audrey said simply.
She turned her gaze to Lorraine, who was shaking so hard she had to lean against the wall for support.
"And you, Lorraine," Audrey said, her voice dropping to a whisper that felt colder than the winter wind. "The Westchester house will be locked down tomorrow morning. You have until 10:00 a.m. to pack your personal items. Anything left behind will be auctioned off, and the proceeds will be donated to a local pediatric abuse charity."
"Audrey, please!" Graham cried, dropping to his knees on the marble floor, his hands outstretched in a desperate, pathetic plea. "Please don't do this! We can work it out! I’ll do whatever you want! I’ll get rid of Sabrina! I’ll send Theo away! Just don't take my company! Don't take my name!"
Audrey looked down at the man she had once loved, the man she had worked twenty months in isolation to protect. He looked so small, so pathetic, kneeling in the puddle of his own spilled scotch.
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"You never had a name, Graham," Audrey said. "You only had your father’s shadow. And tonight, I’m turning off the lights."
She turned her back on them, pushed the heavy front doors open, and stepped out into the clean, cool night air, leaving the wreckage of the Keller family behind her.
