Chapter 5 - The Desperate Plea
Two days after the incident, I was sitting in the conservatory of my estate, pruning a rare white orchid, when Thomas entered.
"Mrs. Carter, the Mitchell family is at the front gate. George, Patricia, and Vanessa. They have been there since six this morning. George is begging the security guards to let them through. He says he won't leave until he speaks with you."
I clipped a dead leaf from the orchid, completely unbothered. "Are they still dressed in their couture, Thomas?"
"No, ma'am. They look rather frantic. George is sweating through his shirt, and Vanessa appears to have abandoned her makeup routine."
I smiled faintly. "Let them in, Thomas. But only into the outer courtyard. Do not invite them inside. And make sure the security cameras are recording everything in high definition."
Ten minutes later, I walked out onto the stone courtyard, dressed in a simple, elegant silk gown worth more than George Mitchell’s car. I was flanked by Thomas and two large, silent bodyguards.
The Mitchells were waiting, standing under the scorching Tennessee sun. The moment George saw me, he practically fell to his knees, rushing forward until Thomas placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
"Eleanor! Mrs. Carter! Please, I beg of you, listen to us!" George cried, his face pale and glistening with sweat. "We are ruined. The banks have frozen everything. Our contractors are walking off the job sites. We can't pay the twenty million by tomorrow morning. We don't have it!"
Patricia stepped forward, her usual arrogant posture replaced by a desperate, hunched look. "Mrs. Carter, we are mothers. Surely you can understand a mother's heart? Vanessa is young. She made a foolish, stupid mistake. She was stressed about the wedding. She didn't mean any harm!"
I looked past them, my eyes landing on Vanessa. She was standing a few paces behind her parents. She wasn't crying. Instead, she was staring at me with a mixture of intense fear and deeply suppressed malice. She looked like a cornered animal—dangerous, but entirely powerless.
"Vanessa," I said, my voice echoing in the quiet courtyard. "You've been remarkably quiet. Your parents are begging for your life, yet you stand there like a statue. Have you nothing to say to the 'random drifter' who trespassed on your estate?"
George turned around and grabbed his daughter's arm, shaking her violently. "Vanessa! Get down here! Apologize to Mrs. Carter right now! Do it!"
Vanessa winced, her arm turning red under her father's grip. She took a slow step forward, her jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscles pulsing in her cheek. She looked down at the cobblestones.
"I am sorry, Mrs. Carter," she said, her voice completely devoid of sincerity, dripping with forced compliance. "I shouldn't have sprayed you with the hose. It was a misunderstanding."
I let out a soft, melodic laugh that made all three of them freeze.
"A misunderstanding," I repeated, stepping closer to her. "You didn't just spray me with a hose, Vanessa. You looked at a human being whom you believed had less than you, and you decided that her poverty gave you the right to strip her of her dignity. You wanted an audience to watch you crush someone beneath your feet because it made you feel powerful."
I looked at George and Patricia. "You raised a monster. And you encouraged her because you thought her coldness was a sign of strength that would help her climb higher in society. Well, she has climbed quite high enough. It's time for the fall."
"Mrs. Carter, please!" George sobbed, actually dropping to his knees now, the gravel digging into his slacks. "If you do this, we lose everything! Our house, our business, our reputation! We will be completely destitute!"
"Then you will understand what it feels like to be a 'street person' crashing a celebration for respectable folks," I said coldly.
I turned my back on them and began walking back toward the mansion.
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"Eleanor!" George screamed behind me. "You're a demon! You planned this! You set us up!"
"I didn't force your daughter to turn on the hose, George," I called back over my shoulder. "You did that all by yourselves. Thomas, clear them off my property. If they return, have them arrested for trespassing."
