Chapter 4 - The House of Hunger
By 2:00 PM, the atmosphere inside the Arlington Heights townhouse was toxic.
Linda sat at the kitchen island, her face twisted in a mixture of rage and humiliation. She had been forced to leave the luxury spa with half-applied face cream because her card was declined, and the receptionist—a woman she had looked down on for years—had suggested she pay with cash she didn't have.
"She did this on purpose!" Linda shrieked, slamming her fist on the quartz countertop. "That arrogant, bald little peasant! She’s trying to punish us!"
"Mom, calm down," Ryan paced the floor, his phone glued to his hand. "She said she’s resigning. She’s bringing the letter home tonight. She’s just... she’s adjusting to the new budget. She said we have to live on my salary."
"Your salary?" Linda scoffed, her voice dripping with disgust. "You make three thousand dollars a month at the dealership, Ryan! The mortgage on this place alone is four thousand! The maintenance fees, my treatments, the country club—how are we supposed to survive?"
"She has savings, Mom! She has hundreds of thousands in her personal accounts! Once she signs her corporate stock transfer over to me like we discussed, we’ll have access to all of it. We just have to play along for a few days. Let her think she’s the obedient little housewife."
The door to the townhouse clicked open.
Both of them spun around.
Victoria walked in. She looked radiant, her bald head reflecting the warm afternoon light, her posture impeccable. She carried a single manila folder in her hand.
Linda immediately stood up, trying to regain her air of superiority. "Well. You’re home early. I expect the house to be vacuumed and dinner to be started. We like roast chicken on Tuesdays."
Victoria smiled, placing the folder on the kitchen island. "Of course, Linda. I’ve brought my resignation draft for you both to review. I wanted to make sure the wording was humble enough to satisfy you."
Ryan rushed forward, grabbing the folder. He opened it, his eyes scanning the document. It was indeed a resignation letter addressed to the CEO of Vanguard Development, citing "personal family reasons and a desire to focus on marital duties."
"Perfect," Ryan breathed, a massive grin spreading across his face. "This is perfect, Vic. I knew you’d see reason. Now, about the bank accounts... we need to transfer your personal savings into our joint account so I can pay the mortgage and Mom’s bills."
"I’d love to, Ryan," Victoria said, her eyes dark and cold as midnight. "But we have a small issue. The bank requires both of us to sign a financial disclosure form in person before they can merge our high-yield portfolios. I’ve scheduled an appointment for us tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM."
"Excellent," Linda smirked, crossing her arms. "See? A little discipline is all it takes to make a woman understand her duties. Now, get to the kitchen, Victoria. I’m hungry."
"Actually," Victoria said, her voice turning razor-sharp. "I have one more errand to run. I need to drop off some paperwork at my lawyer's office."
"Your lawyer?" Ryan’s eyes narrowed. "What paperwork?"
"Just some tax forms for the property transfer, sweetie," Victoria smiled, turning on her heel. "I'll see you in the morning."
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As the front door closed, Linda looked at Ryan. "She’s too calm, Ryan. Something is wrong."
"She’s broken, Mom," Ryan laughed, tossing the resignation folder onto the counter. "We took her hair, her pride, her job. She has nothing left but us. She’s finally ours."
