Chapter 3 - Cold Reality
By 8:00 A.M. the following morning, the financial world of San Francisco was in absolute chaos.
The news had broken overnight. The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg ran front-page headlines:
LAWSON INNOVATIONS COLLAPSES AS VANCE GLOBAL WITHDRAWS ALL FUNDING. TECH CEO GARRETT LAWSON EVICTED FROM PACIFIC HEIGHTS MANSION AMID SCANDAL.
I sat in the mahogany-paneled home office of the Vance Estate in Atherton, sipping black tea while reviewing the legal filings prepared by Julian Mercer.
"Every line of credit has been frozen, Evelyn," Julian reported, setting a thick stack of documents on my desk. "Garrett’s personal accounts had a total balance of less than fourteen thousand dollars. He was living entirely on the corporate credit lines backed by Aegis Capital. Without Vance Global's backing, his company is technically insolvent as of midnight."
"What about the Pacific Heights house?" I asked.
"The title was held under an LLC owned by your family’s real estate arm," Julian replied with a professional smile. "Sheriff’s deputies served the eviction notice at 6:00 A.M. this morning. Garrett and his mother were given two hours to pack their personal belongings. His luxury cars—the Porsche and the Range Rover—were repossessed at 7:15 A.M. since they were leased under the company’s name."
I nodded slowly. "And the christening venue?"
"Garrett tried to pay the hotel using his corporate card last night after you left," Julian chuckled softly. "It was declined. The hotel management held his personal watch and cuff links as collateral until he pays the forty-thousand-dollar bill."
I looked out the window at the sprawling, manicured gardens of my family's estate. For three years, I had lived in a modest two-bedroom rental apartment in San Francisco because Garrett claimed we needed to 'save money' for his company. I had cooked his meals, washed his clothes, and endured his mother’s endless lectures on how I was "lucky" to be taken in by a prosperous family.
All while Garrett spent millions of my money pretending to be a self-made tycoon.
My phone rang. The screen displayed an unlisted number.
I pressed speakerphone. "Hello?"
"Evelyn! You psychotic bitch!" Victoria’s voice screamed through the receiver, background noise suggesting she was standing on a busy street corner. "Where are we supposed to go?! They locked the house! They towed the cars! We are sitting on the sidewalk on Broadway with our luggage!"
"Good morning, Victoria," I said calmly. "I see the eviction went smoothly."
"Smoothly?!" she howled. "Garrett is having a panic attack! The press is taking photos of us on the curb! How dare you treat us like this after everything we did for you?!"
"Victoria," I said, leaning back in my leather chair. "You once told my mother that trash needs to know where it belongs. It seems the universe took your advice quite literally. You are currently sitting on the curb with the rest of the garbage."
"Evelyn... please... give me the phone!" Garrett’s frantic, broken voice cut in. "Evelyn! Baby, please! Look, I know I was an idiot! I know I treated your mom terribly! I’ll apologize! I’ll crawl on my hands and knees to her house in the country and beg for her forgiveness! Just unfreeze the bank accounts! My board of directors just resigned! My employees are walking out!"
"Garrett," I said, my voice cold as ice. "An apology made out of financial desperation is worth less than the mud on my mother’s shoes. You didn't care when you hurt her. You only care now because you're hungry."
"Evelyn! We have a son together!" he pleaded, weeping openly now. "You can't do this to the father of your child!"
"My son will have everything he needs," I replied. "Including a mother who will teach him never to disrespect another human being. My lawyers will handle all further communication. Do not call this number again."
I ended the call, set the phone down, and turned to Julian.
May you like
"Make sure the divorce proceedings are swift, public, and absolute," I directed. "I want every single piece of financial fraud Garrett committed during his time as CEO brought to light."
"It will be my absolute pleasure, Ms. Vance," Julian replied with a sharp bow.
