Chapter 3 - The Cold Eviction
Vanessa shrank back against the wall, her hands clawing nervously at the embroidered initials inside my cashmere coat.
“Mr. Sterling, there’s been a huge misunderstanding!” Ryan stammered, stepping forward with his hands raised in a desperate, pleading gesture. “Evelyn never told me she had family! If I had known—”
“If you had known she was a Sterling, you would have treated her like royalty,” Alexander interrupted, his dark eyes cutting through Ryan like a scalpel. “Which proves you are not a man, Ryan. You are a parasite who feeds only on those you believe are helpless.”
Alexander looked down at the folder in Ryan’s hand.
“Did you make her sign divorce papers while she was attached to a heart monitor?” Alexander asked.
“She signed willingly!” Vanessa blurted out, her voice trembling. “It’s legally binding! She gave up the condo and the joint accounts!”
Alexander let out a low, grim chuckle that sent chills down my spine.
He turned to Dr. Chen. “Doctor, who is the registered corporate tenant of the penthouse condo on Elm Street where my granddaughter was living?”
“Sterling Real Estate Holdings, sir,” Dr. Chen replied instantly. “The property was never owned by Mr. Vance. It was leased to him under a subsidized corporate executive program that was revoked forty-five minutes ago upon your order.”
Ryan gasped, dropping the divorce folder onto the floor. “What?! The condo... isn't mine?”
“Nothing was ever yours, Ryan,” I spoke up from my bed, my voice clear and steady as I looked at my ex-husband. “The car you drive, the executive promotion you received at Vance Logistics three years ago, the credit line you used to buy that diamond ring on Vanessa’s finger—it was all quietly subsidized by my grandfather’s trust to see if you would treat me with honor once you had success.”
Ryan’s jaw dropped in absolute horror.
“You... you set me up?” Ryan whispered.
“No, Ryan,” I said softly, taking my grandfather’s hand. “You set yourself up. I begged you to stay home with me when I went into early labor at twenty-nine weeks. You told me you had a high-priority corporate dinner. You were at a luxury resort in Miami with Vanessa using my trust’s secondary card.”
Alexander raised his hand, signaling his head of security.
“Take this man’s corporate access badges, pull his luxury vehicle from the hospital garage, and escort both of them off St. Catherine property immediately,” Alexander ordered.
“Wait! My coat!” Vanessa shrieked as two heavy-set guards stepped between her and Ryan.
May you like
“That coat was custom-tailored for my granddaughter with her children’s initials,” Alexander said coldly. “Remove it, or I will have you arrested for grand larceny before you reach the front gates.”
Vanessa began to cry hysterically, unbuttoning my ivory coat with shaking fingers and dropping it onto the floor before being marched down the hallway by the guards alongside a stumbling, white-faced Ryan.
