Chapter 3 - The Locks Are Changed
The next evening, the mansion was glowing with chandelier light.
Evelyn had wasted no time. To celebrate "clearing out the trash," she had organized an impromptu cocktail party for twelve of her high-society friends. Champagne flutes clicked, and classical piano music drifted across the marble foyer—the very foyer where my blood had spilled twenty-four hours earlier.
Ethan stood near the grand fireplace, holding a glass of Scotch, boasting to his associates about a massive new contract AeroTech was supposed to land.
"Victoria was just holding me back," Ethan declared loudly, faking a sigh of deep relief. "She had no ambition. No class. Sometimes a man has to cut off the dead weight to reach the top."
"Oh, absolutely, darling," Evelyn chimed in, swirling her glass, draped in a $15,000 diamond necklace she had bought that morning using my black card. "She was a parasite. I knew it the moment I met her. Now, Ethan can finally marry someone from a real family."
Suddenly, the front doors burst open without a knock.
The music stopped. Guests turned in shock as six uniformed LAPD officers walked in, accompanied by four private security officers carrying heavy toolboxes.
Behind them walked Marcus Vance in a tailored three-piece suit.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Ethan shouted, stepping forward angrily. "This is private property! Get out before I have you all arrested!"
The lead officer stepped forward, pulling out a laminated legal document. "Ethan Montgomery?"
"Yes! I am the CEO of AeroTech and the owner of this estate!"
"Ethan Montgomery, you are being served with an Emergency Domestic Violence Restraining Order filed by Victoria Vance," the officer announced loudly, his voice reverberating through the silent room.
The guests gasped. Evelyn’s face went white.
"Restraining order?" Ethan stammered, his bravado instantly evaporating. "She's lying! She fell!"
"Furthermore," Marcus stepped up, handing a thick red-stamped stack of papers to Ethan, "I am the chief legal counsel for Aegis Holdings Trust, the sole legal owner of this property. Your lease has been terminated effective immediately due to breach of conduct and criminal assault on the premise."
"What?!" Evelyn shrieked, dropping her champagne glass. It shattered on the marble floor. "This is my son’s house! He bought this!"
"Your son never paid a dime for this house," Marcus said coldly, looking around the room at the whispering socialites. "The house, the furniture, the art on the walls, and even the wine in your glass belong entirely to the Aegis Trust—which is owned 100% by Victoria."
The private security team didn't wait. They immediately stepped up to the front doors and began unscrewing the lock cylinders to replace them.
"You have thirty minutes to collect your personal clothing and vacate," the lead police officer ordered Ethan and Evelyn. "If you are on this property after 8:30 PM, you will be arrested for felony trespassing."
Whispers erupted among the guests. Evelyn grabbed a socialite's arm. "Beatrice, tell them who I am!"
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Beatrice quickly pulled her hand away, stepping backward toward the exit. "Evelyn... I think we should leave. This is... embarrassing."
Within fifteen minutes, every single guest had fled. Ethan stood frozen in the center of the living room as locksmiths drilled into the doors, realizing his life was tearing at the seams.
