Chapter 3 - The Doorbell Rings Twice
As if on cue, the sharp, authoritative chime of the front doorbell echoed through the foyer.
Daniel jumped at the sound, trembling as if a gunshot had gone off nearby. Vanessa clutched the baby carrier so tightly her knuckles turned completely white, her eyes darting frantically toward the front door as though she expected a SWAT team to burst through the glass panels.
"Open it," I whispered, holding my ground.
Daniel stood paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. Seeing that he was completely useless, I reached out past him, grabbed the brass handle, and pulled the heavy oak door wide open.
Standing on the front porch was not a police officer, but someone far more terrifying to both of them: Rebecca Sloan, my powerhouse attorney, accompanied by a tall, official-looking process server carrying a heavy leather briefcase. Rebecca was dressed in a sharp navy blazer, her expression cold, calculating, and entirely professional.
"Good afternoon, Rachel," Rebecca said smoothly, stepping past Daniel without even glancing at him. "I trust we aren't interrupting anything important?"
"Not at all, Rebecca," I replied, stepping aside to let them enter the foyer. "In fact, you arrived right in time to deliver the welcoming package."
Rebecca opened her briefcase and pulled out three distinct sets of laminated documents, handing the first set directly to Daniel, the second to a shaking Vanessa, and the third to the process server for official record-keeping.
"Mr. Daniel Miller," Rebecca announced loudly and clearly, her voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings of my hallway. "You are hereby served with a formal Notice to Quit and Evict, demanding your immediate removal from this property within twenty-four hours, as the deed is held exclusively in Rachel Miller's name prior to marriage."
Daniel looked down at the papers in his hands, his eyes scanning the bold legal headings in sheer horror. "You... you can't kick me out! This is my home too!"
"It was never your home, Daniel," Rebecca countered coldly, not missing a beat. "Furthermore, you are also served with a civil summons for financial fraud, asset misappropriation, and breach of marital fiduciary duty relating to the illegal transfer of sixty-eight thousand dollars into Ms. Vance's corporate account."
May you like
Vanessa let out a sharp gasp, her composure completely disintegrating. "This is insane! You can't sue me for money Daniel gave me! He said his wife wouldn't care!"
"Mr. Miller may have lied to you about his domestic arrangements, Ms. Vance, but he couldn't alter federal banking regulations," Rebecca replied with a razor-sharp smile. "Our forensic accountants have already frozen the business account where those funds were deposited. Every single dollar you stole has been traced, flagged, and attached to an immediate court-ordered asset seizure."
