Chapter 3 - Fifteen Minutes
Sophia grabbed her designer purse from the couch, her haughty demeanor entirely evaporated.
"Daniel, fix this," Sophia demanded, her voice rising into a sharp, shrill panic. "My father's colleagues are coming to dinner at this address on Friday! I already posted pictures of the pool on Instagram!"
"Shut up, Sophia!" Daniel snapped, running both hands through his hair until it stood on end. "Emily, be reasonable. We were married for seven years. You can't just throw me out of my own home in front of my parents!"
"Ten minutes ago, you told me Sophia was moving in tomorrow," I said, checking my gold wristwatch. "You gave me one night to pack seven years of my life into cardboard boxes after I sold my parents' apartment to save your skin."
Richard stood up, his aristocratic composure completely shattered. He extended a pleading hand toward me.
"Emily, please. We're family. We can sit down with our accountants tomorrow morning and work out an equity distribution plan. Daniel was under immense stress. He made an emotional mistake."
"An emotional mistake that lasted twelve months?" I asked, looking right at Margaret. "An emotional mistake you both celebrated ten minutes ago when you told me Daniel deserved someone younger and more ambitious?"
Margaret looked away, biting her lip in humiliated silence.
"You have fifteen minutes to gather your personal belongings, Daniel," I announced, stepping toward the front door. "The moving trucks for my belongings aren't coming. Yours are."
"I'm not leaving!" Daniel bellowed, puffing out his chest in a desperate display of bravado. "This is a civil dispute! The police won't remove a resident without a formal hearing!"
Right on cue, two heavy taps echoed against the wooden front door.
I turned the brass knob and pulled the door open.
Standing on the front porch in the cool autumn air were two uniformed county sheriff deputies, accompanied by a woman in an impeccably tailored navy suit.
The woman stepped into the foyer, carrying a red-tabbed court binder.
"Good evening," the woman said, her voice crisp and commanding. "I am Rachel Vance, lead counsel for Sterling Holdings LLC. I am here to execute the emergency judicial writ of possession issued by Judge Harrison at two o'clock this afternoon."
Daniel backed away toward the sofa, his knees practically buckling beneath him. "A writ of possession? On what grounds?"
"Ex-parte emergency petition based on substantial commercial asset flight and illegal conversion of company funds," Rachel stated, handing a blue carbon copy to Deputy Miller.
May you like
Deputy Miller looked at Daniel, his hand resting casually on his utility belt.
"Mr. Carter, you and your guests have until 6:30 PM to vacate the premises," Deputy Miller instructed firmly. "Anything left behind will remain under court-monitored inventory until the formal liquidation hearing next month."
