Chapter 2 - The Fall of the House of Alden
The silence that followed my declaration was so absolute you could hear the distant crash of the Atlantic waves against the cliffs outside. Patricia Alden looked as though she had been physically struck across the face, her chest heaving as she turned frantically toward her husband. Conrad’s face cycled through shades of crimson, purple, and sickly pale yellow as his brain desperately tried to process the catastrophic reality of what he had just done.
"That... that is absurd!" Conrad stammered, his voice cracking slightly as he gripped the edge of the table. "Rosefield Manor belongs to the historic Vanderbilt-Halloway trust! Everyone in Newport knows that! You're just a bitter, unrefined nobody trying to sabotage my daughter's rehearsal dinner with a pathetic lie!"
I didn't raise my voice. I simply tapped the screen of my phone, unlocking it with my facial recognition, and slid the device across the mahogany table until it stopped right in front of his shaking fingers. On the screen was the official deed, registered under my personal holding company, Ellis Heritage Estates LLC, alongside the direct management override portal.
"Would you like me to call Harrison into the room, Conrad?" I asked sweetly. "He’s currently standing outside the ballroom doors waiting for my explicit command. He can personally walk you through the financial statements showing that I purchased this entire estate outright three years ago after personally financing its multi-million-dollar historical restoration—the very restoration that made it prestigious enough for your precious daughter to fall in love with it."
Grace Alden, my future sister-in-law, burst into tears, burying her face in her hands as she realized her parents' elitist cruelty had just imploded her entire wedding weekend. Owen looked at me, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and deep, vindicating pride. He had asked me to keep my ownership a secret to avoid exactly this kind of toxic posturing from his future in-laws, but the Aldens had proven entirely incapable of basic human decency.
Patricia stood up abruptly, her chair screeching backward. "Conrad, do something! Call our lawyers! This wretched girl is threatening us!"
"I am not threatening you, Patricia," I replied, stepping closer to the head of the table. "I am simply establishing boundaries. You see, when Harrison texted me a moment ago asking for permission to remove my mother from the front table because she didn't 'fit the Alden image,' I realized something important. Rosefield Manor has very strict standards for its guests. We value integrity, hard work, and kindness. Unfortunately, the Alden family has failed every single metric of our code of conduct."
Conrad finally found his voice, though it shook with unadulterated panic. "Maya... now, let's not be hasty. We were just... we were joking! It was dry humor! Family banter! Surely you aren't going to ruin Owen and Grace's wedding over a few misunderstood remarks?"
"Oh, I am not ruining their wedding," I said calmly, picking up my phone and slipping it back into my bag. "Owen and Grace are still getting married tomorrow right here in the sunken rose garden. But you, Conrad, and you, Patricia—you are no longer welcome on my property."
Before Conrad could sputter another protest, the grand double doors of the ballroom swung open, and Harrison Vance stepped inside, flanked by four towering security guards in immaculate black suits. Harrison walked straight past the terrified guests and stopped respectfully beside me, keeping his eyes fixed on the master of the estate.
May you like
"You called for security, Miss Ellis?" Harrison asked smoothly.
I pointed a steady finger directly at Conrad and Patricia Alden. "Yes, Harrison. Please escort Mr. and Mrs. Alden off the premises immediately. Ensure their luggage is packed and delivered to the gates. They are officially trespassed from Rosefield Manor, effective right this second."
