Chapter 4 - The Final Eviction-4
I held up the yellowed birth certificate, letting it hang between us in the cold glare of the fluorescent lights.
"Does this name look familiar to you, Evelyn?" I asked softly. "Claire Vance. My mother. The woman whose money you've been living off of for thirty years."
Richard took a step back, his jaw dropping open. His eyes darted franticly to the manila file folder in Daniel's hands, then to the hospital security guards who had finally arrived at the doorway, led by a large, muscular chief of security.
"Elena... listen to me," Richard stammered, his booming confidence evaporating into a thin, pathetic whine. "You don't understand... we saved you! Claire was... she was unstable! We took you in when you had nowhere else to go!"
"You took me in because my mother's patent was worth thirty million dollars," I spat, tears of pure anger rising in my throat. "You raised me as a servant in my own home. You made me feel like an unwanted burden while you spent my mother's legacy on Seraphina's private schools, Seraphina's horses, Seraphina's trips to Paris!"
Evelyn stepped toward the bed, her hands reaching out in a fake, desperate attempt at maternal affection. "Elena, darling... we loved you! We raised you as our own daughter! How can you be so ungrateful over a few silly credit cards?!"
"Ungrateful?" I laughed—a bitter, hollow sound that hurt my broken ribs. "The lease on your Medina house is canceled. The sheriff will be at your door at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow to oversee the removal of all personal items. Anything purchased using VanceTech corporate funds—including the furniture, the artwork, and the jewelry in your safe—has been seized under an emergency court order."
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO US!" Evelyn shrieked, dropping all pretense of love as her face twisted into a mask of pure venom. "WE ARE YOUR PARENTS! YOU OWE US EVERYTHING! YOU ARE NOTHING WITHOUT US!"
"Chief," I said, turning my head toward the security officer standing in the doorway. "Please remove these strangers from my room. They are trespassing."
"Gladly, ma'am," the chief of security said. He stepped forward, grabbing Richard by the shoulder, while two other officers seized Evelyn’s arms.
"YOU TRAITOR!" Richard screamed as he was dragged backward into the hallway, his boots dragging against the floor. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS! WE MADE YOU! WE WILL SUE YOU FOR EVERY PENNY YOU HAVE!"
"LEO AND MAYA ARE BRATS ANYWAY!" Evelyn shrieked, her voice echoing down the quiet corridor as she struggled against the guards. "I'M GLAD DAVID IS DEAD! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE ALONE, ELENA! ALONE!"
The heavy wooden door swung shut, cutting off her screeching voice.
Silence returned to the room. I lay back against the pillows, my whole body shaking uncontrollably as the emotional dam broke, tears pouring silently down my face.
Daniel walked over, setting a clean tissue in my hand. "Are you alright, Elena?"
May you like
I wiped my face, looked toward the glass partition where my two baby twins were sleeping peacefully, and drew a long, deep, cleansing breath.
"I'm not alone, Daniel," I said, my voice hardening like tempered steel. "I have my children. And tomorrow morning, I want you to file criminal charges against Richard and Evelyn Mercer for thirty years of grand larceny and fraud."
