Chapter 2: The Locked Doors
Chapter 2: The Locked Doors
Andrew laughed.
It was a hollow, frantic sound.
"Vacate? This is my house! It's been in my family for four years!"
The lead man in the dark suit stepped forward, holding a legal folder.
"Your family held the mortgage, Mr. Sterling. A mortgage that went into default three years ago."
He opened the folder and held up a document bearing a signature Andrew knew intimately.
Mariana's signature.
"Escalante Holdings quietly purchased the debt," the lawyer explained.
"Your wife allowed you to reside here as a courtesy."
"That courtesy expired at midnight."
Margaret's face drained of color.
She leaned against the grand staircase, suddenly looking very old.
"Escalante?" she whispered. "The Escalante family? That's impossible. Mariana was a nobody."
"Mariana Escalante is the sole heir to the largest private equity firm in North America," the lawyer replied smoothly.
"She is worth more than this entire zip code combined."
Brenda's eyes darted nervously between Andrew and the lawyers.
"Andrew," she whined, clutching his arm. "Tell them to leave. Call the police."
But Andrew couldn't speak.
His mind was racing back to the past four years.
The deals that miraculously closed just when bankruptcy loomed.
The massive debts that vanished overnight.
He hadn't been a brilliant businessman.
He had been a puppet.
And Mariana was pulling every single string.
He shoved past the lawyers and sprinted to his garage.
He didn't care about the house right now. He needed to secure the company.
If he still had the business, he could fight this.
He jumped into his custom sports car and slammed his finger against the push-to-start button.
Nothing happened.
The dashboard screen illuminated with a single message:
Vehicle Immobilized by Escalante Holdings Fleet Management.
He screamed, punching the steering wheel until his knuckles bled.
May you like
He was trapped.
And the clock was ticking.
