Chapter 2: The Gate Stayed Closed
Chapter 2: The Gate Stayed Closed
Margaret folded her arms.
"Open the gate."
"The divorce is over. Adrian has a right to this property."
Evelyn didn't move.
"No," she replied calmly.
"He never did."
Sabrina kept recording with her phone.
"Everyone, look at this," she announced to her livestream. "She's trying to steal what belongs to our family."
Before Evelyn could answer, a black sedan pulled up behind her.
Attorney Olivia Bennett stepped out carrying two leather portfolios.
"Good afternoon," she said. "I'm Olivia Bennett, legal counsel for Ms. Evelyn Carter."
Margaret smiled confidently.
"Wonderful. You can explain to your client that she's delaying the inevitable."
Olivia handed one folder to the police officer standing nearby.
"The deed to this estate."
She handed him another.
"The property tax records."
Then another.
"The mortgage payoff documents."
The officer read silently for several moments.
Finally, he looked at Adrian.
"Sir... your name doesn't appear on any ownership documents."
Adrian's expression stiffened.
"My wife—"
"Ex-wife," Olivia corrected.
"And the estate belonged to her before the marriage."
Margaret's confidence began to crack.
"At the very least, my son's belongings are still inside."
Evelyn smiled.
"No."
She pressed a button on her phone.
The front doors of the mansion slowly unlocked.
Everyone stared inside.
The enormous entrance hall echoed with emptiness.
The artwork was gone.
The furniture was gone.
The antiques.
The grand piano.
The family photographs.
Even the curtains had been professionally removed.
Only bare walls remained.
Derek blinked.
"What...?"
Olivia answered.
"My client removed every item she legally owned three weeks ago."
"Each piece was photographed, inventoried, and transported to secure storage."
"The movers you hired..."
May you like
She glanced at the two enormous trucks.
"...have nothing to move."
