As my new husband thought that I was asleep, I watched him sneak out of our honeymoon suite and slip into my bridesmaid's room down the hall. I smiled coldly, and then sent both families a mass text: 'Special surprise gift inside, come livestream the door opening!' Seconds later, when they flooded the hallway and flung the door wide open, my mother-in-law shrieked in horror, 'What on earth is going on here?!' Little did they know, this was only the beginning." / Chapter 5 / 10

Chapter 5 - The Eviction NoticeWhile the federal authorities built their case behind closed doors, I decided to deal with the Vance family's domestic illusions.

For the past five years, Evelyn and Arthur Vance had lived in a sprawling, multi-million-dollar estate in the gated community of Highland Hills. They paraded around local charity galas as generous benefactors, boasting about their ancestral wealth. What the public didn't know was that the deed to that estate was held by a holding company owned entirely by my late grandfather's estate—a perk extended to Arthur during happier financial times.

At 2:00 PM on Thursday, a convoy of moving vans and court deputies pulled up to the iron gates of the Vance estate. I stepped out of my black SUV, wearing a sharp tailored coat, and walked up the pristine brick driveway.

Evelyn opened the front door, her eyes red and puffy from days of weeping over her family's ruined reputation. When she saw me standing on her porch, her face twisted in pure venom.

"You!" she shrieked. "Have you no shame?! You've taken my son's company, ruined his reputation, and made us pariahs in this city! Why are you here?!"

I didn't answer. I simply gestured to the senior deputy standing beside me.

The deputy stepped forward, holding a formal court summons. "Evelyn Vance? I am serving you with an immediate order of eviction for unlawful detainer and breach of lease terms."

Evelyn froze, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "Eviction?! This is my home! My husband and I have lived here for fifteen years!"

"Correction, Evelyn," I said smoothly, stepping past her into the grand foyer. "This house belongs to Montgomery Holdings. You were permitted to live here under a discretionary, non-transferable lease agreement tied to Ethan's commercial partnership with my family. Since that partnership has been legally dissolved due to corporate fraud, your lease is terminated."

Arthur came rushing down the grand staircase, clutching a silk robe around his waist. "Victoria! This is absurd! You can't throw us out on the street! We have rights!"

"You have twenty-four hours to remove your personal clothing and items," the deputy instructed firmly, placing the legal documents into Arthur's hands. "Any furniture, artwork, or high-value assets purchased with corporate funds from Vance Innovations are currently under a federal asset preservation order and cannot be moved."

Ethan stepped out from the living room, looking gaunt and defeated. He stared at me with a mixture of fear and profound regret. "Victoria... please. My parents are elderly. Don't do this to them."

"Your mother didn't think about her age when she helped Jessica steal millions from my family's company, Ethan," I said coldly, looking around the opulent foyer. "You all lived like royalty on stolen dime, looking down your noses at me, treating me like a naive girl you could manipulate."