Chapter 4 - The Eviction Notice
Natalie was lounging on the imported Italian leather sofa in the penthouse apartment, scrolling through Instagram while sipping a sparkling water. She was wearing one of my silk robes, feeling entirely untouchable. Dominic was pacing nervously in the kitchen, his phone pressed to his ear, desperately trying to get a hold of his investors.
"I don't understand!" Dominic yelled into the phone, his face red with panic. "You can't just pull out! We have a signed contract! ... Hello? Hello?!"
He slammed the phone onto the marble counter, burying his face in his hands.
"Dom, relax," Natalie sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're stressing the baby. You have the divorce papers. We have the four hundred grand. Who cares if your little business goes under? We can start fresh in Miami. We're rich."
"Natalie, the bank called this morning," Dominic said, his voice trembling. "The offshore account is frozen. Some federal agency flagged it for fraudulent transfer. We don't have four hundred grand. We have whatever is in my personal checking account, which is currently overdrawn."
Natalie sat up, the smug expression instantly vanishing from her face. "What do you mean, frozen? You told me you took care of her! You told me she was a nobody with a fake trust fund!"
"She's Arthur Sterling's granddaughter!" Dominic screamed, the reality of his monumental mistake finally shattering his sanity. "She is the sole heir to a three-billion-dollar empire! I didn't know! She drove a used Honda and shopped at Target!"
Before Natalie could scream back, a heavy, thunderous pounding echoed from the solid oak front door of the penthouse.
Dominic froze. He slowly walked to the door and checked the peephole. His stomach dropped. Standing in the hallway were two uniformed sheriff’s deputies and a man in a sharp grey suit holding a clipboard.
Dominic opened the door a crack. "Can I help you?"
"Dominic Vance?" the man in the suit asked. "I am a representative of Apex Holdings, the ownership group of this building. We are here to serve you with an immediate, twenty-four-hour eviction notice, effective immediately."
"Eviction?!" Dominic pushed the door open, his voice cracking. "My lease is paid through the end of the year! You can't evict me!"
The representative flipped a page on his clipboard. "According to section 4, paragraph B of your lease agreement, the landlord reserves the right to terminate the lease immediately in the event the tenant is indicted or under active federal investigation for felony fraud. The FBI contacted our offices this morning regarding your frozen accounts."
Natalie waddled to the door, her face pale with horror. "Where are we supposed to go?! I am pregnant!"
"The landlord extends their deepest sympathies for your situation," the representative said dryly, handing Dominic a thick envelope. "However, the legal owner of this property, Ms. Audrey Sterling, has requested that you vacate her premises by noon tomorrow. If you are not gone, these deputies will physically remove you and your belongings will be placed on the curb."
Dominic stared at the paper in his hands. Ms. Audrey Sterling.
He had kicked his bleeding wife out of an apartment she secretly owned.
The representative tipped his hat. "Have a terrible day, Mr. Vance."
When the door clicked shut, Natalie turned to Dominic, her eyes blazing with absolute fury. "You idiot! You absolute, arrogant idiot! You threw away a billionaire heiress for what?! To make me live on the streets?!"
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"Shut up, Natalie!" Dominic roared, throwing the eviction notice at the wall. "I'll fix this in court! The divorce papers she signed give me half her marital assets! When the judge sees that agreement, she'll have to pay me millions in alimony!"
He was clinging to the last shred of his delusion. He truly believed the pieces of paper I signed in the NICU would save him. He had no idea what was waiting for him at the courthouse.
