Chapter 4 - THE QUEEN’S RANSOM
Back at the house, I had opened the front door just enough to look down at Teresa and Alejandro. The silence stretched between us for three agonizing seconds before Teresa lunged forward, trying to shove her way past the threshold. “How dare you lock me out!” she shrieked, her face mottled with rage. “This is my son’s home! We have rights! I’ll have the police here in five minutes to break this door down!” I raised one hand, my expression entirely devoid of emotion, and stopped her cold. “Call them, Teresa,” I said, my voice carrying a quiet, lethal authority that made even her falter. “Tell the police that you’re trying to break into a private residence registered exclusively under my maiden name, purchased with my capital, three years before I ever made the catastrophic mistake of marrying your son.”
Teresa froze, her mouth open in a half-formed insult. She turned her head slowly, looking at Alejandro, who was shrinking into himself behind her. “Alejandro… what is she talking about?” she demanded, her voice dropping an octave as panic finally began to pierce through her arrogance. “Tell her she’s lying. Tell me the house is yours.” Alejandro couldn't look his mother in the eyes. He stared down at his Italian leather shoes, now scuffed with street dust, and muttered, “Mom… just… let’s go back to the car. We can talk about this somewhere else.”
“Go back where?!” Teresa screamed, grabbing his lapels and shaking him. “Your cards are blocked! Your office security is locked out! The driver took the SUV twenty minutes ago! What do you mean, somewhere else?!” I stepped fully out onto the porch, pulling the door closed behind me and locking it with a sharp, echoing click. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a manila envelope, tossing it onto the slate tiles at their feet. It slid across the stone and stopped right against Teresa’s expensive flats. “What is that?” she whispered, staring down at the papers. “That,” I said smoothly, “is the draft of your son’s divorce settlement, along with an itemized invoice for every single luxury item, vehicle maintenance fee, and international vacation I financed for both of you over the last four years. Since Alejandro is suddenly unemployed, destitute, and legally stripped of any claim to my personal assets, I expect payment in full by Friday. Otherwise, my legal team will begin seizing whatever personal property you actually own to cover the debt.”
