Chapter 4 - The Empty Garage
Dawn broke over the sprawling Sterling estate, casting pale, watery light across the empty cobblestone motor court where rows of luxury sports cars usually sat in pristine alignment. Now, only a single dust-covered vintage coupe remained, its tires flat and its paint dull. Elena stood by the passenger door of her mother's sleek black sedan, wearing a tailored cream trench coat over her emerald green dress from the night before. Her dark hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, reflecting her practical, no-nonsense mindset. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the mansion's main foyer, she could see Veronica frantically tossing designer purses into plastic garbage bags.
The heavy front door swung open with a loud creak, and Veronica stepped out into the morning chill. Her gold sequin gown was gone, replaced by a rumpled designer tracksuit that looked entirely out of place on her. Her blonde hair was unbrushed, falling in wild tangles around her flushed, exhausted face. Richard Sterling trailed behind her, carrying a small cardboard box containing file folders and loose paperwork, his eyes darting nervously toward the Vance vehicle idling by the fountain.
"You don't have to watch us leave, you vulture," Veronica spat, dropping her heavy plastic bags onto the concrete with a frustrated thud.
Elena calmly lowered the power window of the sedan, resting her arm along the door frame. "I'm not watching you leave, Veronica. I'm waiting for the movers my mother hired to clear out the remaining corporate assets you tried to hide in the guest suites."
Richard stepped between the two women, holding up a hand in a pathetic gesture of truce. "Elena, please. Let's be reasonable. There must be some way we can restructure the debt. My legal team can meet with your mother's associates by noon."
"Your legal team resigned at three in the morning, Richard," Catherine Vance's voice resonated from the driver's seat. She turned her head slowly, her sharp blue eyes fixing on Richard through the tinted glass. "They realized that representing a bankrupt fraudster is a career killer."
Veronica let out a bitter, ugly laugh, crossing her arms tightly against her chest to ward off the morning breeze. "You think you've won everything, don't you? You think a signature on a piece of paper erases our history in this city. My family built half these commercial districts before your grandfather ever set foot in this state."
"And my family bought the land your grandfather built on, because history doesn't pay debts," Catherine replied coldly, shifting the gear selector into drive.
May you like
Before the sedan could pull away, a black van with tinted windows and no license plates tore down the private driveway, screeching to a halt directly in front of the Sterling's path.
---
