Chapter 2 - The Ghost of the Penthouse
David drove back to the condo in a state of catatonic shock,
the luxury SUV feeling like a rolling coffin.
His mother and Megan followed in their own car,
the silence between them screaming louder than any argument they had ever had.
Every time he closed his eyes,
he saw the image of Catherine sliding the keys across the table with that haunting,
serene smile.
What doesn't truly belong to you always finds its way back,
she had said.
He reached the gates of the exclusive community,
pressing the remote with a trembling finger,
but the light remained red.
He pressed it again,
and again,
until he was pounding on the steering wheel in a fit of rage.
"Open the damn gate!"
he screamed,
but the security guard stepped out of the booth with a look of grim professionalism.
"I'm sorry,
Mr. Miller,
but your access has been revoked by the property owners."
"What are you talking about?"
David spat,
leaning out the window.
"I am the owner!
I got the condo in the settlement!"
The guard shook his head,
holding up a clipboard with a fresh set of legal directives.
"Actually,
sir,
this unit was owned by a private trust linked to the Sterling-Vane Estate."
"As of 10:05 AM this morning,
the trust exercised a clawback provision triggered by the dissolution of the marriage."
"The condo was never yours to inherit,
it was a gift of occupancy for as long as you were the husband of Catherine Sterling-Vane."
David felt the blood drain from his head.
Sterling-Vane.
The name was synonymous with old money,
global shipping,
and power that moved mountains.
He had spent seven years thinking Catherine was a girl from a modest background who got lucky by marrying a 'successful' businessman like him.
He had no idea that her father was the man who owned the very bank that held his business loans.
Just then,
a tow truck pulled up behind his SUV.
A man in a uniform stepped out,
not even looking at David as he began to hook up the vehicle.
"Hey!
What the hell are you doing?"
Megan screamed,
jumping out of the car behind them.
"This vehicle is leased through the company!"
The driver didn't stop.
"The company is under emergency audit,"
he replied.
"All corporate assets are being seized by the primary creditor."
David stood on the pavement,
watching as his home,
his car,
and his status were stripped away in the span of thirty minutes.
He looked down at his phone,
hoping to call his lawyer,
only to find a notification from his bank.
His personal accounts,
the ones he had drained from the joint savings to fund Allison’s lifestyle,
were frozen pending an investigation into marital asset hiding.
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Catherine hadn't just left him.
She had deleted him.
