Chapter 4 - The Penthouse Siege
Three days later,
Ethan and Vanessa were desperate.
They had spent their last bit of cash on a cheap motel,
and Lauren,
the mistress,
was hounding Ethan about the "promises" he had made.
"You said we’d be in the penthouse by now!"
she screamed at him over the phone.
"My doctor bills are due,
and the landlord is threatening to kick me out!"
Vanessa,
haggard and looking ten years older,
clutched her knock-off handbag.
"We have the marriage certificate,
Ethan,"
she hissed.
"The condo was bought during the relationship.
Legally,
half of it is yours.
We just need to get inside and refuse to leave.
Squatter's rights,
possession...
anything to get leverage."
They took a taxi they couldn't afford to the Lake Michigan penthouse.
They expected to find the lobby empty,
but instead,
it was crawling with security.
Ethan puffed out his chest,
trying to regain his old confidence.
"I’m Ethan Brooks,"
he told the guard at the elevator.
"I live here.
Penthouse B."
The guard checked his tablet.
"Penthouse B is owned by Apex Development,
sir.
No such name is on the registry."
"I’m the owner’s husband!"
Ethan shouted.
"Move aside!"
Suddenly,
the elevator doors opened.
I stepped out,
wearing a tailored black suit that cost more than Ethan’s entire wardrobe.
Behind me stood Marcus Thorne and four other lawyers.
"Let them up,"
I said,
my voice calm and cold.
The guards stepped back.
Ethan and Vanessa rushed toward me,
their faces masks of greed and fury.
"Emma!"
Vanessa cried,
trying to fake a sob.
"There’s been a terrible mistake!
Hackers took our money,
and we couldn't find you!"
I didn't blink.
"The only mistake,
Vanessa,
was thinking I was stupid."
We went up to the penthouse.
The moment the doors opened to the stunning view of the lake,
Ethan tried to run toward the master bedroom.
"Don't bother,"
I said.
"Your things are already gone.
I had them delivered to your mother’s dilapidated boutique."
Ethan turned around,
his eyes darting like a trapped animal.
"You can't do this,
Emma!
We’re married!
I have rights to this property!"
Marcus Thorne stepped forward,
dropping a stack of papers on the marble kitchen island.
"Actually,
Mr. Brooks,"
Marcus said.
"You signed a pre-nuptial agreement three months ago."
"I never signed a pre-nup!"
Ethan roared.
"You signed a 'Health Insurance Enrollment Form' at Emma’s office,
didn't you?"
Marcus asked with a smirk.
"The middle page was a legally binding pre-marital waiver of assets.
We have the video of you signing it,
smiling because you thought you were getting free dental."
Ethan’s jaw dropped.
"That’s fraud!"
"No,"
I interrupted.
"It’s business.
Exactly the kind of business your mother taught you,
right?"
I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window,
looking out at the city my father helped build.
"You thought I was a nobody,"
I said,
turning back to them.
"But my name is Emma Carter."
"As in...
Carter of Apex Development?"
Vanessa whispered,
her face turning a sickly shade of grey.
"The very same."
"And I’ve decided to buy your mother’s debt,
Vanessa.
All of it."
"Which means I am now your landlord,
your creditor,
and your worst nightmare."
May you like
"Get out of my house."
"Now."
