Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3 — The Eviction
I tapped the master control icon on the iPad.
The interface for Cloudcrest Estate glowed blue in the dark room.
I didn't go back upstairs to argue. I didn't yell. I didn't cry.
I let the house do the talking.
First, I accessed the climate control.
I selected the master bedroom zone.
Current temperature: 72 degrees.
I slid my finger down the digital scale, dropping it to a freezing 50 degrees, overriding the physical thermostat in the room.
Then, I accessed the lighting network.
The master bedroom was currently set to a dim, romantic 20% warm amber.
I switched the settings to "Security Mode."
Blinding, sterile, 100% LED daylight white.
I hit execute.
Through the thick walls of the house, I heard a muffled shriek from the second floor.
I smiled. A cold, dead thing on my lips.
Next, I opened the integrated sound system.
I selected the master bedroom speakers, which were built seamlessly into the ceiling.
I didn't play a siren. That would be too chaotic.
I selected the microphone feature.
I leaned closer to the iPad.
“Carter,” my voice boomed through the high-fidelity speakers in the master suite, echoing through the house.
“You have exactly five minutes to get your parasite out of my bed.”
I waited three seconds.
“Four minutes and fifty-seven seconds.”
I stood up, leaving the iPad on the desk, and walked out of the study.
I walked to the bottom of the grand staircase and leaned against the banister, crossing my arms.
I could hear the frantic scrambling upstairs.
“Serena!” Carter yelled, his voice cracking as he stumbled out of the bedroom and leaned over the second-floor railing.
He was squinting against the blinding lights I had activated in the hallway.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Turn the lights off! It's freezing!”
“Four minutes and thirty seconds, Carter.”
“Are you insane?” he shouted, his mask completely slipping. “She’s sick! She needs rest!”
“She needs to pack her suitcase,” I replied calmly.
“I’m not kicking her out into the cold on our wedding night!”
“Then you can leave with her.”
Carter froze.
He stared down at me, trying to gauge if I was bluffing.
He had spent two years manipulating me, convincing me I was lucky to have a man so in touch with his emotions, so protective of the people he cared about.
He thought my wealth made me soft.
He didn't realize I was my father's daughter.
“You’re kicking me out?” Carter asked, his voice dripping with disbelief. “I am your husband.”
“You are a squatter who forged a relationship to access my real estate,” I corrected.
Lily appeared behind him in the hallway, clutching a silk robe around her body.
She looked terrified now. The fake, watery-eyed victim act was gone.
“Carter, what is she doing?” Lily hissed, grabbing his arm. “Tell her to stop.”
“Serena, turn the system back to normal right now,” Carter demanded, trying to summon authority.
I pulled my cell phone from my clutch.
I dialed a number I had memorized since childhood.
“Vance Security, Section Four,” a deep voice answered instantly.
“This is Serena Vance. Code Red at Cloudcrest Estate. I have two hostile trespassers refusing to leave the premises.”
“Understood, Ms. Vance. Two units are already stationed at the perimeter. We are moving in.”
I hung up and looked back up at Carter.
“Thirty seconds, Carter. Before my father's private security team drags you both out by your hair.”
Carter’s face went completely pale.
He knew my father’s security team. They were former military. They didn't ask questions.
“Get your bag, Lily,” Carter panicked, suddenly shoving her back toward the bedroom.
“What? We’re leaving? But Carter—”
“Just grab the damn bag!” he screamed at her.
It was beautiful.
The moment his comfort was threatened, the moment real consequences appeared, his protective knight act vanished.
He didn't care about Lily's "trauma." He cared about saving his own skin.
Less than a minute later, the heavy oak front doors of the estate swung open.
Four men in tactical black suits stepped into the foyer.
They looked at me, waiting for a command.
Carter and Lily scrambled down the stairs.
Lily was dragging her suitcase, her slip dress tangled around her knees, shivering from the cold air.
Carter was carrying his shoes, his face flushed with humiliation and rage.
“You are going to regret this, Serena,” Carter spat as he reached the bottom step.
“You are a cold, heartless bitch. No wonder you have to buy your affection.”
I didn't even blink.
“Escort them off the property,” I told the lead security officer.
“And if they step foot on the driveway again, have them arrested for trespassing.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
The guards grabbed Carter by the arms.
“Get your hands off me!” Carter yelled, but they easily dragged him backward through the open doors.
Lily scurried after him, sobbing loudly, tripping over her own suitcase.
The heavy doors slammed shut behind them.
The electronic locks clicked into place.
I stood in my foyer, entirely alone.
The house was quiet again.
May you like
I walked into the living room, picked up a bottle of untouched champagne from the dismantled tower, and popped the cork.
My wedding night had finally begun.
