Chapter 4 - The Gate(Approx. 1,800 words)
The following afternoon was bright and sunny.
Derek slept late, waking up past noon. He spent the morning lounging in his silk robe with Chloe, having coffee delivered to the patio while his mother sat inside reviewing home design catalogs for her planned renovations to the guest wing.
"We should tear out those gardens Audrey planted," Chloe remarked, leaning against the wrought-iron patio railing. "They look so outdated. I want a modern infinity pool right there."
"Anything you want, sweetheart," Derek said smoothly, taking a sip of dark roast. "Once Audrey settles down and we finalize the separation, I’ll have the contractors start digging."
Around 2:00 PM, a sleek black town car pulled up outside the heavy iron gates of the Ridgeview estate.
Derek frowned from the patio. "Are we expecting a delivery?"
"Maybe it's the wine shipment I ordered," Evelyn said, walking out onto the terrace.
The gates didn't open. Instead, two men in tailored dark suits stepped out of the back of the car. One was an elderly gentleman with silver hair and a silver-tipped walking cane—Thomas Vance. Beside him stood a younger man holding a thick leather briefcase.
Behind the town car, a marked Sheriff's Department cruiser pulled up to the curb, its lights flashing silently.
Derek’s brow furrowed. "What the hell is the police doing here?"
He set his coffee cup down and walked down the grand stone steps toward the front gate, flanked by Chloe and Evelyn.
"Can I help you?" Derek called out through the iron bars, trying to maintain his usual posture of supreme authority. "This is private property. If you're looking for someone, you need to state your business."
Thomas Vance stopped at the gate. He didn't smile. He didn't look angry. He looked at Derek with the detached pity one might reserve for a stray dog barking behind a fence.
"Derek Halston?" Thomas asked calmly.
"Yes, I am Derek Halston, founder and CEO of Halston Capital," Derek said loudly, making sure Chloe heard his title. "And who are you?"
"My name is Thomas Vance. I am the managing partner of Vance, Sterling & Associates, and the chief legal counsel for the Vance Family Trust."
Derek’s heart gave a sudden, unexpected thud. Vance. He knew the name, of course, but Audrey had rarely talked about her family's legal representation.
"If Audrey sent you here to negotiate a settlement, you can tell her to come back herself," Derek scoffed, folding his arms. "She walked out yesterday without an explanation. I am not dealing with her lawyers until she comes home and acts like a reasonable adult."
Thomas reached into his associate's briefcase and pulled out a thick envelope bound in legal red tape.
"I am not here to negotiate, Mr. Halston," Thomas said, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet driveway. "I am here to serve you with formal legal notice."
He slid the top document through the iron bars of the gate.
Derek hesitated, then snatched the paper, glaring at the attorney. "Notice for what?"
"First, a formal notice of immediate eviction," Thomas stated smoothly. "Under Section 4 of the Vance Trust Agreement executed six years ago, your residential occupancy lease for 404 Ridgeview Manor was contingent upon your status as a lawful spouse residing with the primary beneficiary, Audrey Vance. As Miss Vance permanently vacated the premises yesterday due to domestic misconduct, your occupancy license was revoked at midnight."
Chloe frowned, looking at Derek. "Wait... what lease? Derek, what is he talking about?"
Derek’s face went slightly pale, but he forced a laugh. "This is a joke. This is my house! I paid for the interior, I pay the maintenance, I—"
"You pay a nominal monthly utility fee, Mr. Halston," Thomas interrupted coolly. "The title to this land, the structure, the surrounding thirty acres, and every piece of built-in furniture belongs exclusively to the Vance Family Trust. You do not own a single brick of this property."
Evelyn stepped forward, her face contorted in rage. "How dare you! My son has spent six years building up the reputation of this estate! You can't just throw him out!"
"Mrs. Halston," Thomas said, turning his cold gaze upon her. "You are also listed on page three of the document as an unauthorized trespasser. You have ninety minutes to remove your personal belongings from the premises before the Sheriff's deputies behind me execute a physical removal."
Chloe turned to Derek, her voice dropping into a sharp, horrified whisper.
"Derek... what is going on? You told my father you owned this estate. You showed him the property tax records!"
"I... I do!" Derek stammered, his eyes darting frantically across the document. "There’s a mistake! Audrey can't do this! We're married!"
"Not for much longer," Thomas added, pulling out a second document. "This is the petition for emergency divorce on the grounds of marital fraud, physical neglect post-childbirth, and adultery. Attached to it is an emergency restraining order prohibiting you from coming within five hundred feet of Audrey Vance or your daughter, Maisie."
"You can't keep me from my daughter!" Derek roared, slamming his fist against the iron gate.
"You ignored seventeen telephone calls while she was being delivered, Mr. Halston," Thomas replied without an ounce of warmth. "And according to the hospital logs, you spent the night of her birth at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Richmond with Miss Chloe right beside you."
Chloe gasped, taking a fast step back from Derek. She looked at Thomas, then at the police car, and finally at Derek, whose face was now completely drained of color.
"You said... you said your wife was at her mother's house because she was tired," Chloe whispered, her eyes wide with sudden, terrifying realization. "You told me you were single when we met six months ago!"
"Chloe, wait, let me explain—" Derek reached for her arm.
"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, pulling back in disgust. "My father gave you a two-hundred-thousand-dollar deposit for that development project last week! Did you lie to him about that too?!"
"Mr. Halston," Thomas concluded, looking at his watch. "It is now 2:15 PM. At 3:45 PM, the locksmiths will arrive to change the security codes and deadbolts. The deputies will assist you in packing one suitcase of personal clothing. All vehicles registered under corporate leases tied to the Vance trust—including the Porsche in your garage—are being repossessed as we speak."
As if on cue, a flatbed tow truck pulled up down the street, its winch clanking loudly in the quiet afternoon air.
Chloe looked at the tow truck, then at Derek's pale, trembling face.
May you like
She took three steps back, looked him dead in the eye, and whispered the question that shattered the last piece of Derek’s carefully constructed illusion:
"You said this house belonged to you... You're nothing but a fraud."
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