Chapter 6 - The Public Humiliation
Desperation makes people do stupid things.
Instead of accepting her fate, Chloe tried to maintain her socialite status. She and Derek attended a charity gala hosted by the country club they were secretly two months behind on paying dues for. They needed to secure a loan from one of their wealthy "friends."
Arthur Vance happened to be on the board of that country club. He invited Mary and me as his personal guests.
We walked into the glittering ballroom just as Derek was cornering a local real estate developer, sweating profusely as he pitched a "bridge loan."
I walked right up to the table.
"Evening, Derek," I said loudly, drawing the attention of the surrounding tables. "I see you're still trying to spend other people's money."
Derek froze. Chloe, wearing a dress I had paid for three years ago, turned pale.
"Robert," Derek hissed through gritted teeth. "Leave us alone. You’re embarrassing us."
"I think you've done a fine job of that yourselves," Arthur Vance said, stepping up beside me. Arthur looked at the real estate developer. "Tom, I wouldn't lend this man a dime. He just tried to fraudulently seize his father-in-law's estate to pay off high-risk gambling debts."
The entire table gasped. The whispers spread through the ballroom like wildfire.
"That's a lie!" Chloe shrieked, losing her composure entirely.
May you like
"Is it?" I asked, pulling out the police report regarding the forged quitclaim deed. I dropped it on the pristine white tablecloth. "You tried to throw your own mother into the street. You have no money, no morals, and as of tonight, no friends in this room."
Security was called. But they didn't escort us out. They escorted Chloe and Derek out, as their club membership had officially been revoked for non-payment.
