Chapter 5 - The Fall of the House
Over the next forty-eight hours, the Sterling family’s reputation was systematically dismantled.
The seizure of the estate was not a quiet affair. Grandfather ensured that the local news was tipped off. Vans from three different networks parked outside the gates, filming as movers hauled out priceless art, antique furniture, and luxury vehicles.
Sylvia Sterling’s country club membership was revoked by noon the next day. When she tried to enter the dining room for her weekly luncheon, the manager quietly escorted her off the premises. Her "friends," the women she had gossiped with for decades, turned their backs and pretended not to see her tears.
Robert’s business partners, seeing the federal indictments looming, severed all ties. His firm ousted him by a unanimous board vote to protect their own assets.
They were trapped in an empty mansion, stripped of all furniture, sleeping on air mattresses provided by their lawyers, with the power company threatening to shut off the grid due to unpaid bills.
I watched it all unfold from the safety of the penthouse.
“I almost feel sorry for them,” I murmured one evening, watching the news coverage of my parents fleeing from paparazzi outside a courthouse.
“Never pity a snake for losing its fangs, Elena,” Grandfather replied, sipping a glass of bourbon. “They did not pity you when you were bleeding in their foyer.”
My phone buzzed. It was an unknown number, but I recognized the frantic, desperate cadence of the text message instantly.
Elena, please. It’s Mom. We have nothing. The lawyers say we are facing twenty years. Arthur won’t take our calls. Please, talk to him. We are family. We love you. We just made a mistake.
I stared at the screen. A week ago, a message like this would have sent me running back to them, desperate for their approval, desperate for their love.
I looked down at Leo, who was sleeping peacefully in my arms. He was warm. He was safe.
I typed a single word in response.
May you like
No.
Then, I blocked the number.
