Chapter 3 - The Eviction
Reid straightened up, puffing out his chest in a desperate display of Texas bravado, though his eyes darted nervously toward the three tactical operatives standing near the door.
"You can't just walk in here and—do you know who I am?" Reid barked, pointing a finger at Nolan. "I am the primary commercial developer in Dallas! This is my wife, and this is a private family matter!"
Nolan didn't even blink. He looked at Reid the way a high-powered executive looks at a stray dog tracking mud onto a pristine carpet.
"I know exactly who you are, Mr. Kessler," Nolan replied evenly. "You are a man who just committed felony assault, corporate fraud, and breach of fiduciary trust against the sole heir to the Bellamy Estate. And as of four minutes ago, your corporate lines of credit have been frozen by executive order of the primary board of trustees."
Marjorie gasped, dropping her handbag onto the linoleum floor. Contents spilled everywhere—lipsticks, mints, and a gold-plated compact scattering across the tiles. "Frozen? That's impossible! Our primary accounts are with Texas First Commerce!"
"And Texas First Commerce was acquired by Bellamy Holdings twenty minutes ago," Nolan said without breaking eye contact with Reid. He clicked open the titanium briefcase, pulling out a thick sheaf of legal documents stamped with federal and corporate seals. "Mr. Kessler, you are officially served with an immediate restraining order barring you from all Bellamy properties, residential estates, and corporate subsidiaries."
Tessa let out a strangled sob, grabbing Reid’s arm. "Reid... what is he talking about? Make them stop! Call your lawyers!"
"His lawyers are currently being audited by the federal tax division," Nolan said smoothly. "Along with the offshore accounts Ms. Langley helped set up using embezzled funds from the Kessler Foundation."
Tessa turned completely white. She looked at Reid, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "You said those accounts were clean! You told me nobody would ever trace them!"
"Shut up, Tessa," Reid hissed, his face flushing dark red with blind panic and humiliation. He turned back toward me, his expression twisting from fear into pure, venomous malice. "You bitch. You set this up from the very beginning, didn't you? You played the victim just so you could strip everything away from me!"
"You broke eight of my ribs, Reid," I said quietly, my voice steady as I swung my legs over the edge of the hospital bed, ignoring the sharp, tearing pain in my chest. "I didn't have to set you up. You destroyed yourself the moment you thought money could buy a human soul."
Nolan stepped forward, offering me his arm with formal, old-world grace. I took it, using his solid frame to steady myself as I stood up from the bed.
"Where do you think you're going?" Reid demanded, lunging forward as if to grab my arm.
Before Reid's fingers could even brush my sleeve, two of the tactical operatives stepped in unison, blocking his path with the quiet, terrifying efficiency of a brick wall. One of them casually rested his hand near the baton on his belt.
Reid froze, his chest heaving.
May you like
"Home, Reid," I said, pausing at the threshold of the door to look back at my husband. "Though I suppose you'll have to find somewhere else to stay tonight. The Dallas mansion was purchased under my prenuptial asset trust. You're locked out."
---
