Chapter 6 - The Last Audit
The harsh whine of the locksmith's drill cut through the heavy silence of the study, vibrating through the floorboards and rattling the glass display cases that held Steven's collection of ornamental artifacts. Outside, the morning sky had grown even darker, the persistent drizzle turning into a steady sheet of cold rain that soaked the designer suits of the remaining onlookers who refused to leave until they saw the final eviction play out. Steven stood motionless in the center of the room, staring at the leather suitcase resting by his feet as if it belonged to a total stranger. The reality of his absolute destitution was finally beginning to settle into his bones, replacing the numbing shock with a slow-burning, agonizing dread.
"Your time is officially up, Mr. Morrison," Eric Vance’s voice echoed from the doorway, breaking the heavy stillness. The corporate attorney stood with his arms crossed, holding a digital tablet that displayed the final inventory checklist of the property's assets. "The court-appointed inventory of personal effects has been completed, and the writ of execution is fully executed. You, your wife, and your dependents are required to exit the perimeter immediately."
Steven slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot and hollow. "Eric... you've known our family for years. You helped draft the original trust. Surely there's a grace period. A settlement option. Something we can negotiate before we're thrown out onto the street like common vagrants."
"There was a grace period, Steven," Betty said, stepping out from behind the mahogany desk with the thick blue folder clutched firmly in her hands. She walked toward them with measured, unhurried steps, her presence commanding every square inch of the room. "It lasted six years. Every single day you spent looking down your nose at the woman who gave you life, every single time you pretended I didn't exist when your high-society friends came over for dinner, every single lie you told to maintain an image of self-made brilliance—that was your grace period. It expired at two o'clock this morning."
Before Steven could utter another syllable, Victoria stormed into the study, her face streaked with tears and smeared makeup, her designer hair completely ruined by stress and panic. She grabbed Steven by the collar of his sweater and shook him with sudden, violent desperation.
"Do something!" Victoria shrieked, her voice cracking with hysteria. "Tell your mother you'll sign whatever she wants! Call your father-in-law back! Tell him to send his lawyers! We cannot be homeless, Steven! My mother is sitting out in the rain in her mink coat waiting for her driver, and the entire city is watching us get thrown out like garbage!"
"Your father's lawyers won't touch this, Victoria," Betty replied coldly, her gaze shifting to the frantic socialite. "I had Eric audit your family's corporate holdings late last night. Your father’s firm is currently facing federal insolvency investigations due to massive speculative debt. The only reason they haven't filed for bankruptcy yet is because they were quietly bleeding dry the liquid accounts of the shell companies Steven set up with my capital. You didn't marry a billionaire, Victoria. You married an empty suit who was laundering my retirement funds to finance your country club memberships."
Victoria recoiled as if she had been physically struck, her hands dropping away from Steven's collar. She stared at Betty with wide, terrified eyes, the horrifying realization finally dawning on her that her entire world—her social standing, her wealth, her security—was nothing more than an elaborate house of cards built on stolen foundations.
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"That's a lie," Victoria whispered, shaking her head frantically. "That's a lie! We have assets! We have stocks! We have—"
"You have nothing," Betty interrupted, her voice cutting through Victoria's denial like a razor. "And by tomorrow morning, the forensic accountants will ensure that every single penny of my capital is legally frozen and returned to its rightful origin. You are starting over with zero. Exactly where Steven was six years ago."
