Chapter 3 - The Vultures Attack
Claire stood up from the marble counter. She didn't slam her chair. She simply walked out of the kitchen with the terrifying grace of an apex predator.
Behind her, the vultures immediately swooped in.
"I claim the master bedroom!" Lauren cheered, setting her wine glass on the pristine marble. "Michael, we can completely tear out that ugly soaking tub and put in a massive walk-in shower. And the guest room overlooking the lake will be perfect for the nursery."
"See, Evan?" Diane praised her cowardly son, patting his blue shirt. "I told you she would fold. She always does. You’re the man of the house, you make the decisions. Your brother needs this."
Evan offered a weak, nervous smile, completely desperate for his mother's validation.
Upstairs, Claire walked into the massive master closet. She didn't pack her entire wardrobe. She didn't pack the expensive jewelry or the designer shoes Evan thought he had bought for her.
She reached under the floorboards of her closet and pulled out a small, locked fireproof box.
Inside were the true, unredacted corporate documents for Vanguard Holdings—the anonymous shell company that legally owned the lakefront mansion, the luxury cars in the driveway, and ninety-five percent of Evan's tech startup.
She placed the folder into a single leather tote bag. She packed one change of clothes, her laptop, and her encrypted phone.
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She wasn't just going to leave the house. She was going to completely, utterly dismantle Evan's entire fraudulent reality.
👉 Claire walked back downstairs, preparing to say goodbye to a man who was about to lose absolutely everything.
