Chapter 5 - The Eviction of the Parasites
Three days later, the trap snapped shut.
I stood on the sidewalk across the street from the mansion, watching through the wrought-iron gates. Next to me stood Arthur Vance and two uniformed sheriff's deputies.
Inside the house, Gertrude and Prudence were completely unaware of what was coming. Over the last three days, I had frozen every single bank account associated with my name. I had cancelled their credit cards, shut off the authorized user accounts, and revoked the lease on Prudence’s Mercedes, which had already been repossessed from the driveway the night before.
The deputies walked up the paved driveway and knocked loudly on the grand double doors.
A moment later, Gertrude opened the door. Even from across the street, I could see the panic on her face. She was wearing casual clothes, her hair unwashed. The glamour of her high-society life had evaporated the moment her credit cards stopped working.
"Gertrude Miller?" one of the deputies asked, holding up a stack of legal documents. "We are here to serve an emergency eviction notice and a temporary restraining order. You and Prudence Miller have exactly two hours to vacate these premises."
"What?!" Gertrude’s shriek echoed down the quiet street. "This is my son's house! He wouldn't do this to me!"
"The owner of the property, David Miller, has filed the order," the deputy said coldly, stepping past her into the foyer. "You have two hours to pack your personal belongings. Anything left behind after 2:00 PM will be considered abandoned property."
Prudence came running down the stairs, screaming and crying. "You can't do this! Where are we supposed to go? We don't have any money!"
"That is not our concern, ma'am," the deputy replied. "I suggest you start packing."
I walked slowly up the driveway, my hands in my pockets. When Gertrude saw me, her eyes flared with a mixture of rage and desperation. She ran out onto the porch, falling to her knees in front of me.
"David! Please!" she sobbed, grabbing at the cuffs of my jeans. "I'm your mother! You can't put me on the street! I made mistakes, yes, but I did it for us! I wanted us to look respectable! Please, don't do this!"
I looked down at her. I felt no anger. I felt no pity. I felt only a profound sense of justice.
"When Sarah begged you for food for our son, did you care about respectability?" I asked her, my voice quiet and steady. "When my six-year-old boy had to eat spoiled, sour rice while you drank imported wine, did you think about family?"
"David, she’s lying! She’s exaggerating!" Gertrude lied, still trying to manipulate me.
"I saw it with my own eyes, Gertrude," I said. "The doctor confirmed Jamie is malnourished. The police have already opened a criminal investigation for child neglect and financial fraud. You aren't just leaving this house. You're likely going to jail."
Gertrude froze, her face turning a sickly shade of gray.
"Two hours," I said, stepping back from her. "If you are still here at 2:01 PM, the deputies will arrest you for trespassing."
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I turned my back on them and walked away. As I reached the gate, I heard Prudence screaming at her mother, blaming her for everything, while Gertrude wailed in despair.
The house of cards they had built on my sweat and blood had finally collapsed.
