PART 4 The Legal Eviction Notice
The word evicted hung in the heavy air of the penthouse like a physical blow.
For a few seconds, nobody moved. Then, Carmen let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh, throwing her hands up in the air.
“Evicted? From our own home? Are you insane, Mariana? This apartment belongs to Daniel as much as it belongs to you! We are family! You can’t just kick us out!”
“Actually, I can,” I said, walking over to the entryway where my briefcase sat. I unzipped the front pocket and pulled out three official legal documents, sliding them across the marble coffee table toward them. “Take a look for yourselves.”
Daniel snatched the papers up first, his eyes darting across the legal terminology. As he read, his face turned from red to an ash-gray color. His hands began to shake violently.
“No... this... this isn’t legal,” Daniel whispered, staring at me as if looking at a stranger. “The pre-nuptial agreement... the property deed...”
“The pre-nuptial agreement explicitly states that any real estate purchased with pre-marital corporate dividends and registered solely under my individual business holding LLC remains 100% my separate property,” I explained calmly, reciting the clauses as clearly as if I were presenting a multi-million-dollar pitch to corporate investors. “And the deed to this penthouse was signed, sealed, and executed under my independent corporate entity three months before we even tied the knot. You don’t own a brick of this place, Daniel. Neither does your mother.”
Carmen snatched the papers from Daniel’s trembling hands, her eyes scanning the official stamps and signatures of Alejandro’s firm. When she realized it was entirely legitimate, her face contorted with pure, unadulterated rage.
“You planned this!” Carmen shrieked, grabbing a decorative ceramic vase from the side table and smashing it against the hardwood floor, sending shards flying in every direction. “You cold-hearted, calculating monster! You think you can just throw us out on the street? We have rights! We will sue you! We will drag your name through the mud! We’ll make sure everyone in your company knows what kind of evil, selfish bitch you really are!”
“Go right ahead,” I said, picking up my briefcase and slipping my phone into my pocket. “Call every lawyer in the city. Call the tabloids. See if any court in the country protects adult freeloaders who abuse a toddler. But while you’re figuring that out, you have exactly four hours to pack your bags and leave.”
“Four hours?!” Valeria screamed, tears of genuine panic welling in her eyes. “Where are we supposed to go? We don’t have any money! Our cards are declined! We can’t even book a hotel room!”
“That sounds like a wonderful opportunity for you all to practice the discipline you were preaching to my daughter last night,” I replied smoothly. “A little discomfort builds character, doesn’t it?”
Without waiting for another word, I turned on my heel, walked down the hallway to the guest bedroom, and scooped Camila into my arms. She blinked sleepily, wrapping her little arms around my neck.
“Mommy, are we going somewhere fun?” she asked softly.
“Yes, sweetheart. We’re going to a brand-new home where it’s always warm, and nobody is ever mean to you,” I whispered, carrying her out the front door and locking it securely behind us.
I checked into a luxury executive suite at a five-star hotel downtown for the week, giving Alejandro’s security team full instructions to monitor the apartment and handle the physical removal of Daniel and his family if they resisted the eviction notice.
By 2:00 PM that afternoon, Alejandro sent me a short text message: “Property secured. Locks changed. All three of them have vacated the premises. Daniel attempted to make a scene in the lobby, but building security escorted them out with their suitcases.”
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I looked down at the screen, took a deep, steady breath of relief, and gently kissed the top of Camila’s head as she played happily with a new coloring book on the hotel bed.
The first phase of their downfall was complete. But I knew Daniel and Carmen wouldn’t go down quietly. They were arrogant, desperate, and completely unaccustomed to working for a living. And as the days ahead would prove, their desperation was going to drive them to make mistakes that would seal their fate forever.
