Chapter 5 - The Legal Reality
I tapped my phone again, projecting the digital copies of the property deed and mortgage documents onto the smart television screen mounted on the living room wall.
Large, bold letters illuminated the room: SOLE OWNER: ELENA VANCE. Below that, the purchase history clearly showed the down payment wire transfer originating from my personal pre-marital account, accumulated years before I even met Lucas.
Evelyn stared at the screen, her eyes wide with horror as the undeniable truth stared her right in the face. Her fantasy of her son being the grand provider, and her subsequent right to rule over his domain, shattered into a million pieces.
“No… no, this has to be forged,” Evelyn stammered, shaking her head frantically. “A woman can’t… a young woman doesn’t buy a place like this on her own! You manipulated the records!”
“It’s entirely real, Mom,” Lucas said bitterly. “Elena worked two jobs straight out of university while I was still trying to figure out my career. She bought this apartment before we were even married. When we got married, she graciously put my name on the secondary residency rights, but legally and financially, this roof over your head belongs entirely to my wife.”
Kimberly looked like she was about to pass out. The reality that she had just tried to bully and evict the actual legal owner of a multi-million-dollar apartment finally began to sink into her thick skull. Her plan to live rent-free in luxury was evaporating before her eyes.
“You… you can’t kick us out!” Kimberly cried, her voice cracking with panic. “We have a baby coming! Where are we supposed to go? Mom, tell them they can’t do this!”
“You are going back to the apartment you currently lease, the one your husband pays for, or you can check into a motel,” I said calmly. “Because as of right now, you are officially trespassing on private property.”
Evelyn’s face flushed a deep, unhealthy crimson. The humiliation of being defeated by the daughter-in-law she had disrespected for a decade was too much for her fragile ego to bear. She stood up straight, drawing herself up to her full, short height, trying to muster whatever shreds of dignity she had left.
May you like
“This is disgraceful!” Evelyn spat out, her voice trembling with rage. “You have completely turned my son against his own blood! You are a cold-hearted parasite, Elena, and you, Lucas, are a disappointment of a son! Come along, Kimberly. We don’t stay where we aren’t wanted by ungrateful monsters.”
“The only monsters here are the ones who tried to throw a child out of her own home,” Lucas replied coldly. “And don’t bother calling me for money anymore. The well is permanently dry.”
