Chapter 3: The Complete Eviction
Judge Harrison hammered his gavel down, the sharp crack echoing like a thunderclap through the courtroom. "Silence! I have reviewed the clause, and I have reviewed the submitted evidence. The language of Article Twelve is unambiguous and legally binding."
The judge looked down at Richard with profound disgust. "Mr. Sterling, you brought your mistress into my courtroom wearing the plaintiff’s stolen family heirlooms while claiming she was leaving with nothing. The court finds you in gross violation of the morality clause. Effective immediately, one hundred percent of your shares in Sterling Capital are transferred to Caroline Sterling. The Belle Meade estate, the penthouse, and the Aspen property are now solely her assets."
"No!" Sloane shrieked, standing up from the gallery. "What about my apartment? What about my allowance? Richard, do something!"
"Shut up, Sloane!" Richard screamed, turning on her in a fit of rage. "This is your fault! You insisted on wearing those damn earrings today!"
"Security, remove the gallery spectator," Judge Harrison ordered calmly.
Two armed bailiffs immediately stepped forward, grabbing Sloane by her expensive silk sleeves. She struggled, her heels scuffing against the floor as she was dragged out of the courtroom, sobbing and cursing Richard’s name.
Richard sank to his knees beside his legal table, his expensive suit rumpling against the floor. He looked up at me, his eyes wide with desperation. "Caroline, please. You can't take the company. Sterling Capital is my life! I built it!"
"My money funded it, Richard," I said, standing up slowly, assisted by Miriam. "My dignity sustained it. You were just the face of it. And as of today, you are fired."
Three weeks later, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy named Liam. He had my eyes and a strength that filled my heart the moment I held him.
The day I was discharged from the hospital, I didn't go back to the small apartment Richard had tried to force me into. A private driver picked me up and drove me straight to the gates of the massive Belle Meade estate.
When the car pulled up to the front entrance, I found a moving truck parked in the driveway. Two sheriffs stood on the porch, overseeing the eviction. Richard was standing on the lawn, holding two battered cardboard boxes—all he was legally allowed to take from the property.
He looked gaunt, his hair unwashed, wearing a cheap, wrinkled shirt. When he saw the luxury SUV pull up, he ran toward the window. "Caroline! Please! The board voted me out completely yesterday! I have no income! The bank is freezing my personal accounts for the corporate audit! Just let me stay in the guest house. I'll do anything!"
I rolled down the window just an inch, looking down at the man who had once laughed at my pregnant belly and told me I would leave with nothing.
May you like
"The locks have already been changed, Richard," I said smoothly. "And by the way, the sheriff found my grandmother's sapphires in your possession. They've been returned to my jewelry box. Goodbye."
I rolled the window back up, shutting out his frantic pleading. The security gates closed behind us, sealing him out of my life forever.
