Chapter 3 - The Eviction Notice
The silence in the garden was absolute.
"The property management group?" Helen's voice lost a bit of its venom, replaced by a sudden, sharp edge of anxiety. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"You like to talk about structure, Mother. You like to talk about what God intended," Thomas said, holding his phone up. "Let's talk about the suburban house on Cherry Creek. The one you and Robert have lived in rent-free for the last six years."
"That is our home!" Robert yelled, his chest heaving.
"It is my property," Thomas corrected coldly. "I bought it. My name is on the deed. I pay the mortgage, the property taxes, the insurance, and the lawn care. I even pay for the groceries that sit in your refrigerator. I let you live there because I believed in family. I believed that if I carried the weight, you would at least love my children."
He pressed a button on his phone and put it on speaker.
"This is Thomas Vance," he said when a professional voice answered. "I want to initiate an immediate lease termination and vacation protocol for the property on 1422 Cherry Creek Lane."
"Thomas, no!" Helen shrieked, taking a step forward.
"Are you sure, Mr. Vance?" the agent on the phone asked. "The current occupants are family, correct?"
"They were," Thomas said, keeping his eyes locked on his mother's terrified face. "The property needs to be fully vacated within thirty days. Send the formal notice to their email and physically deliver the paper copy to the front door tomorrow morning. Do not offer an extension."
"Understood, Mr. Vance. We will initiate the process immediately."
Thomas ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
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"You can't do this!" Robert roared, slamming his cane against the concrete. "We are your parents! You would throw us onto the street over some chores? Over a lesson?"
"It wasn't a lesson, Robert. It was abuse," Thomas said, his voice deadly quiet. "You humiliated my children because you wanted to prove you could. Well, now you have thirty days to find a place of your own. Let's see how much respect you get in the real world when you have to pay your own way."
