Chapter 15 - THE EMPTY MANSION
The heavy front door clicked shut, leaving Evelyn Vance standing alone in the cavernous, silent mansion.
The US flag stood quietly in the corner, its red and white stripes catching the pale moonlight through the glass windows.
For the first time in her life, Evelyn felt the cold, suffocating grip of absolute powerlessness crushing her spirit.
Her bank accounts were empty, her son was in federal custody, and her social standing had evaporated into thin air.
She walked slowly toward the curved staircase, her legs feeling weak and heavy beneath her silk robe.
The scattered white pearls from Mariana's broken necklace still lay forgotten near the base of the marble pillars.
Evelyn knelt down with a trembling sigh, picking up a single pearl between her wrinkled fingers.
May you like
She realized with sickening clarity that their arrogance had driven the only real asset of the family straight into a warpath.
There was no rescue coming, no bailout waiting, and no way to reverse the catastrophe they had manufactured.
