Chapter 2 - The Reading of the Deed
Arthur Sterling stood on the marble steps, his midnight blue suit immaculate as the golden hour sun glinted off his US flag lapel pin.
Victoria’s hands trembled against her emerald lace gown, her face turning pale as she stared down at the dark fleet of luxury SUVs.
“Arthur, what is the meaning of this circus?” Victoria demanded, her voice cracking as she tried to regain her composure.
Arthur didn't even look at her.
He walked past the stunned matriarch, his heavy leather shoes clicking against the granite as he approached Vivian and her daughters.
Harrison, the charcoal-suited lawyer, stepped forward and opened the heavy manila folder, pulling out three notarized deeds bearing the seal of the Supreme Court of Virginia.
“As of four o'clock this afternoon, Victoria Sterling has no legal claim to this property,” Harrison announced clearly.
Chloe gasped, clutching her champagne silk gown as she took a step back toward the carved oak doors of the mansion.
“That’s impossible!” Chloe shrieked, her dark eyes flashing with panic. “My mother owns this estate!”
“Your mother spent twenty years managing a lie,” Arthur declared, his voice cold as iron. “This land was purchased by Vivian’s late father through the United States Department of Defense.”
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Vivian pulled her four-year-old daughter closer, feeling the little girl’s small fingers tighten around her plush bunny.
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