Chapter 4: The Changing of the Locks
"Move aside, David," Alejandro ordered, trying to summon a remnant of his former executive authority, though his voice shook noticeably. "I need to speak with my wife. Let me through."
David didn't move an inch. He stood like a brick wall in the grand double-door entrance of the mansion. "I’m sorry, Mr. Vance. But my instructions are very specific. You and your mother are no longer permitted inside the main residential structure."
"What?!" Carmela shrieked, her face turning pale. "Are you insane? Our clothes are in there! My jewelry! My medication! You can't lock us out of our own home!"
"The guest house is still accessible to you for the next two hours to pack your personal belongings," David said, pointing toward the smaller, elegant building situated at the edge of the estate’s gardens. "Your personal clothing, shoes, and basic toiletries have already been moved there by the estate staff. Anything bought using corporate funds or expense accounts—including the jewelry your son gifted you last Christmas—remains inside the mansion under audit investigation."
"That jewelry was a gift!" Carmela screamed, her fists clenching. "He bought it for me with his own salary!"
"He bought it using a corporate credit card registered under the client entertainment fund," Victoria's voice answered as she walked down the grand marble staircase inside the foyer, visible through the glass panels of the front door. She opened the door just a few inches, looking out at them through the secure gap. "The audit shows the company paid for your diamond earrings, Carmela. Therefore, they belong to the company until a judge decides otherwise."
"Victoria, you can't do this to my mother!" Alejandro pleaded, pressing his hands against the glass door. "She is an old woman! Have some decency! Let us inside so we can talk like adults!"
"Decency, Alejandro?" Victoria asked, her eyes narrowing into cold slits. "Where was your decency last night when your mother was shredding my clothes into pieces on the kitchen floor? Where was your voice when she called me a worthless leech in front of our staff? You stood there and smiled because you thought she was protecting your fragile ego."
"I was shocked! I didn't know how to react!" Alejandro lied, his eyes darting around nervously.
"You knew exactly how to react. You reacted by protecting your source of comfort," Victoria said. She turned to a locksmith who had just walked up behind her inside the foyer. The man was holding a heavy duty electronic drill and a set of brand-new, high-security smart locks. "Proceed, Thomas."
The locksmith nodded and began drilling out the old lock cylinder of the grand front doors. The sharp, screeching sound of metal tearing into metal echoed through the quiet afternoon air, sounding like a death knell for Alejandro’s luxurious life.
"Victoria! Stop!" Alejandro yelled, pounding his fist against the reinforced wood. "Don't do this!"
"The locks on every external door, every garage, and every gate are being changed right now, Alejandro," Victoria told him through the opening. "The biometric data has been reset. Your thumbprints are deleted from the system. By 12:00 PM today, this house will be completely locked down."
"Where am I supposed to go?!" Alejandro cried out, the desperation finally breaking through his voice. "I don't have another place! My bank accounts are tied to the firm!"
"I suggest you use the next two hours to find a cheap hotel," Victoria said smoothly. "And you should probably help your mother pack her bags in the guest house. If you are still on the property at 12:01 PM, David has orders to have you arrested for criminal trespassing."
"You wouldn't dare," Carmela whispered, her voice trembling with pure hatred. "You wouldn't humiliate our family name like that."
"The Vance name belongs to me, Carmela. My father built the foundation, and I built the structure," Victoria said, looking at her watch. It was 11:15 AM. "You have forty-five minutes before the guest house power is cut off. I suggest you start packing."
With a firm click, the locksmith finished installing the new lock mechanism. Victoria stepped back, and David pulled the heavy mahogany doors shut, locking them from the inside with a deep, echoing thud that signaled the end of their conversation.
Alejandro stood frozen on the steps, his forehead pressed against the cold wood of the door. He could hear the faint sound of the locksmith moving down the hallway to change the patio doors next.
Carmela grabbed his arm, her fingers digging deep into his sleeve. Her face was frantic now, the reality of their situation finally breaking through her thick skull. "Alejandro, we have to go to the guest house! My gold watch is in the drawer there! We need to get it before she takes that too!"
Alejandro slowly turned around, looking out at the massive estate. The lawns were perfectly green, the fountains were flowing, but it all looked like a prison to him now. He had spent years pretending he was the master of this domain, and in less than twelve hours, he had been reduced to a homeless man standing on a gravel path.
"Let's go, Mom," Alejandro said, his voice completely dead. "Let's get our things."
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They walked silently across the lawn toward the guest house, their shadows stretching out behind them in the bright afternoon sun. But as they approached the small building, they noticed something strange—a black sedan with tinted windows was parked in the small lane behind the garden, its engine idling quietly.
Who was waiting for them?
