Chapter 6 - Panic in the Suburbs
Meanwhile, in the affluent suburb of Oak Hills, the mansion was in a state of absolute chaos.
Helen Vance paced across the polished marble floor of the kitchen, her expensive diamond earrings catching the light as she held her phone to her ear. On the dining table, five different credit cards lay scattered, all of them declined.
"Richard! What do you mean the accounts are frozen?!" Helen screamed into the phone. "I was at the luxury boutique with Lauren, trying to buy her bridal shower dress, and every single card was rejected! Even the joint account!"
"Helen, it's worse than that," Richard’s voice came through the speaker, trembling with a raw, visceral panic. "The bank just notified me that my firm’s corporate line of credit has been revoked. And I just received a formal notice from Arthur’s legal team. He’s terminated his shipping contract with us. We’re ruined, Helen! If we don't pay our operating costs by Friday, the firm is going bankrupt!"
From the living room, Lauren stormed in, her face flushed with anger, holding the keys to the Cadillac. "Mom! What is going on? The navigation screen in the Cadillac is flashing a red warning light. It says 'Unauthorized Use - Return to Fleet Vehicle immediately.' I can't even get the garage door to open!"
Helen’s phone slipped from her hand, clattering against the granite countertop.
May you like
She looked out the window at the quiet, snowy driveway. The reality of what they had done was beginning to settle over them like a suffocating shroud. They had thought Madison was a victim they could easily exploit. They had assumed Arthur would never find out because Madison was too proud to beg for help.
But Arthur had found her. and now, the walls of their golden cage were closing in.
