Chapter 4 - The Shadow of the Eviction Notice
Before Lily could demand an explanation from her mother, a violent pounding shook the thin wooden door of the apartment, causing the chipped paint to flake onto the floorboards.
"Sterling! Open the damn door!" a coarse, gravelly voice bellowed from the hallway.
Noah shrank back onto the sofa, pulling his knees to his chest. It was Marcus Pike—the ruthless building superintendent who worked for the notorious slumlord syndicate that owned half the dilapidated properties in the East End.
Lily stood up, wiping her tears, and walked to the door. She unlocked the deadbolt and pulled it open just enough to see Pike’s red, bloated face. He reeked of cheap bourbon and stale cigarettes.
"You're four days late on the rent, princess," Pike sneered, shoving a stained sheet of paper against the doorframe. "Five hundred and fifty bucks, plus a hundred-dollar late penalty. Pay up right now, or I'm putting your sick mother and that brat out on the sidewalk before midnight."
"You can't do that, Marcus," Lily said, her voice firm despite the adrenaline surging through her veins. "The law requires a thirty-day notice."
"The law?" Pike laughed mockingly, stepping into the doorway so she couldn't shut it. "Take a look around, girl. Do you see any cops down here? You pay me six hundred and fifty in cash right now, or your stuff hits the snow."
In the past, Lily would have begged. She would have emptied her pockets, handed over every single crumpled five-dollar bill she had made that day, and offered to scrub the hallways for free just to buy another three days of shelter.
But tonight, everything had changed.
"I don't have cash tonight," Lily said calmly, looking directly into Pike’s bloodshot eyes. "Tomorrow morning at nine-fifteen, I will be at the bank. I will bring you a certified cashier’s check for the entire year's rent in advance. If you lay a single finger on my family tonight, I swear to God I will hire the most expensive attorney in this city and have you thrown in prison for harassment."
Pike stared at her, stunned by the sudden steel in her voice. He had spent two years bullying this terrified girl, but tonight, the frightened rabbit had the eyes of a wolf.
He spat on the floor near her shoe. "Nine-fifteen tomorrow morning, Sterling. If you don't have that money by ten, I'm bringing three guys with crowbars."
He slammed the door shut and stomped down the hallway.
Lily locked the deadbolt, rested her forehead against the cold wood, and took a deep, shuddering breath. She turned to look at her mother, who was watching her with an expression of profound sorrow.
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"Mom," Lily whispered, walking back to the cot. "You have to tell me the truth. Who was Dad really? And why did Arthur Vance react like that when he saw our name?"
Eleanor reached out, her frail fingers tracing the contours of the silver locket around Lily’s neck. "Your father didn't abandon us, Lily. He was murdered. And the people who destroyed him are the same people who sit in the high towers of this city... including the Vance family."
