Chapter 4 - The Deed Unveiled
The room went so quiet that the faint hum of the air conditioner sounded like a roar.
Vivian’s sneer froze on her face. "What did you just say?"
Officer Miller reached down, picked up my handbag from the floor, and pulled out the legal documents tucked inside the side pocket. She unclasped the heavy brass seal on the deed folder and read the top page under the foyer lights.
"Deed of Full Conveyance," Officer Miller read aloud. "Property located at 450 Riverside Drive, Penthouse A. Sole registered owner: Claire Vance."
Officer Miller looked up at Vivian, then back at the document. "This property was transferred and fully recorded eight months ago."
Vivian’s eyes bulged. She snatched the air as if trying to breathe. "No! That's impossible! This apartment belongs to my sister, Margaret! She let us live here! Margaret would never sell this place without telling me!"
"Margaret sold it to me because she knew what kind of people you and Daniel were," I said from the gurney, my voice weak but laced with satisfaction. "She was tired of paying your maintenance fees while you bragged to the high-society clubs about owning a Riverside penthouse. I paid her fair market value from my grandmother's estate on one condition: that she keep the sale quiet until I decided to reveal it."
Daniel looked at his mother, his face twisted in utter disbelief and betrayal. "Mom... what is she talking about? You told me Aunt Margaret gave you the apartment!"
"She lied to you, Daniel," I said. "Just like she lies to everyone."
Vivian looked around the luxurious penthouse—the imported Italian marble, the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Hudson River, the gilded chandeliers—and realized that every inch of the luxury she boasted about belonged entirely to the woman she had just called "worthless."
"Officer," I said, looking at Officer Miller. "I am placing a formal trespass order against Vivian Whitmore. She has no lease, no ownership rights, and no permission to be on my property. Please remove her."
Officer Miller turned to her partner. "Officer Davis, escort Mrs. Whitmore off the premises immediately. If she refuses to leave the building, place her under arrest for criminal trespass."
"You can't do this to me!" Vivian screamed as Officer Davis grabbed her arm. "This is my home! My clothes are in the master suite! My jewelry!"
"You have ten minutes to grab your handbag and coat," Officer Davis said sternly, pushing her toward the elevator. "Anything else will have to be retrieved during a court-ordered property division, if the owner permits it."
"Daniel! Do something!" Vivian wailed as she was forced into the elevator cabin, her designer heels clicking frantically against the floor.
Daniel stood handcuffed beside Officer Miller, his eyes wide with horror as he realized the magnitude of his ruin. In fifteen minutes, he had lost his dignity, his freedom, his career, and the four-million-dollar penthouse he thought he inherited.
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"Claire... please," Daniel begged, tears finally pooling in his eyes. "I made a mistake. I was stressed about work. My mother pressured me... you know how she is! Don't do this to me. If I go to central booking, the firm will fire me by morning!"
"You should have thought about that before you raised your hand, Daniel," I said as the paramedics wheeled my gurney into the private elevator. "I'll see you in court."
