Chapter 10 - The Fall of Eleanor
The Sterling manor seemed vastly different under the gray downpour of the following morning. The towering wrought-iron gates were pushed wide, flanked by unmarked police vehicles and representatives from the federal receiver's office. Inside the grand foyer, the crystal chandelier illuminated an environment of utter chaos.
Eleanor Sterling stood by the sweeping marble staircase, draped in her silk dressing gown, clutching her pearls with a fury that bordered on madness.
""Do you know who I am?"" Eleanor shrieked at the two agents cataloging the antique furniture. ""I am a Sterling! This house has stood for four generations! You have no authority to touch these tapestries!""
""The house belongs to the Vandermeer Trust, Mrs. Sterling,"" a calm voice cut through the shouting.
Eleanor froze. Nora walked through the towering glass doors—the exact doors she had been commanded to leave through twenty-four hours earlier. Beside her walked Arthur Vance, sporting a neat bandage above his temple, carrying a certified eviction warrant stamped by the state supreme court.
Eleanor’s eyes blazed with hatred. ""You ungrateful little mouse! My son gave you a name! He plucked you from your dying father’s bankrupt laboratory and gave you status!""
""Julian didn't give me anything,"" Nora replied evenly, stopping at the exact spot where Eleanor had mocked her the previous day. ""And as it turns out, neither did you. Julian was arrested at 2:00 AM for wire fraud and conspiracy. The board has already nullified his directorship based on the covenant retrieved from Vault 4.""
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Eleanor’s hand dropped from her pearls. Her mouth opened, but no sound emerged. The grand facade she had spent fifty years constructing crumbled in an instant.
""Pack your personal clothing, Eleanor,"" Nora added, her voice dropping into a quiet, merciless cadence. ""And leave everything my father paid for.""
