Chapter 4 - The Eviction
The headquarters of Miller Construction Enterprises occupied the top two floors of a glass-and-steel building in Lakebridge’s commercial district.
At 2:15 PM on Tuesday, three black SUVs pulled up to the front glass doors of the building.
The rain had stopped, replaced by a crisp, cold wind that swept across the pavement. Adrian stepped out of the lead vehicle first, buttoning his dark overcoat. He walked around to my side, opened the door, and held out his gloved hand to assist me.
I wore a tailored black coat draped over my shoulders to accommodate my right cast, dark trousers, and dark leather boots. My dark hair was styled cleanly, and my chin was held high. I didn't look like a victim recovering from surgery; I looked like an owner coming to collect a debt.
Four heavy security officers in dark suits followed us into the lobby, led by Adrian’s chief of security, a massive man named Viktor.
The lobby security guards immediately recognized Adrian Vale. They didn't ask for badges. They pressed the private elevator override button and stepped back with their heads lowered.
The elevator shot up to the twelfth floor.
When the silver doors slid open, the atmosphere inside Miller Construction was chaotic.
Employees were standing near the cubicles, whispering nervously. Two receptionists were frantically answering ringing phones that nobody was picking up.
In the center of the executive floor, standing outside his corner office, was Derek.
He looked terrible. His hair was unwashed, his suit was wrinkled, and dark purple bags hung beneath his bloodshot eyes. He was shouting at his chief financial officer, holding a stack of returned checks.
“What do you mean the payroll account is frozen? Unfreeze it! Call the bank!” Derek screamed.
“Mr. Miller, the bank won't talk to us!” the CFO pleaded, sweating profusely. “They said the primary credit line was called in by Vale Enterprise Holdings!”
“Vale doesn't own my company!” Derek yelled, slamming his hand onto the reception desk.
“No,” a deep, commanding voice rang out across the open floor. “I own the dirt you're standing on.”
Every head on the twelfth floor turned simultaneously.
Adrian walked through the glass doors, his long black coat swinging slightly with his stride. I walked directly beside him, my white cast visible against the dark fabric of my coat, my face calm and unreadable.
Derek stared at us as if he were seeing ghosts. His gaze fell on my arm, then shifted to Adrian, then to the four massive security guards following us.
“Emily...” Derek breathed, taking an involuntary step back.
“Mr. Miller,” Arthur Vance said, stepping forward with a team of three uniformed city marshals. “I am serving you with a formal Order of Eviction issued by the Municipal Court of New York. As of twelve o’clock noon today, Vale Real Estate Management has taken physical possession of this premises due to uncured mortgage defaults totaling four point two million dollars.”
“This is illegal!” Derek shrieked, his voice cracking with hysteria. “This is a hostile takeover! I have a lease!”
“Your lease was voided when you defaulted on three consecutive mortgage service payments,” Arthur said, handing the legal document to one of the marshals. “You have fifteen minutes to collect your personal effects. Any corporate property, client files, or computer equipment left on the premises will be seized under the court attachment order.”
“You can't do this to me!” Derek screamed, turning to the office staff. “Call security! Call the police!”
None of the employees moved. The CFO took his jacket off the back of his chair, picked up his briefcase, and walked straight past Derek toward the elevator without saying a word.
Derek looked around the room, realizing with horrifying clarity that every single person he had bullied and underpaid for five years was now watching him collapse.
His eyes landed on me.
“Emily, please!” Derek cried, rushing toward me with open hands. “Tell him to stop! You built this company with me! Your father gave us the seed money for the first project! You can't let him destroy it!”
Viktor stepped in front of him, planting a massive hand against Derek’s chest and stopping him six feet away.
I looked at my husband—the man who had crushed my hand against a table while smiling for a photograph three days ago.
“My father gave me the seed money, Derek,” I said, my voice steady and cold as ice. “You used it to buy sports cars and fund Chloe’s luxury apartments. You didn't build this company. You bled it dry.”
“I made a mistake!” Derek wept, tears streaming down his unwashed face. He actually fell to his knees on the carpet, clutching his hands together in a pathetic plea. “I’ll get rid of Chloe! I’ll go to therapy! I’ll do anything you want, Emily! Just don't take my life away!”
I stepped closer to him, stopping just behind Viktor’s shoulder. I looked down at him from above, feeling no anger, no hatred—only a vast, clean emptiness where my love used to be.
“You took your own life away the moment you thought my silence was weakness,” I said. “You broke three bones in my hand, Derek. Did you really think I would ever let you touch my life again?”
Adrian stepped up beside me, placing a gentle, protective hand on the small of my back.
“Time’s up, Miller,” Adrian said quietly.
Two uniformed marshals stepped forward, grabbed Derek by his arms, and hauled him up from the carpet. They began marching him toward the elevator while he kicked and screamed like a child thrown out of a playground.
“Emily! Emily, please! Don't do this! Emily!”
His screams echoed down the elevator shaft as the doors closed, taking Derek Miller out of his own company forever.
The entire office floor fell silent. The remaining employees stood near their desks, looking at me with a mixture of awe and relief.
I turned to Adrian, letting out a breath I felt like I had been holding for nine years.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Adrian looked down at me, his dark eyes warm with a pride that made my heart race.
May you like
“You did that yourself, Emily,” he said gently. “I just provided the escort.”
He held out his arm, and together we walked out of the empty office, leaving the ruins of my past behind us for good.
