Chapter 4 - Eviction at the Penthouse
The penthouse at 740 Park Avenue was dead silent when the elevator doors slid open at two o’clock in the morning, save for the frantic, panicked rustle of tissue paper and unzipped leather.
I stepped into the grand foyer, accompanied by two armed city marshals, a locksmith, and my senior estate attorney, Eleanor Vance.
In the center of the double-height living room, under the four-hundred-thousand-dollar Waterford crystal chandelier my grandmother had imported from Ireland, sat six oversized Louis Vuitton trunks. Designer dresses, fur stoles, diamond necklaces, and silk blouses were strewn across the imported Italian marble floor in a chaotic whirlwind.
Lila Monroe was kneeling on the floor in her bare feet, her mascara running in ugly black streaks down her flushed cheeks, hysterically stuffing alligator Kelly bags into a duffel.
Camden was slumped on the velvet sectional, his tuxedo jacket torn at the shoulder, an uncorked bottle of Macallan 25 clutched in his trembling fist. When his bloodshot eyes caught mine, he surged to his feet, swaying violently.
"Vivian!" he roared, pointing a shaking finger at me. "You bitch! You public humiliated me! You had my accounts frozen! Do you know my Black Card was declined at the garage? The valet laughed in my face!"
"Lower your voice, Camden," I said, stepping forward with measured, resonant clicks of my Christian Louboutin heels. "You are trespassing on private property."
Lila scrambled to her feet, clutching a vintage Birkin to her chest like a shield. She was trembling from head to toe, her voice high and breathless. "Vivian... please! Camden told me this was his apartment! He told me the divorce was already finalized months ago! He lied to me! You can't take my things!"
"Your things?" I cast an icy, deliberate look over the piles of luggage. "Eleanor, if you please."
Eleanor Vance opened her leather binder, her voice flat, clinical, and devastating. "Under the emergency freeze order granted by Judge Holbrook at midnight, all assets, personal property, and luxury goods acquired by Camden Pierce or gifted to third parties using funds from the Pierce Aero operational accounts between January 2022 and this evening are deemed proceeds of grand larceny."
Eleanor looked up at Lila. "Miss Monroe, every handbag, every watch, every pair of shoes, and every piece of jewelry currently in this room was purchased with money stolen from Vivian Alden’s legacy trust. Step away from the bags."
"No!" Lila shrieked, backing toward the glass terrace doors. "He bought these for me! They're gifts! You can't take a gift back!"
"Officer," I said simply.
The two marshals stepped forward. "Ma'am, release the bags immediately, or you will be arrested on site for obstruction and receipt of stolen property."
Sobbing uncontrollably, Lila dropped the Birkin as if it had caught fire.
Camden lunged toward me, his face twisted in drunken rage. "Vivian, you cannot kick me out of my own home! My name is on the deed!"
I tilted my head, looking at him with genuine pity. "Check the deed, Camden. You signed the post-nuptial deed of trust three years ago when you needed five million dollars to cover your gambling debts in Monaco. The penthouse belongs to the Alden Family Living Trust. You were merely an authorized occupant. An authorization that expired the second you brought your concubine onto my jet."
The locksmith was already at the front entrance, drilling into the biometric security lock.
"Marshals," I instructed without breaking eye contact with Camden. "Escort them to the street. They leave with the clothes on their backs. Nothing more."
"Vivian, wait! Please!" Camden suddenly dropped to his knees, his drunken rage disintegrating into pure terror. He reached out to grasp the hem of my dress, but one of the marshals caught his arm, twisting it firmly behind his back. "Vivian, it was Marcus! Marcus set this up! He told me he'd ruin me if I didn't give him the flight codes! He made me do it!"
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"You made your own choices when you let another woman wear my silk scarf," I replied quietly. "Enjoy the street, Camden. It's the only address you can afford now."
***
