Chapter 6
Vernon fixed his gaze on me, his eyes probing for answers.
He didn't reach for the document right away.
"Well, care to explain what this is?" Vernon asked.
"Mr. Ward, we've run into a bit of trouble within the company. Tomorrow, my colleague Todd will also be submitting a bid proposal on behalf of Veridion Group," I said.
I paused, locking eyes with him.
"I hope you'll take a look at his proposal first," I added.
Vernon was no fool.
He got what I meant instantly.
He looked at me, silent for a few seconds.
"You know this is a huge risk for us at Veridion," he said.
I said, "Mr. Ward, I'm putting my reputation on the line here. The proposal I'm handing you is the one that'll really make a difference to Veridion.
"Todd's proposal, though, will show you what some folks in our company are really made of."
I said it with absolute sincerity.
Vernon studied my face for a long moment.
Finally, he gave a slow nod.
"Alright. I'll trust you this once," he said.
He accepted the document.
A huge weight lifted off my chest.
After saying goodbye to Vernon, I drove over to the apartment I owned before I got married.
The three-day deadline I had given Todd was already up.
When I reached the door, I noticed the lock had been changed.
I scoffed.
Just as I had suspected.
I didn't bother knocking. I headed downstairs.
Standing by the flower bed downstairs, I called Mave.
The moment she picked up, her shrill curses came through the phone.
"You bitch! How dare you call me? Todd has already changed the locks. That's my house. Don't you dare set foot in there again," she screamed.
"Mave, that place is under my name. Changing the locks is illegal. I'm downstairs right now. You've got ten minutes to have Todd and Daisy grab their stuff and get out, or I'm calling the cops," I said.
"Call the cops? Who are you trying to scare? Listen up, Ashlyn, as long as I'm here, you won't have it easy," Mave snapped.
With that, she hung up.
I didn't call again.
I leaned against my car and lit up a cigarette.
I hardly ever smoked.
But today, I needed nicotine to keep myself absolutely calm.
Ten minutes went by, and nothing happened upstairs.
I called the cops.
"Hey, officer. Someone's illegally taken over my place," I said.
I gave a quick rundown of what happened.
The police responded quickly.
Within fifteen minutes, two officers arrived.
I went upstairs with the officers.
One of the officers knocked on the door. "Open up. Police!"
Mave yelled from inside. "What's your problem, officers? This is my son's place. You have no right to come in."
The officer kept his cool.
"Ma'am, the owner called us. Please cooperate and open the door, or we'll have to use force," he said.
There was a moment of silence from inside.
Then the door opened.
Mave, Todd, and Daisy were all there.
Mave stood in the doorway like a feisty fighting hen.
"What are you looking at? This is my house," she snapped.
The officer looked at me.
"Ma'am, please show me your property deed and ID," he said.
I handed over the documents I had already prepared.
The officer checked them, then turned to Mave.
"Ma'am, the property deed is in Ms. Ashlyn Ferguson's name. Your son has no claim to this property. You are required to vacate the premises immediately," he said.
Mave was stunned.
She turned to Todd.
"Todd. What's going on? Isn't this your place?" she demanded.
Todd's face went ghostly pale, his lips trembling. He couldn't say a word.
He had always told Mave he bought the house.
Daisy looked miserable too. She hid behind Todd, refusing to meet my eyes.
"I don't care!" Mave started making a scene. "My son married her, so whatever she owns is his now. We're not leaving."
With that, she plopped herself down on the floor.
The officer's patience was wearing thin.
"Ma'am, if you keep this up, we'll have to haul you down to the station for interfering with police work," he warned.
As soon as Mave realized she might end up at the station, her bravado fizzled out.
Todd was getting nervous too.
He helped Mave to her feet.
"Mom, let's go," he said.