Chapter 4
Soon, the hallway echoed with noisy footsteps.
Neighbors, drawn by the commotion, opened their doors to watch the drama unfold.
The police arrived quickly, and two officers came upstairs. "Who called the police?" one of them asked.
"I did," I said, raising my hand.
Hearing the police arrive, Fiona didn't back down. Instead, she became even more brazen.
She shouted through the door, "Officers, don't listen to this woman's nonsense.
"This is my son's home. She's the one refusing to leave.
"We're the real victims here."
The officers frowned and asked, "Ma'am, can you prove this property belongs to you?"
I nodded and handed them my phone, showing a photo of the property certificate. "This is my personal property acquired before marriage."
After reviewing the photo, the officers called out to everyone inside, "Listen up, open the door immediately.
"You are suspected of unlawfully entering someone else's residence."
Silence fell inside.
After a long pause, Fiona tried to sound tough as she shouted, "I'm not opening the door. If you've got the guts, break in."
When the cops were about to call a locksmith, Edgar showed up.
And he didn't come alone. Two big guys in moving company uniforms were right behind him, looking ready for action.
"Ms. Grant," Edgar said, nodded at me, and then turned to the officers. "Officers, I'm representing Ms. Emily Grant as her attorney."
He pulled out a stack of papers from his briefcase. "Here's the original property certificate for this place, and a temporary restraining order we secured just now.
"According to this order, Mrs. Fiona Dickinson and Ms. Lisa Dickinson are forbidden from coming within 300 feet of Ms. Emily Grant's place.
"What they're doing right now is breaking the law."
The officers took the documents, and their faces instantly turned serious.
Edgar turned to the tightly shut door. "Mrs. Dickinson, Ms. Dickinson, you have one minute to open the door.
"Otherwise, the police will take forceful measures."
He paused, his voice low but clear enough for everyone to hear. "My client has already decided to sue you for full compensation of all property losses and emotional distress.
"Take a guess. How do you think the judge will rule?" Edgar said.
Inside, it was dead silent.
Just then, David's call came through.
I put it on speaker.
"Emily, what are you trying to pull now? Get the cops out of here," he yelled, sounding totally pissed off.
I spoke calmly into the phone. "David, your mom and your sister are picking the lock on my door.
"Oh, and by the way...
"Mr. Duncan tracked down your secret account.
"The recipient is Margaret Rangel, right?"
On the other end, David froze. His breath caught in his throat.
The line went dead silent.
I could even picture the look on David's face right now.
He must be filled with shock, fear, and disbelief.
He was shocked to hear the name.
That name was like a key, cracking his tough facade wide open.
"H-How did you find out?" David barely managed to say, his voice barely more than a whisper.
His words came out through gritted teeth, shaky with despair.
Outside, all the nosy neighbors were straining to catch every word.
The cops and Edgar exchanged a meaningful look.
I spoke into the phone, my voice quiet but clear enough for everyone to hear.
I said, "Not only do I know her name is Margaret Rangel...
"I also know she was your college classmate, and now she's a nurse at a hospital in the next city over.
"And I know you spent every last penny of that 60 thousand on her.
"You bought her designer bags, jewelry, and even rented her a fancy apartment.
"David, aren't you supposed to be the grateful son?
"Didn't you say you gave all your money to your mom?
"So where did that 60 thousand come from?"
On the other end, all I could hear was his heavy breathing.
He was completely speechless.
Inside, it went dead silent.
I could feel that Fiona and Lisa behind the door had heard it all.
Their son, their brother, the so-called "grateful son" they always bragged about, was actually out there supporting another woman.
And he'd spent 60 thousand on her.
For Fiona and Lisa, this probably blew their minds even more than when I called the cops.
Edgar saw the moment was right and nodded to the cops.
The officers stepped up and banged hard on the door.
"Open the door, or we'll force our way in," one of them called out.
This time, someone inside finally reacted.
With a loud click, the lock turned, and the door swung open.
Standing behind it were Fiona and Lisa, both pale as ghosts.
Fiona looked at me, her gaze no longer defiant. Now it was a mix of shock and resentment.
"I-Is everything you said true?" Her voice was shaky.
I ignored her.
Edgar stepped forward and handed her the restraining order.
"Mrs. Dickinson, this is a court order. You need to leave immediately," he said.
The two burly movers strode in.
"Anything you need us to move, Ms. Grant?" one of them asked.
I pointed to the four sealed boxes in the corner.
"Toss these in the dumpster downstairs," I said.
"Got it, we'll toss them out," one of the movers replied.
"Don't leave a single thing behind," I said.
Lisa screamed, "That's my brother's stuff! What gives you the right to throw it out?"
I shot her a look like she was clueless.
I said, "Because I own this place.
"I don't want any of his crap dirtying up my apartment."
The movers didn't hesitate for a second. Each picked up two boxes and hauled them out without a second thought.
Fiona tried to get in their way, but the cops quickly stopped her in her tracks.
"Ma'am, please cooperate," one of the officers said.
Watching David's belongings get carried out one after another, Fiona finally broke down.
She didn't give a damn about her son's stuff.
What really tore her up was losing that 60 thousand dollars.
She lunged at me, but Edgar stepped in front, blocking her path.
All she could do was scream at me from behind him, like a madwoman.
She shrieked, "Emily, you evil bitch!
"You knew everything from the start, didn't you? You wanted to watch our family make fools of ourselves!
"My son ended up like this, all because of you, you shameless bitch!"
I stared at her face, contorted with jealousy and anger, and finally Emily spoke up.
I said, "Don't blame me for how your son turned out. This is all on you.
"It was you, his selfish mother, who spoiled him rotten.
"You only taught him how to take advantage of me, never what it means to be responsible or step up.
"You raised him to be completely useless.
"Now this deadbeat was finally going to pay the price for everything he had done."
I whipped out her phone and, right in front of Fiona, fired off last texts to David.
Me: [David, you cheated on me and moved our joint assets around. I've got all the evidence.]
Me: [See you in court.]