Chapter 6 - The Shameless In-Laws
By mid-afternoon, I stood in the foyer of the suburban home Brandon and I had shared for four years. A private security team hired by Daniel stood guard at the perimeter gates, while two professional locksmiths rekeyed every entrance. Movers were methodically hauling out Brandon’s prized possessions, packing them into donation trucks.
Suddenly, the screech of tires echoed down the driveway. A pearl-white luxury sedan came to a jerky halt, and out stepped Evelyn Hayes—Brandon’s mother.
For years, Evelyn had treated me like an unwelcome maid. She criticized the way I seasoned food, made derogatory comments about my modest background, and when I went into premature labor, she had turned off her phone because she was getting a manicure at a country club spa.
Now, she came running toward the front porch, her eyes wide, waving her arms dramatically.
“Clara! Clara, darling! Thank God you're safe!” Evelyn cried out, attempting to push past the towering security guard standing at my door. The guard extended an iron arm, blocking her path instantly.
“Let me through! I am the grandmother of that child!” Evelyn shrieked, clutching her designer handbag against her chest. “Clara, tell this gorilla to step aside! We need to talk as a family!”
I stepped to the edge of the porch, holding baby Leo against my chest. I looked at her with cold, unwavering detachment. “You have sixty seconds, Evelyn. What do you want?”
Evelyn swallowed hard, plastering a trembling, counterfeit smile across her face. “Sweetheart, this is all a terrible misunderstanding! Brandon was seduced by that vile, calculating Victoria! He was under stress from work! You know how boys can be when they feel overwhelmed by impending fatherhood! You can't let him rot in prison!”
“He forged my signature, stole my grandmother’s jewelry, and tried to sell the roof over his son’s head,” I said, my voice steady and icy.
“He made a mistake!” Evelyn pleaded, her mask slipping as sheer greed flickered in her eyes. “And… and I heard about the inheritance! Fifty million dollars, Clara! That is Hayes family fortune now! You can use a fraction of that money to settle the federal fines, hire the best defense team in the country, and we can move past this! We can buy a villa in Aspen! I’ll even help you raise little Leo!”
I couldn't help the dry, humorless laugh that escaped my lips. “The Hayes family fortune? Evelyn, Brandon took every dime I had and left me to die in labor. Not a single cent of my grandfather’s estate will ever touch your fingers. And as for Leo? You will never see him again.”
“You ungrateful little witch!” Evelyn snarled, her polite veneer shattering into pure venom. “You were a nobody until my son married you! You owe us everything! If you don't bail Brandon out, I will sue you for grandparents' visitation rights! I will drag your name through every tabloid in the state!”
Daniel Mercer stepped out from the doorway, holding a crisp legal folder. “Mrs. Hayes senior, under state penal code section 422, verbal threats on private property constitute harassment. Furthermore, considering your own offshore accounts were used to co-sign the fraudulent lease for Brandon and his mistress’s penthouse, you might want to call your own lawyer. Investigator Dupont has a warrant with your name on it arriving in approximately fifteen minutes.”
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Evelyn’s face turned an ashen shade of gray. Without another word, she turned on her heel and scrambled back into her car, speeding away like a frightened rat.
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