Chapter 5 - The Eviction NoticeThe morning sun broke over the misty hills of the northern Vietnamese countryside, casting long, golden shadows across the weathered timber of the Willow Creek farmhouse.
Inside the house, the atmosphere was thick with stale cigarette smoke, panic, and the acrid smell of instant coffee brewed in a stained aluminum pot.
Brenda was pacing the length of the living room, her hair uncombraced, her housedress wrinkled from a night spent sleeping upright on the floral sofa. Every few seconds, she stopped to glare at the heavy wooden front door, as if sheer willpower could keep the outside world from intruding.
“Where is your uncle Arthur?” Brenda snapped, turning on Hunter, who was slumped over the kitchen table with his face buried in his arms. “He said he knew a lawyer in the provincial capital! He said this whole mess could be tied up in court for months!”
Hunter didn't lift his head. His voice came out muffled and exhausted. “Arthur’s lawyer called back twenty minutes ago, Mom. He said the moment he saw the corporate assignment deed bearing Aethelgard Holdings' registration number, he hung up the phone and told Arthur never to call his office again.”
Brenda’s face went white. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” a calm, crisp voice answered from the doorway, “that there is no legal loophole left to crawl through.”
Both of them jumped as if struck by lightning.
Standing in the open doorway were two local bailiffs in crisp uniforms, flanked by my lead corporate attorney, Mr. Minh, carrying a thick leather briefcase. Behind them stood my private security detail, their dark suits contrasting sharply with the rustic decay of the farmhouse interior.
“You!” Brenda shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at Mr. Minh. “You have no right to barge in here! This is private property! We have rights as tenants!”
Mr. Minh adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses with clinical detachment, opening a certified legal document and holding it out toward her.
“Under Section 14 of the Commercial Real Estate Recovery Act and the formal notice of default served yesterday afternoon, your grace period for voluntary vacation of the premises expired at midnight,” Mr. Minh recited in a monotone voice. “As of eight o’clock this morning, Aethelgard Holdings has taken full physical and legal possession of the property. All personal belongings must be packed and removed within the next two hours, or they will be cataloged and placed in municipal storage.”
Hunter staggered out of the kitchen, his eyes bloodshot, his clothes looking as though he had worn them for three days straight.
“Mr. Minh… please,” Hunter stammered, holding his hands out in a desperate, pleading gesture. “Just give us a few days. Let me speak to Briana. Surely she wouldn't throw us out on the street with nowhere to go. We’ve been—we were supposed to be family!”
Mr. Minh gave Hunter a look of mild, professional pity.
“Mr. Stone, if you had spent half the energy you invested in orchestrating financial fraud on actually building a legitimate business, you wouldn't find yourself in this position,” Mr. Minh said smoothly. “Furthermore, Ms. Sinclair has instructed me to inform you that criminal referrals regarding the fraudulent loan applications submitted under your previous company name have already been filed with the district economic police department.”
Brenda let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed backward onto the sofa, clutching her chest as if she were having a heart attack.
May you like
Hunter didn't run to her. He simply stared at the floor, his shoulders slumping as the final, crushing reality of his situation settled over him like a lead weight.
The parasite had been starved of its host. And there was nowhere left to hide.
