Chapter 3 - The Title Deed
The silence in the courtyard was heavier than lead.
"Your... your daughter?" Julian choked out, taking an involuntary step backward. "That's impossible! Her maiden name on our marriage license was Miller!"
"Miller was her late mother's maiden name," Arthur replied, his eyes narrowing to cold slits. "When Elena graduated from Columbia with honors, she insisted on working in corporate non-profits under an unpublicized name because she wanted a life built on merit, not on my wealth. When she chose to marry you three years ago, I gave you my blessings and elevated you to Regional President of Vance Industries."
Arthur stepped forward, looming over Julian.
"I trusted you with my company's assets and my daughter's heart. And you threw both into the mud."
Serena backed toward the front door, looking frantically between Julian and the four security guards standing at attention. "Julian... we should go inside. Let's handle this privately—"
"You are not going inside," I spoke up, stepping forward from beside my father. My voice was calm, clear, and stripped of all the hesitation I had carried for three years.
I turned to Nathan Cross, my father's senior estate litigator standing beside the lead sedan.
"Nathan, please present the property deeds to Mr. Sterling."
Nathan stepped forward, unzipping a leather portfolio and handing a stamped municipal document to Julian.
"Mr. Sterling," Nathan said with razor-sharp legal precision. "The residence at 144 Crestview Drive was purchased in cash five years ago by the Elena Vance Revocable Living Trust. Your name appears nowhere on the title, deed, or tax registry. Furthermore, under Section 4 of the prenuptial agreement you signed in your haste to access family connections, all separate pre-marital trust assets remain the exclusive, non-divisible property of Elena Vance."
May you like
Julian's hands shook so violently the paper fluttered in his grip. "This... this house is mine! I picked out the furniture! I hosted company dinners here!"
"You lived here as a guest of my daughter," Arthur said coldly. "And your hospitality has expired."
