“You never had anything to lose,” I said. “Because you never earned it.”
I pulled a document from my bag. It wasn’t the loan paper. It was an eviction notice.
“This apartment is in my name,” I said. “And as of today, you are all trespassing.”
Carlos laughed nervously. “You can’t kick us out. You can’t afford this place without my ‘contributions’.”
“I own Northbridge Investments,” I said. The words hung in the air. “I am worth eight hundred million euros. And I don’t need your pennies.”
The silence was absolute. Carlos looked at me, his face draining of color. Lucas and Adrián looked like they had been struck by lightning.
“Mom?” Lucas whispered. “You’re… rich?”
“I am,” I said. “But you aren’t.”
I opened the door.
“Get out.”
“Elena, wait,” Carlos stammered, standing up. “Baby, we can talk about this. We’re a family.”
“We were never a family,” I said. “I was a host. And you were the parasites.”
Two security guards—hired by Edward—stepped into the doorway.
“Escort them out,” I said.
I watched them go. My ex-husband, begging. My sons, looking back with wide, terrified eyes, realizing they had bitten the hand that could have fed them kings’ feasts.
Chapter 6: The Legacy
Six months later.
I sat in my office at Northbridge. The view of Madrid was spectacular.
I had cleaned house. Julian was in prison. Carlos was facing fraud charges. My sons were working—actual jobs, waiting tables and delivering packages. I had cut them off completely.
Edward walked in with a cup of tea.
“You have a meeting with the environmental board in ten minutes,” he said.
“Thank you, Edward.”
He hesitated. “Lucas called again. He wants to apologize.”
I looked out the window. “Let him wait. He needs to learn the value of a dollar before he learns the value of an apology.”
I opened the drawer of my desk. The brass key—B47—sat there. A reminder.
My father hadn’t left me a fortune to spoil me. He had left me a test. He wanted to see if I could stand on my own two feet before he gave me wings.
I picked up the key and smiled.
I wasn’t just Elena the cleaner anymore. I was Elena Mark. CEO. Mother. Survivor.
And I had a lot of work to do.
