Chapter 6 - The Fall from Grace
The sixty minutes passed with agonizing speed. Inside the sprawling Sterling estate, panic had replaced the quiet arrogance of the night before.
Adrian wildly tossed designer suits and watches into leather duffel bags, his hands trembling. Eleanor was faring worse, sobbing hysterically in her bedroom as she tried to stuff priceless heirlooms into a suitcase, only to have a stony-faced security guard inform her that all art and jewelry were property of the Trust.
"You can't do this!" Eleanor shrieked at Mr. Vance, who stood calmly in the foyer. "We are the Sterlings! We built this town!"
"You bankrupted your company in this town, Mrs. Sterling," Vance corrected smoothly. "Ms. Hayes bought it, and out of the kindness of her heart, allowed you to maintain your illusion of wealth. That kindness expired at midnight."
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At precisely 9:00 AM, the two police officers stepped forward. "Time's up, folks. Outside."
Adrian and Eleanor were escorted out the front door. The winter air was just as biting as it had been the night before. As they stood on the icy driveway with nothing but a few bags of clothes, Adrian looked at the heavy iron gates closing shut, locking them out of the only life they had ever known. He had thrown his wife into the cold to protect his pride; now, the cold was all he had left.
