Chapter 6 - THE HONEYMOON DISRUPTION
The Amalfi Coast was breathtaking.
Our private villa was perched high on the cliffs of Ravello, overlooking the endless turquoise waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Bougainvillea flowers stretched across the stone terrace, and the scent of lemon groves filled the warm Mediterranean breeze.
For five glorious days, I lived in a world without fear.
Daniel and I swam in our private infinity pool, ate fresh seafood pasta at cliffside trattorias, and spent long, lazy afternoons reading under the Italian sun. My skin took on a golden glow, and the dark circles under my eyes—carried from years of chronic stress—finally vanished.
For the first time in my life, I wasn't waiting for the other shoe to drop.
On the sixth morning, we were sitting on the terrace enjoying fresh croissants and espresso when Daniel’s personal laptop chimed with an incoming encrypted call.
Daniel glanced at the caller ID. His brow furrowed slightly. "It's Robert, my head of corporate security back in Chicago."
He answered the call, putting it on speakerphone. "Go ahead, Robert."
"Mr. Hayes, sorry to bother you on your honeymoon," Robert’s crisp, professional voice came through the speaker. "But we have a situation back in Illinois."
I set my teacup down, instantly alert. "Is it my parents?"
"Not your parents, Mrs. Hayes," Robert replied. "It's your sister, Chloe Vance."
Daniel’s eyes narrowed. "What did she do?"
"Yesterday morning, Ms. Vance attempted to gain physical access to the underground parking garage at your private residence in downtown Chicago," Robert explained. "She showed up with a private towing service, claiming she had a legal court order to impound the silver Porsche Cayenne."
I let out an incredulous gasp. "She tried to tow my car?!"
"Yes, ma'am," Robert continued. "She presented a fake notarized document claiming to be the trustee of the Hayes Asset Management group. Fortunately, our building management recognized the fraud immediately and denied entry. When security threatened to call the police, the towing company panicked and left."
"Where is she now?" Daniel asked, his voice dangerously dark.
"Our surveillance team tracked her to the Hayes Corporate Headquarters this morning," Robert said. "She is currently sitting in the main lobby, demanding to see your father, Mr. Marcus Hayes. She’s creating a public spectacle, crying, filming herself on Instagram Live, claiming that the Hayes family is financially starving her and withholding her legal inheritance."
My blood boiled. "She's trying to use social media to intimidate Daniel's father!"
"Is Marcus in the building?" Daniel demanded.
"No, sir. Mr. Marcus Hayes is currently at his estate in Aspen. But Ms. Vance has attracted several local news reporters outside the building. She's putting on a huge performance."
Daniel looked over at me, his jaw clenching tight. "She really doesn't know when to quit, does she?"
"She thinks because we're thousands of miles away in Italy, we can't do anything," I said, a dangerous calm settling over me. "She thinks she can embarrass your family into paying her off just to make her go away."
"She miscalculated," Daniel said softly. He looked into the phone. "Robert, listen to me carefully."
"I'm here, sir."
"Do not have security kick her out," Daniel ordered.
I looked at Daniel, surprised. "Daniel?"
Daniel gave me a dark, wicked smirk. "Robert, call our senior lead counsel, Sarah Jenkins. Tell her to draft a formal emergency injunction for defamation, tortious interference, and corporate harassment. Have a process server walk right out to the lobby, in front of all those news cameras and her Instagram Live stream, and serve her with a ten-million-dollar civil lawsuit."
Robert let out a rare, low chuckle over the phone. "Understood, Mr. Hayes. And what about the fake notarized towing document she used yesterday?"
"Scan it and send it directly to the State Police Fraud Division," Daniel added coldly. "Attempting to steal a vehicle using forged legal instruments is a Class 2 Felony in Illinois. Let's see how well her Instagram followers like her new mugshot."
"Executing immediately, sir," Robert said, and the line went dead.
May you like
I looked at Daniel, my heart racing with excitement and awe. "Ten million dollars?"
"She wanted public attention, Mia," Daniel said, leaning back in his rattan chair, taking a sip of his espresso. "So we're giving her public accountability. Let's see how long her victim complex lasts when she’s facing felony charges on live television."
