Chapter 26 - The Unwelcome Family Reunion
The sound of a rattling sedan engine stuttering to a halt in the driveway pulled me out of my inventory of the living room. I walked slowly to the arched front window, peering through the pristine glass as a beat-up rental car—the cheapest model available—parked haphazardly across the lawn. Arthur and Evelyn tumbled out of the vehicle, their clothes rumpled, their faces gray with exhaustion and blind, irrational fury. Arthur slammed the car door so hard the rearview mirror wobbled, marching straight up the stone steps with his fists clenched at his sides. He grabbed the brass handle, yanked furiously, and stopped dead in his tracks when the heavy oak door swung open effortlessly, revealing me standing in the foyer with my arms folded loosely across my chest. "Elena!" Arthur roared, his face flushing a violent shade of crimson as he lunged forward into the hallway. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Have you lost your absolute mind? You had our accounts frozen! You had the sheriff slap a padlock on the motel room!" I didn't flinch. I didn't raise my voice. I simply tilted my head, looking at him the way a scientist might examine a particularly repulsive specimen under a microscope. "Welcome home, Father," I said softly, my voice carrying an icy, terrifying calm that cut through his ranting like a razor. "Though, technically speaking... it's not your home anymore. Check the deed. It transferred to my corporate holding entity at precisely 9:00 AM this morning."
