Chapter 9
Chapter 9:
The tires of June’s brand-new matte black Mercedes G-Wagon crunched against the gravel driveway of the Compton estate. The security guard at the gate had been so startled by the vehicle that he nearly forgot to open it.
June stepped out of the SUV. She was here for one thing only: her parents’ belongings.
She walked through the massive oak front doors.
In the grand foyer, Mrs. Lynch was barking orders at two maids who were stuffing June’s clothes and a small wooden box into black trash bags.
𝘔оs𝘁 𝗋𝖾а𝗱 𝗍𝗵i𝘴 𝘄e𝖾𝗸 o𝗇 ѕ.𝘤𝗈𝘮
“Well, well,” Mrs. Lynch sneered, crossing her arms as June approached. “Look who decided to show her face. Mr. Compton ordered all your garbage thrown out p>
June did not slow down. She walked straight up to the housekeeper, her presence suddenly and unmistakably dominant.
“Put the wooden box down,” June said, her voice like cracking ice.
Mrs. Lynch rolled her eyes. “Everything in this house belongs to the Comptons p>
June reached into her bag and withdrew a thick manila envelope. She set it on the marble console table with a sharp snap.
“This is a four-year audit of the household accounts,” June said, her voice carrying through the foyer. “It details exactly how you forged receipts, inflated grocery bills, and embezzled over three hundred thousand dollars p>
The smug color drained from Mrs. Lynch’s face in an instant. She stumbled backward. “You — you’re lying p>
“The police are already on their way,” June said coldly. “You can wait for them, or you can start running p>
Mrs. Lynch’s knees gave out. She crumpled onto the marble floor, sobbing. She had always believed June was a foolish, passive woman who never looked at the books.
June ignored her. She picked up the wooden box holding her parents’ photographs and walked upstairs to the master bedroom.
The divorce papers were still on the nightstand, exactly where she had left them. The diamond ring still rested on top. Cole had not bothered to glance at either.
June pulled a pen from her pocket. At the bottom of the page, she added one final line:
Keep the house. The guilt will eat you alive.
She set the pen down and walked out.
As she reached the bottom of the staircase, the front door opened. Alycia stepped inside, arms laden with shopping bags. She saw June and her mouth curved into an immediate smirk.
“Getting kicked out officially? How sad p>
June paused at the bottom step. She leaned in close to Alycia’s ear.
“Enjoy your victory, Alycia,” June whispered, her voice low and dark. “While it lasts p>
Alycia pulled back, genuinely unsettled by the look in June’s eyes.
June walked out the front door just as two police cruisers pulled up, sirens cutting through the afternoon quiet.
As she drove away in the G-Wagon, she glanced in the rearview mirror. Officers were escorting a screaming Mrs. Lynch out of the house. Alycia stood frozen on the front porch, her face stricken with panic.
June’s phone vibrated on the passenger seat. A text from Arthur: Midnight. Don’t be late.
The quiet satisfaction of the afternoon evaporated. June’s eyes hardened. The domestic battles were finished. Now it was time for something far more serious.
At the Compton Empire headquarters, Cole slammed his fist onto his desk.
His assistant had just delivered the news of Mrs. Lynch’s arrest.
“She called the police on my staff?” Cole roared, his chest heaving as he paced the room. “She has lost her mind p>
He believed June was simply lashing out — the unraveling of a bitter ex-wife with nothing left to lose. He had no idea whatsoever of the storm that was already moving toward him.