Chapter 9: The Lobby Execution
The security guards parted, leaving a clear path between me and the two women who had discarded me like garbage exactly one week ago.
My mother rushed forward, arms extended, a pathetic, hopeful smile plastered across her tear-stained face. "Oh, Lauren, I knew you wouldn't turn your back on your family! I knew my good girl was still in there!"
I took one deliberate step backward.
My mother’s arms closed around empty air. She stumbled slightly, her smile faltering as she looked into my eyes. She didn't find the exhausted, guilt-ridden nurse she was used to manipulating. She found a fortress of absolute ice.
"Mr. Sterling," I said, not taking my eyes off my mother. "Could you please cast my phone to the primary presentation screen?"
"Right away, Ms. Vance," Arthur replied smoothly, tapping his tablet.
Behind the reception desk, a massive, twenty-foot digital screen—usually reserved for displaying Vanguard Tech’s stock ticker and corporate logo—suddenly went black.
Mia looked up, her brow furrowing in confusion.
Then, the screen flared to life. It wasn't a corporate presentation. It was the video Mia had recorded on her phone and posted to her social media the day they kicked me out. The audio echoed through the pristine acoustic architecture of the lobby.
"Look at the freeloader finally getting kicked out," Mia’s digital voice mocked, loud and clear for the entire executive board, security team, and lobby staff to hear. "Have fun sleeping in your car, Lauren! Don't forget to pay the Wi-Fi bill before you leave!"
Mia gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth. Her face turned the color of chalk.
"Lauren, please, she was just being immature!" my mother pleaded, panic rising in her throat as the surrounding executives began to murmur in disgust. "We were all just so stressed! I didn't mean what I said in the kitchen!"
"You meant every single word," I corrected her quietly. "You called me a burden. You told me I was dragging Mia down. And then, you threw hot coffee at my chest and pointed to a trash bag."
"I was angry! Mothers make mistakes!" she wailed, trying to grab my hand.
I pulled my hand away as if she were radioactive.
"You didn't make a mistake," I said, my voice carrying the lethal calm of a judge delivering a final verdict. "You made a choice. You thought I had nothing left to give you, so you threw me away. The only mistake you made was not realizing who my father was."
I turned to the lead security guard.
"These two individuals are trespassing," I stated clearly. "Escort them off the premises. If they ever step foot within five hundred yards of a Vanguard property again, have them arrested for harassment."
"No! Lauren, you can't!" my mother shrieked as two massive security guards grabbed her by the arms.
"Lauren, we're your family!" Mia sobbed, completely breaking down as another guard escorted her toward the revolving doors. "We have no money! Where are we supposed to go?!"
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"Go back to my old bedroom," I replied coldly, turning my back on them. "I hear it has a lot of extra space."
I walked toward the private executive elevators, the sound of their desperate, hysterical screams fading as they were physically thrown out into the bustling city street.
