Chapter 8 - Begging on the Marble Steps
By Friday afternoon, the Harrington family was officially ruined. The l
ocal papers had run the story of the hostile takeover of Harrington Luxe, detailing the massive financial fraud that had been uncovered during the audit. While I had kept Graham out of jail as promised, his reputation was completely destroyed. No company in the state would hire him.
I drove to the Cherry Hills mansion one last time to oversee the final lockout. The snow had stopped, leaving the ground covered in a pristine, sparkling blanket of white.
As my SUV pulled up the driveway, I saw Vivian and Graham standing on the marble steps—the very steps where they had shoved me and my babies into the freezing cold just five days ago. They were surrounded by cheap cardboard boxes, their expensive furniture and designer clothes already loaded onto the repossession trucks.
Vivian saw me get out of the car. Her pride finally broke.
She ran down the steps, falling to her knees in the cold snow, clutching at the hem of my coat. "Evelyn! Please! I beg of you! Don't do this! I am an old woman... I can't live in a motel! I'll apologize! I'll clean your house! I'll do whatever you want! Just let us keep the guest house!"
I looked down at her, her expensive makeup smeared with tears, her hands red from the cold. I felt no anger. I felt no joy. I only felt a deep, profound pity for a woman who had spent her life serving a false god of wealth.
Graham stood on the steps, his head bowed, unable to even look me in the eye.
"Stand up, Vivian," I said gently, stepping back so she couldn't touch me. "I'm not going to let you freeze. I've arranged for a small, two-bedroom apartment on the south side of the city. The rent is paid for the next six months. It’s warm. It has a kitchen. It’s more than you gave my sons."
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Graham looked up, his eyes filled with a desperate, pathetic gratitude. "Evelyn... thank you."
"Don't thank me, Graham," I said, walking back to my car. "I didn't do it for you. I did it because I want my sons to grow up knowing that their mother is a woman of grace, not vengeance. Goodbye."
