Valerie didn’t fix any drinks. She sat in the dark living room and sent a high-priority message to a 24-hour locksmith and security firm: “Total lock replacement tonight. Biometric scan only. I’ll pay the emergency premium for immediate service.”
While Simon and Beverly were in the kitchen clinking glasses to celebrate their “new room,” Valerie pulled up a hidden digital file on her laptop labeled Project Settlement. It was a digital trail of every secret withdrawal Simon had made over the last year.
“Why don’t you two head out for dinner and a late movie?” Valerie suggested with a forced smile. “Take my platinum card and enjoy yourselves on me.”
Simon grabbed the card with the excitement of a child. “Now you’re talking,” he said as he led his mother toward the elevator.
As soon as the doors closed, Valerie picked up her phone and reported the card as stolen. She then signaled the locksmith to come up and begin the transition.
“Enjoy the night, Simon,” she whispered to the empty foyer. “It’s the very last thing you’ll ever buy with my signature.”
The technician worked quickly to install the new biometric scanner, programmed solely to recognize Valerie’s thumbprint and facial structure. She checked the system twice to ensure no other codes would work before she began her own preparations.
She placed a white envelope on the kitchen island right next to the cut-up pieces of the credit card Simon had just tried to use at the restaurant.
In the entryway, she left a small duffel bag containing a few of his shirts, his razor, and his watch.
The problem went much deeper than a stolen office. For months, Valerie had been tracking Simon’s “business ventures” which never seemed to produce profit but always required more of her money.
She found records of lavish dinners with friends listed as “consultations” and thousands of dollars sent to Beverly’s personal savings account. Simon even drove a sports car that he claimed was a lease through his firm, but Valerie discovered the payments were coming out of their joint household fund.
At 10:20 p.m., the first heavy thud hit the door. “Valerie, the keycard isn’t working!” Simon yelled from the hallway.
She walked to the door and pressed the intercom. “The card isn’t working because I deactivated the entire old system.”
“Are you losing your mind?” Simon shouted through the wood. “Open this door right now before I lose my temper.”
“Neither of you is coming inside tonight,” Valerie replied firmly.
“Valerie!” Beverly shrieked in the background. “I am an elderly woman, and I will not be forced to sleep in a public corridor!”
“You should have considered your sleeping arrangements before you tried to move into a house that doesn’t belong to you,” Valerie said.
Simon slammed his fist against the frame. “This is my home too! I am ordering you to let us in!”
Valerie actually felt a wave of relief when she heard him use the word “ordering” because it proved she was making the right choice. “We can talk tomorrow, Simon, but it won’t be in my living room.”
She silenced the intercom, walked into her bedroom, and enjoyed the quietest night of sleep she had experienced in years.
By 6 a.m., she was dressed in a sharp charcoal blazer and slacks, looking every bit like the high-stakes auditor she was. She poured herself a fresh coffee and waited for the inevitable return of the chaos.
The sound of a power drill grinding against the new lock echoed through the apartment a few minutes later. Valerie looked at her security feed and saw Simon trying to force the door while Beverly filmed the scene with her phone.
