"She doesn't owe you anything," Richard interjected, leaning down slightly into Margaret's face. "The car is packed. Your bags are on the step. I suggest you call a cab before I have the local police remove you for trespassing."
Margaret squeezed her eyes shut, taking a ragged, trembling breath. She nodded slowly, accepting the sheer cruelty of the moment. She adjusted her grip on the suitcase handle, her knuckles turning white.
"I gave you everything..." Margaret whispered, her voice barely carrying over the autumn breeze. "Every penny your father left me..."
Before Richard could deliver his next dismissive insult, a low, heavy engine rumble echoed from the end of Elmbrook Way.
Chapter 2: The Arrival
A sleek, midnight-black stretch limousine—a late-model executive town car with deep tinted windows and polished chrome wheels—turned slowly onto the residential street. It glided past the manicured lawns and double-car garages, its long, gleaming chassis casting a shadow across the asphalt.
Richard paused, his hand dropping slowly to his side as he squinted against the glare of the setting sun. "Who is that? Did you call a car?"