Chapter 4 - The Freeze in South Beach
While my car sped across the Brooklyn Bridge, twelve hundred miles away in Miami, Florida, the party was in full swing.
At the five star Fontainebleau Hotel in South Beach, Eleanor Vance sat in a VIP oceanfront cabana, sipping vintage champagne.
Beside her was my sister Chloe, wearing a five thousand dollar silk dress, showing off a diamond bracelet she had bought using the emergency credit card I had given her for baby care.
"I wonder if the girl has collapsed yet," Eleanor said casually, swirling her glass as the ocean breeze blew through her styled hair.
"Mom, don't talk like that," Chloe giggled, taking a selfie with her phone. "You made sure she had instant noodles and tap water. She's fine. Besides, David won't be back until next week. By then, Mark will have the ledger, and we can tell David that Maya ran away because she couldn't handle being a mother."
"Exactly," Eleanor smiled coldly. "David belongs with someone of royal blood—like Sofia Falcone. Not a penniless orphan who worked as a receptionist."
Eleanor reached into her luxury handbag to pull out her black platinum card to order another bottle of Dom Pérignon.
She handed the card to the tuxedoed waiter.
Three minutes later, the waiter returned with a stiff expression.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Vance. This card has been declined."
Eleanor’s brow furrowed in anger. "Declined? Don't be ridiculous. Try it again. It has a fifty thousand dollar limit."
"I tried three times, ma'am. The terminal says: Account Frozen by Primary Owner."
Chloe gasped, quickly pulling out her own gold card. "Use mine!"
The waiter ran Chloe's card. "Declined as well, ma'am."
"What is the meaning of this?!" Eleanor demanded, standing up furiously.
Before the waiter could reply, Eleanor’s phone chimed with a high priority bank alert.
Alert: All secondary cards linked to the Vance Master Trust have been permanently revoked. All local bank accounts registered to Eleanor Vance and Chloe Vance have been frozen pending a forensic audit.
May you like
Eleanor dropped her champagne glass. It shattered against the marble floor.
"No..." Chloe whispered, her face going pale. "David... he knows."
