Chapter 2 - The House of Cards Noah fell asleep before we reached downtown.

His small hand remained wrapped around his favorite toy dinosaur.

I drove through the city without looking back.

Daniel called.

Then Margaret.

Then Daniel again.

I ignored them all.

Six years ago, I would have cried.

Tonight, I felt something I hadn't felt in years.

Freedom.

I drove directly to The Obsidian, the most exclusive residential tower in the city.

The valet opened my door.

“Good evening, Ms. Vance.”

“Thomas.”

“Will you be staying tonight?”

“For a while.”

He smiled knowingly.

“The penthouse is ready.”

Daniel thought my maiden name meant nothing.

He believed Evelyn Vance was the daughter of two struggling academics.

He believed my technology company had failed three years earlier.

He believed I had become a stay-at-home mother because I had nowhere else to go.

He had never asked where the money came from.

That was his greatest mistake.

My startup had not failed.

It had been acquired for $150 million.

I had used the proceeds to build Vanguard Holdings.

When Daniel's father died leaving millions in debt, Daniel had come to me terrified.

He begged me to save the Hawthorne Estate.

So I did.

Quietly.

Vanguard bought the debt.

Vanguard bought the property.

Vanguard injected capital into Hawthorne Real Estate.

And Vanguard installed Daniel as CEO.

I had given him the appearance of power.

He had mistaken appearance for ownership.

At eleven that night, I called my attorney, Arthur Sterling.

“Arthur.”

“I knew this call would come eventually.”

“I'm done.”

“With Daniel?”

“With all of it.”

Arthur was silent.

Then he asked, “Do you want to destroy him?”

I looked through the glass wall at the city.

“No.”

I paused.

“I want to stop protecting him.”

The next morning, Arthur called Daniel.

His recording was waiting on my phone.

“Mr. Hawthorne, Vanguard Holdings is terminating your residency agreement at the Hawthorne Estate.”

Daniel laughed.

“This is ridiculous.”

“You do not own the estate.”

“I am the CEO.”

“Not anymore.”

Silence.

Then Daniel demanded to speak with Vanguard's owner.

Arthur's voice became almost gentle.

“The owner asked me to give you a message.”

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Daniel stopped breathing.

“She said: ‘I packed my things. Now pack yours.’”