Chapter 3

In the main lobby on the first floor.

My mom's jewelry store was completely cleared out.

But a group of security guards was blocking the exit, arguing with my mom.

"Ms. Eleanor, you haven't cleared your early termination penalty. You can't take these boxes out."

The security captain, holding a walkie-talkie, blocked the moving truck.

My mom was sitting in a wheelchair.

Yes, a wheelchair.

She had gone to the clinic this morning to get a doctor’s note for a fake "sciatica flare-up" and rented a wheelchair just for the drama.

"Termination penalty? You idiots have fifty thousand dollars of my security deposit in your accounts!"

My mom's voice was booming, pointing her finger right at the captain's nose.

"Even after deducting the penalty, you still owe me twenty thousand! Get out of my way before I sue you for denying me medical care!"

"Manager Miller said deposit refunds take ninety days. The penalty must be paid in cash today." The captain refused to budge.

I walked over and shoved him aside.

"Ninety days? The contract clearly states deposits must be refunded within fifteen business days after lease termination."

"That's for a standard move-out. You guys are breaching the lease early!"

Craig’s voice echoed from behind us.

He strolled over, flanked by several mall administrators.

"Eleanor, Natalie. Did you two plan this little family rebellion?"

Craig looked at the empty jewelry boutique.

"First floor leaving, third floor leaving. What, trying to gang up and pressure me?"

He sneered.

"Let me tell you something. This mall doesn't care about a few small-time tenants. You want to leave? Pay the cash penalty now. As for your deposit? Good luck waiting for corporate processing."

I stared at him.

"Craig, do you really think you have us cornered?"

"Oh, I know I do."

He took a step closer, lowering his voice.

"I’ll let you in on a secret. Ms. Vance didn't just want the third floor. She's taking over this entire first-floor space for her flagship store."

"You leaving actually saves me the trouble of kicking you out."

"But if you want to leave peacefully, it's going to cost you."

He pointed to the moving truck outside.

"Without my signature on the clearance slip, that truck isn't leaving the parking lot."

Just then, Liam stepped out from the stairwell.

He was wearing a tight black t-shirt, his massive muscles practically bursting through the fabric.

Behind him stood a dozen equally massive gym coaches.

"Who says the truck isn't leaving?"

Liam walked up to my side, glaring down at Craig.

Craig instinctively took a half-step back, swallowing hard.

"Liam... don't do anything stupid. We live in a civilized society. If you lay a hand on me, I’m calling the cops."

"The cops?" Liam chuckled.

He pulled a stack of papers and photos from his pocket and slapped them right onto Craig's chest.

"Why don't you take a look at these first?"

The papers scattered onto the floor.

They were internal accounting ledgers from the property management office.

"For the past two years, you’ve been charging us 'equipment maintenance fees,' 'hallway cleaning fees,' and some bullshit 'air purification fees.'"

Liam pointed at the documents on the floor.

"None of this money ever touched the mall's corporate accounts. It went straight into your wife's personal PayPal, didn't it?"

Craig’s face turned paper-white.

"You... you're making this up! This is forged!"

"Let’s call the cops and let them decide if it's forged."

The elevator doors on the fifth floor opened.

Zach walked out, pushing a cart loaded with high-end gaming PCs, followed by a group of his gamer friends.

"Natalie, Liam. I got the whole thing on video."

Zach waved his iPhone.

"I recorded him blocking our trucks and demanding cash under the table. That’s extortion, right?"

Craig completely panicked.

He looked at Liam's intimidating frame, then at Zach's phone.

Beads of cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"It's a mistake... all a misunderstanding."

He scrambled to pick up the papers from the floor.

"We're all old friends here, no need to get the law involved."

"I'll authorize the penalty to be deducted from your deposit. I'll have accounting wire the remaining twenty thousand to you tomorrow morning."

I looked at his pathetic, trembling face.

"Not tomorrow. Now."

"Now? But corporate accounting is closed..."

"Then pay us out of your personal pocket. I'm sure you have plenty of embezzled cash lying around."

Liam took a heavy step forward.

Craig flinched, pulling out his phone in a frenzy.

"I'll transfer it! I'll transfer it right now!"

Ten minutes later, twenty thousand dollars cleared in my mom's PayPal account.

My mom stood right up from her wheelchair, dusting off her pants.

"See? That wasn't so hard. Wasted my damn acting skills."

She pushed her empty wheelchair and walked out of the mall like a queen.

The security guards stood in silence, too terrified to stop anyone.

As the moving trucks started their engines, I looked back at Craig.

"Manager Miller, that five-hundred-pound oven on the third floor? It’s yours."

"Keep it. Maybe Ms. Vance can use it to bake some brains."

Craig clutched his hands into fists, glaring at my back.

"Natalie! Don't get cocky! Let's see how long you survive out there without this mall!"