Chapter 3

"Get her out of my house!" Michael finally roared, his face turning a blotchy red. He pointed a shaking finger at me. "Security! Throw this woman out!"

Two large men in black suits, who had been standing discreetly by the door, didn' t move a muscle. They looked at me, their expressions unreadable.

"Did you hear me?" Michael shrieked, his voice cracking. "I am Michael Miller! I am your boss! I order you to remove her!"

Sarah puffed up her chest, the law student ready to lecture. "You men are employees of Miller Corp. My brother is the CEO. If you don' t obey a direct order, he can have you fired and sued for insubordination."

Ben added, "And my fiancée' s father is on the board of half the security firms in this city. You' ll be blacklisted. You' ll never work again."

The guards remained still. They didn' t even blink.

A slow, creeping dread began to dawn on the faces of the Miller family. The gears were turning, but the machine wasn' t working the way it was supposed to.

I let a small, triumphant smile play on my lips.

"Throw them out," I said, my voice quiet but carrying absolute authority. "All of them."

The guards immediately snapped to attention.

"Yes, Ms. Sullivan," the taller one said. He addressed me by my maiden name.

The guards moved forward, their size and purpose suddenly very intimidating. They flanked Chloe and the twins.

"What is the meaning of this?" Michael sputtered, looking back and forth between me and the guards. "Why are you listening to her? I am Mr. Miller!"

I walked slowly down the stairs, my heels clicking on the marble. I stopped a few feet from him.

"No, you' re not," I said softly. "Mr. Miller died in a plane crash three years ago. I mourned him. I buried him. I moved on."

I let my eyes fill with a fake, sorrowful emotion. "I loved my husband very much. I would never let an imposter, a con artist who looks so much like him, come into his home and tarnish his memory."

I turned to the guards. "This man is clearly delusional. He' s trespassing, and he' s brought these... people with him. Please remove them from the premises."

The guards didn' t hesitate. One took Chloe by the arm, who started screaming. The other scooped up the wailing twins, one under each arm, as if they were sacks of potatoes.

"Wait!" Michael yelled, a look of pure panic on his face. "Ava, stop this! This is my house! This is my family!"

"Your family is gone, Michael," I said, my voice turning to ice. "And this is my house now."