I let my fingers slide away from the linen paper, leaving the envelope in Daniel’s hand.

He looked down at it as if it were a bomb.

“Open it,” Vivian commanded her son.

Daniel fumbled with the thick wax seal, his thumb smudging the red emblem.

He pulled out the heavy parchment sheets inside.

I watched his face pale as he read the top line.

“What is it, Daniel?” Claire asked, tugging at his sleeve. “What did she do?”

“It’s…” Daniel swallowed hard, his throat moving convulsively.

“It’s an eviction notice.”

Vivian laughed, a harsh, dry sound that cut through the distant music.

“An eviction notice?” she repeated. “For whom? This resort?”

“For the Mercer estate,” Daniel whispered.

He turned the paper toward his mother.

“The mansion in Bellevue,” I said. “The house you live in. The grounds. The guest houses. All of it.”

Vivian snatched the paper from Daniel’s hand, her manicured nails tearing the edge slightly.

Her eyes scanned the legal document, her lips moving silently as she read.

“This is absurd,” she hissed, her face flush with sudden color.