Chapter 6 - Locked Out in the Rain
My father walked forward until he stood less than two feet from Dominic. At six-foot-two, with decades of commanding industrial boardrooms behind him, Charles Brooks made Dominic look like a petulant child wearing his father’s suit.
“You know who I am, Dominic,” my father said, his voice dangerously low, vibrating with absolute disgust. “You’ve spent the last eighteen months sending weekly emails begging for a private meeting with the chairman of Brooks Global Corp.”
Dominic’s jaw dropped so low it looked unhinged. His gaze snapped toward me, his eyes bulging with sheer horror. “Brooks Global? But... but you said your father was a retired contractor upstate!”
“My father started as a contractor forty years ago,” I said, stepping forward, every word clear, deliberate, and razor-sharp. “He built an empire with his bare hands, Dominic. And because I wanted to know if you loved me or my bank account, I chose not to advertise my family’s name. I wanted an equal partner. I wanted a real husband.”
Victoria gasped, clutching her throat as if she were choking on her expensive truffle pasta. “Audrey... you’re Charles Brooks’ daughter? The Charles Brooks who owns the transatlantic shipping ports?”
I didn't even look at her. I kept my eyes locked on Dominic, whose face had turned the color of chalk.
“You took my father’s twelve million dollars to build your vanity project,” I continued, my voice steady despite the ache in my lower abdomen. “You drove the luxury SUV my father bought for my wedding. You lived in an apartment funded by my family’s trust. And today, five days after I endured major surgery to bring your son into this world, you handed me fifty dollars and ordered me to ride a city bus so you wouldn't miss a pasta reservation.”
A collective gasp rippled across the dining room. Several wealthy women at neighboring tables looked at Dominic with utter repulsion. One older gentleman in a tuxedo muttered, “Disgraceful coward.”
“Audrey, please!” Dominic panicked, stepping toward me with his hands out. “It was a joke! I was just stressed about the meeting! You know how much pressure I’ve been under! Mom... Mom told me you were fine to walk!”
“Don't you dare blame your mother for your own cruelty,” my father boomed, stepping directly between Dominic and me. “You are a weak, arrogant parasite, Dominic. You fed off my daughter’s kindness, insulted her dignity, and endangered my grandson’s life.”
My father turned to David Vance. “Has the repo service arrived?”
“They are outside right now, Mr. Brooks,” Vance confirmed.
Through the large bay windows of Carbone, a heavy commercial flatbed tow truck was actively hoisting the black luxury SUV onto its steel bed. Two uniformed officers were supervising the operation, holding the registration papers bearing my maiden name: Audrey Brooks.
Natalie let out a shrill scream. “Our luggage is in that car! My designer bags are in the trunk!”
“Your personal items will be dumped at the local precinct for retrieval,” Vance announced without blinking. “Along with the furniture from the penthouse apartment on Park Avenue. The lease was terminated an hour ago. The locks have already been changed.”
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Dominic grabbed his hair with both hands, visibly hyperventilating. “My apartment? Where are we supposed to sleep tonight? What about my clothes? My accounts!”
“You have fifty dollars in your pocket, Dominic,” I said softly, looking at him with nothing but pure pity. “That should cover your bus fare. Hurry up. Don't keep the city waiting.”
