PART 2

I drove straight from the airport to the coastal house.

When I arrived, movers were carrying Julian and Serena’s furniture through the front doors.

Even the smart lock had been tampered with.

Inside, Serena stood with a clipboard and iced coffee, directing the movers toward the master bedroom.

“What exactly is happening?” I asked.

She turned and gave me a smug smile.

“Oh. Julian said you’d probably be upset.”

“Why is your furniture inside my house?”

She laughed.

“Your house?”

Then she handed me a badly written document.

“Your parents transferred the property to Julian yesterday. We already ended our apartment lease. This is our home now.”

I unfolded the paper.

It was a quitclaim deed supposedly signed by my parents.

Then I looked at her.

“Serena, do you know how property ownership works?”

“It has their signatures.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Her smile faded.

“My parents never owned this house.”

“What?”

“I purchased it through my company, Vance Luxury Living LLC.”

I opened the county property record on my phone.

The title listed one owner.

My company.