Chapter 4 - The Corporate Retaliation
The following morning, the news broke across every financial network and tabloid outlet.
“REGIONAL PRESIDENT OF VANCE INDUSTRIES FIRED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT AND DOMESTIC ABUSE; REVEALED TO BE MARRIED TO HEIR TO THE VANCE EMPIRE.”
Photos of Julian being escorted away in handcuffs, along with shots of the shattered crib on the estate lawn, leaked to the press. Stock prices for Vance Industries dipped briefly before skyrocketing as the board announced that the upcoming merger with the Ainsley Group would proceed under the direct leadership of Arthur Vance and his daughter, Elena Vance.
At 10:00 a.m., I walked into the glass-walled boardroom on the top floor of the Vance Industries skyscraper downtown.
I was no longer wearing the simple cotton dresses Julian insisted I wear to look like a "modest wife." I wore a tailored midnight-blue suit, my hair pulled back in a sleek bun, and my mother’s emerald necklace shining brightly against my collarbone.
The members of the board stood up as I entered, bowing their heads in respect.
"Welcome, Vice Chairwoman Vance," Mr. Sterling said, pulling out the chair at the head of the long oak table, right beside my father.
However, the meeting was interrupted before we could begin. The heavy double doors of the boardroom swung open, and Julian’s defense attorney, a ruthless legal veteran named Marcus Vance-Smyth (no relation), strode into the room, followed by Julian’s mother, Evelyn.
Evelyn was dressed in black silk, her face red with artificial indignation. "This is an outrage! Arthur Vance, you are using your corporate power to destroy my son's life over a minor marital dispute!"
Arthur didn't even stand up. He merely leaned back in his leather chair, tapping a pen against his notepad. "Mrs. Vance-Ross, you are trespassing on private corporate property."
"My son gave three years of his life to this company!" Evelyn spat, glaring at me with deep-seated hatred. "And you, Elena! You deceitful little snake! You lied to us! You pretended to be a nobody, letting my son support you, while you sat on billions of dollars! You set him up!"
I stood up slowly, leaning my hands flat against the boardroom table. My voice was calm, measured, and completely devoid of fear.
"Evelyn," I said, holding her furious gaze. "Your son did not support me. He lived in my house, drove cars paid for by my family's trust, and drank wine purchased with my father's money. And while I was home taking care of a newborn child, your son was embezzling funds from this very company to buy hotel suites for his assistant."
Marcus Vance-Smyth stepped forward, holding up a legal document. "Mrs. Vance, my client is prepared to file a counter-suit for emotional distress, entrapment, and an equitable fifty-percent distribution of all marital assets, including the residential estate."
I smiled—a small, cold smile that made the lawyer pause.
"Tell your client to read the pre-nuptial agreement he signed three years ago, Mr. Vance-Smyth," I said, sliding a thin blue folder across the table. "Clause 14, Section B: In the event of documented infidelity or criminal conduct resulting in termination for cause, the offending spouse forfeits all claims to marital property, spousal support, and joint assets."
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The lawyer’s face went pale as he flipped open the folder. Evelyn gasped, grabbing her lawyer's arm. "Marcus... is that true?"
"Furthermore," I added, stepping around the table, "I am filing criminal charges for domestic violence and child endangerment based on the physical destruction of my daughter's nursery equipment. If Julian wants to fight me in court, tell him to bring a very good toothbrush. Because he won't be seeing the outside of a prison cell for a very long time."
