The heavy metallic clang of the iron front gates sealing shut reverberated through the grand ballroom, instantly changing the mood from high-society arrogance to frozen terror.

While my brothers systematically dismantled the Vance family’s earthly empire in the courtyard below, I sat quietly in the grand upstairs library, sipping a cup of chamomile tea.

The room was filled with floor-to-ceiling shelves of leather-bound books, heavy mahogany furniture, and the faint, lingering scent of pipe tobacco that had belonged to Arthur Vance before he lost everything. It was a room I had cleaned, dusted, and maintained for years while being treated like an invisible servant in my own marital home.

Now, I owned the deed. Julian had transferred the property title into my name less than an hour ago as part of the initial settlement proceedings.

A soft knock sounded at the heavy oak door, and Noah pushed it open. He stepped inside, his sharp expression softening the moment he looked at me. He walked over and pulled up a chair beside mine, his gray eyes searching my face with brotherly concern.

“How are your back and shoulders?” Noah asked quietly, his voice dropping all its boardroom coldness.

“They ache,” I admitted, setting my teacup down on the saucer. “But the pain is fading. Seeing them realize they have nothing left is the best medicine I could ask for.”

Noah reached across the table and placed his large, warm hand over mine. “You should have told us years ago, Flora. The moment Isaac started treating you like a lesser person, you should have made a single phone call. We would have burned his world to the ground before he ever laid a finger on you.”

“I wanted to prove I could handle my own life,” I murmured, looking down at our joined hands. “I wanted a normal marriage. I thought love meant patience, endurance, and forgiveness. I didn't realize... I was just feeding arrogance.”

“You were being a good person in a room full of monsters,” Noah corrected gently. “That’s not a weakness. But letting them survive it would have been a mistake.”

A heavy silence settled over the library for a moment, broken only by the muffled sounds of shouting coming from the courtyard downstairs. Through the tall arched windows, we could see local sheriff’s deputies arriving—not to arrest my brothers, but to serve final eviction notices and asset seizure warrants to Arthur and Isaac.

“What happens to them now?” I asked quietly.

“Arthur and Wendy will spend their remaining years paying off federal restitution and defending themselves against twenty different criminal indictments,” Noah replied without a shred of sympathy. “As for Isaac... his assets are completely frozen, his credit is destroyed, and every single business associate he ever bullied has lined up to sue him for breach of contract.”

“And Clover?”

Noah gave a dry, humorless chuckle. “She packed her designer bags five minutes ago and tried to flag down a taxi on the highway. Unfortunately for her, our security team made sure no cab in the tri-state area was willing to pick her up. She’s currently walking down the interstate in six-inch Louboutins.”