Chapter 6 - Shadows of the Boardroom
The arrest of Victoria Sterling made national headlines overnight.
"DEAD HEIRESS RETURNS FROM THE GRAVE: BILIONAIRE’S FIANCÉE ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER AND ARSON!" read the front-page headlines across every major news outlet. The internet exploded. Social media threads racked up millions of views overnight as videos of Victoria being dragged out of the Vance estate in handcuffs went viral.
Three weeks passed.
The Vance mansion had been completely restored, but the atmosphere inside had forever changed. Eleanor was legally reinstated as Andrew’s living wife. Her recovery was slow—the physical scars were permanent, but with every passing day, the laughter returned to the house as she reconnected with her young sons.
Yet, Andrew couldn't sleep.
Victoria’s final words echoed in his mind every single night: “The real owner of your family's debt is sitting in your own boardroom.”
Inside his private home office, Andrew sat before a glass wall covered in financial charts, family trees, and corporate ownership records. Marcus stood beside him, dropping a thick leather folder onto the desk.
"We traced the offshore accounts, sir," Marcus reported. "Victoria was telling the truth about one thing. Uncle Raymond wasn't running the operation. He was receiving monthly payments from a shell corporation registered in the Cayman Islands called 'Aegis Holdings'."
Andrew opened the folder. "Who owns Aegis Holdings?"
"That’s the terrifying part, sir," Marcus took a deep breath. "Aegis Holdings owns forty-nine percent of Vance International. And the sole beneficiary of that holding company... is your father."
Andrew froze. His hand stopped halfway through turning a page.
"My father died twelve years ago in a plane crash," Andrew said slowly, his voice dropping an octave.
"His body was never recovered, sir," Marcus replied quietly. "Just like Eleanor's."
Andrew felt a sudden, suffocating pressure in his chest. His entire world slammed into a terrifying new reality. The fire, the conspiracy, the destruction of his wife—it wasn't just a corporate takeover by an ambitious mistress.
It was a war within his own bloodline.
Before Andrew could speak, his personal phone rang. It was an unlisted, encrypted number.
Andrew answered it, putting it on speaker.
"Hello, Andrew," a deep, raspy voice came through the speaker. A voice Andrew hadn't heard in over a decade. A voice that had haunted his childhood memories.
May you like
"Father...?" Andrew whispered.
"You always were a bright boy, Andrew," the old man's voice chuckled coldly. "It's a pity you brought Eleanor back. She was an unnecessary complication to our family's legacy."
