Chapter 4 - THE DESPERATE REVENGE

Three days passed. The public downfall of Vanessa and the Sterling family was the dominant topic of local society pages.

Vanessa was now living back in her mother’s modest suburban house. Her closets were empty of high-end designer dresses—most had been returned or seized by debt collectors trying to settle her unpaid wedding expenses. Her social media accounts, once full of luxury travel and gold-trimmed lifestyle posts, were flooded with mocking comments.

She sat on the sofa in her mother’s living room, staring at her laptop. Her eyes were red-rimmed, surrounded by dark circles.

“This isn't over,” Vanessa muttered to herself, her nails digging into the palm of her hand. “It can’t end like this.”

Eleanor came out of the kitchen, carrying a cup of instant coffee. “Vanessa, honey, please eat something. The lawyers said Julian’s annulment went through this morning. You’re officially single again. We need to figure out our next move.”

“My next move?” Vanessa turned her bitter gaze toward her mother. “Clara is living in a fifty-million-dollar penthouse right now! She’s driving around in armored Maybachs! And I’m sitting here drinking cheap instant coffee because of her!”

“What can we do?” Eleanor sighed helplessly. “Her husband has unlimited power, Vanessa. We can’t touch him.”

“No,” Vanessa smiled, a dark, manic gleam appearing in her eyes. “Arthur Vance has power. But power creates enemies. A man like him doesn't reach the top without stepping on a few graves.”

Vanessa opened a hidden folder on her laptop. Months ago, before the wedding, when she was still trying to research Clara’s mysterious quiet husband, she had hired a cheap private investigator to dig into Arthur Vance’s background. At the time, the investigator had found nothing useful, reporting that Arthur was just an obscure investment consultant.

But Vanessa re-examined the old documents, scanning through financial filings and corporate registries that she hadn't understood before.

Suddenly, her eyes locked onto a corporate document from eight years ago.

It was an old acquisition file for a small energy firm called Vanguard Tech. The firm had gone bankrupt overnight after a hostile takeover, leading to the suicide of its founder and main shareholder—a man named Marcus Kane.

And sitting right below the liquidation signature was Arthur Vance’s name.

Vanessa remembered reading about Marcus Kane in the news years ago. Marcus Kane had a son—Dominic Kane—who was currently one of the most aggressive hedge-fund managers in Wall Street, known for launching legal war against Vance Global Capital.

“Arthur Vance killed his father’s business,” Vanessa whispered, a wicked smile spreading across her face. “Dominic Kane has been looking for leverage against Vance Global for years...”

Vanessa grabbed her phone and dialed a private number she had found on a high-finance forum.

“Hello? Is this Mr. Dominic Kane’s office?” Vanessa asked, her voice dripping with artificial confidence. “I have confidential information regarding Arthur Vance’s personal life and his current corporate structures. Information that could ruin him.”

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On the other end of the line, a sharp, cold voice responded. “Who is this?”

“My name is Vanessa,” she declared, standing up straight. “And I’m the sister-in-law Arthur Vance wishes he never created.”