Chapter 19 - Reclaiming the Crown
Six months after the trial, Vance Luxury Designs filed a massive civil counter-suit against the liquidated remnants of Vanguard Holdings and its conspirators for corporate slander and malicious prosecution.
The court awarded my firm a $4.2 million judgment.
I took every dollar of that judgment and established the Clara Vance Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs—an organization dedicated to providing free legal protection and financial auditing for young women starting their own businesses, ensuring no family or predatory partner could ever steal their hard-earned success.
My business was featured on the cover of Forbes. The story of how I overcame corporate sabotage and family fraud became a landmark case study in business schools across the country.
One afternoon, Arthur walked into my newly expanded headquarters in downtown San Francisco.
"Final papers came through today, Clara," he said, handing me a certified document. "The court-ordered financial restitution payments from Serena and Marcus have been processed. Your foundation's endowment is fully funded."
"And my parents?" I asked quietly.
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"Your father moved out last week," Arthur reported. "He filed for divorce from your mother. He’s living on a small farm in Oregon, working as a handyman. Your mother is still under house arrest, spending her days answering phones for a local charity to complete her community service hours. Neither of them has reached out."
I signed the final document, handing the pen back to Arthur. "Good."
