Chapter 5 - The Fall of the House of VanceChaos erupted in the boardroom.
Two board members who had secretly collaborated with Richard scrambled for the doors, only to find them locked from the outside. Through the glass panels, armed federal agents stood watch in the hallway, their hands resting calmly on their holstered sidearms.
“You planned this,” Richard whispered, staring at me with naked horror. The confident, sneering abuser from yesterday was gone, replaced by a desperate, cornered animal. “You... you set this whole thing up from the beginning.”
“I gave you enough rope to hang yourselves,” I replied, walking slowly around the table until I stood right beside his vacated seat at the head of the board. I placed my hand gently over my twenty-eight-week belly, looking down at him with absolute pity. “You thought my gentleness was weakness, Richard. You thought because I didn’t scream back when you belittled me, I didn’t notice when you systematically drained my mother’s memorial fund.”
Victoria lunged across the table toward me, her fingernails clawing outward like a wildcat. “I’ll kill you! You little bitch, I’ll—!”
She didn’t even make it two steps before the boardroom doors burst open. Two female federal marshals tackled Victoria to the floor, pinning her expensive white Chanel suit into the dirt and snapping heavy steel cuffs around her wrists with a sharp click.
“Get off me! Do you know who I am?!” Victoria shrieked, her makeup streaking as her face was pressed against the marble threshold. “Richard, do something! Save me!”
Richard backed away until his legs hit the edge of the mahogany table. He looked around the room, seeking allies among the board members, but every single executive was staring straight ahead, desperately avoiding his gaze.
Two male marshals moved in on Richard, forcing his arms behind his back and slamming him down onto the conference table—right where his forged medical evaluation lay scattered across the polished wood.
“Richard Vance, you have the right to remain silent,” the lead marshal recited coldly, reading his rights as Richard struggled in vain. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
As they dragged Richard toward the private elevator, his eyes locked onto mine one last time. There was no arrogance left, only a pathetic, whimpering plea for mercy. I didn't blink. I didn't look away. I watched him vanish into the elevator shaft just as my father had watched me walk away from abuse for years—waiting for the right moment to strike.
Director Vance stepped into the boardroom, carrying a thick leather binder and placing it neatly in front of me.
“Welcome back to the helm, Director Sterling,” Vance said, offering a respectful nod.
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The corporate secretary, Henderson, slumped in his chair, trembling so violently his pen clattered onto the desk. “Ms. Sterling... please. I was just following orders. I have a family—”
“Pack your things, Henderson,” I said, my voice echoing in the silent, stunned room. “Your resignation is effective immediately. And if I find your signature on a single fraudulent document, you’ll be sharing a cell with the Vances.”
