Chapter 8 - THE PHONE CALL OF DOOMHannah took a deep breath, forcing her heart rate down. She closed her eyes for three seconds, imagining herself back in the quiet aisles of Patterson Market, finding the strength that had sustained her through years of poverty and hardship. When she opened her eyes, the terror was gone. In its place was pure steel.
She dialed Victoria Vance’s private number and set the phone on speaker.
It rang twice before Victoria picked up, her voice dripping with triumphant malice. "Have you come to your senses, little cleaner?"
"I have the documents in front of me," Hannah said, her voice trembling just enough to sound convincingly terrified. "Please... don't hurt my aunt. She has nothing to do with this!"
Victoria laughed, a sound like dry glass rubbing together. "Oh, Hannah. Cheap people like you always break so easily. Here are my terms: You sign the legal waiver surrendering all rights to the Vance Trust to me and my children. You resign as Regional Director immediately. And you leave this state forever."
"And my aunt?" Hannah asked, looking up at the recording indicator turning bright red on Julian’s laptop screen. "How do I know she’ll be safe?"
"Once my lawyers confirm the thirty-billion-dollar trust has been legally reassigned, I will order my men outside her house to stand down," Victoria sneered. "If you try anything cute—if you call the police, if you delay by even ten minutes—I will give the order to blow that house sky-high. Am I clear?"
"You're demanding thirty billion dollars under threat of murder," Hannah said clearly, repeating the exact legal elements Julian had written on a notepad in front of her. "That is your price?"
"That is my demand!" Victoria snapped. "You have five minutes to sign and fax the page. Don't test me, girl!"
CLICK.
The line went dead.
Julian instantly hit a key on his keyboard, stopping the recording. "Signal captured. Voice printing verified. Location traced to Victoria’s penthouse at the Ritz-Carlton."
He looked at his phone as a message popped up. "FBI tactical unit in Ohio has moved in. Victoria’s mercenaries have been taken into custody without a shot fired. They are already cooperating with federal prosecutors to reduce their sentences."
Arthur Vance closed his eyes, letting out a long, heavy sigh. "It is done."
Thirty minutes later, news reports broke across every television network.
BREAKING NEWS: VICTORIA VANCE AND MARCUS VANCE ARRESTED BY FBI IN MILLION-DOLLAR EXTORTION AND MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT!
Live footage showed Victoria Vance being led out of her luxury hotel in handcuffs, her expensive fur coat dragged through the rain as news cameras flashed furiously. Marcus was caught at the airport trying to board a private jet to South America, tackled to the tarmac by federal marshals.
Hannah stood in the executive suite, watching the television screen in silence. The terrifying storm that had threatened to destroy her life was finally over.
Arthur walked up behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You held your ground, Hannah. You saved this company, and you brought justice to my family."
"I just wanted to do what was right, Mr. Vance," Hannah murmured softly.
"I know," Arthur smiled. "Which is why tomorrow, the board will officially install you as the youngest CEO in the history of Vance Enterprises."
Hannah turned to him, stunned. "CEO? But... Mr. Vance, I’m only twenty-five!"
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"And at twenty-five, you have more wisdom than a room full of Harvard executives," Arthur said firmly. "But first... there is one final piece of business we must settle."
Arthur looked at Julian with a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Is Mr. Lawson still looking for a job?"
