Chapter 2 - The Silence in Beverly HillsBack in California, the silence of our sprawling Beverly Hills mansion felt deafening. Dominic Vance sat at the mahogany dining table, swirling a glass of 25-year-old scotch, staring at the empty seat across from him. It had been forty-eight hours since Audrey had discharged herself from the hospital, and the sheer audacity of her defiance was beginning to grate on his nerves.
"She's throwing a tantrum," Natalie said softly, walking into the dining room wrapped in a silk designer robe. She leaned against Dominic’s shoulder, her fingers tracing the lapel of his tailored suit jacket. "She’s just upset because she never learned how fragile my health is compared to her rugged constitution."
Dominic grunted, setting his scotch glass down with a sharp clink. "It’s beyond a tantrum, Natalie. She blocked my number. My mother’s assistant went to check on her at the recovery apartment, and the place was completely cleared out. Not a single designer bag, not a single shoe left behind."
"Where would she go?" Natalie asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. "She has no family left in California."
Before Dominic could answer, his cell phone buzzed aggressively on the table. It wasn’t a call from Audrey, but an urgent alert from his chief financial officer, Arthur Pendelton.
Dominic swiped the screen and pressed speakerphone. "Arthur, this better be good. I'm dealing with domestic headaches."
"Mr. Vance, we have an emergency," Arthur’s voice was frantic, breathless with panic. "The Board of Directors has just received an emergency audit request filed through Sterling & Associates. They’re demanding full transparency on the Series B funding transfers from five years ago—the ones tied to the Brooks Family Trust."
Dominic’s face drained of color. He shot out of his chair, knocking his scotch glass over, the dark liquid pooling across the expensive wooden table like blood.
"The Brooks Trust?" Dominic shouted, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. "That account was legally consolidated under my executive authority two years into our marriage! Audrey signed those papers!"
"Sir, according to the injunction filed this morning, Mrs. Vance’s signature on the consolidation forms is being contested as signed under psychological duress and physical incapacitation," Arthur stammered. "Furthermore... they’ve frozen the primary operational accounts tied to that asset stream. Half of our liquid capital for the upcoming Singapore expansion is locked."
May you like
Dominic slammed his fist onto the table, shattering the glass rim. "Find her," he snarled, his eyes wide with sudden, unadulterated terror. "Find Audrey right now and tell her to drop this madness before I ruin her."
Natalie watched him from the shadows of the doorway, her carefully manicured fingernails digging deep into her palms. For the first time, a cold knot of dread formed in her stomach. Audrey wasn't crawling away to lick her wounds. She had declared war.
