Chapter 3 - THE INVENTORY OF SINThe phone in my hand chimed softly, a cheerful notification sound that felt entirely out of place in the mounting tension of the bridal suite. On the screen, the face of Arthur Sterling—the stern, unyielding Chief Prosecutor of the Federal Financial Crimes Unit—appeared in high definition.
“Mrs. Vance,” Arthur’s voice boomed through the speaker, crisp and formal. “We’ve received the final batch of encrypted ledgers. The transfer of corporate assets has been verified. The trap is officially sprung.”
Dominic lunged forward, his face contorted in pure, unadulterated panic. “Audrey! Stop it! Do you have any idea what you’re doing? You’re destroying the Vance legacy! You’re destroying us!”
I tossed the phone onto the velvet sofa, letting him watch in horror as the live video conference continued without missing a beat.
“There is no us, Dominic,” I said, my voice dropping an octave as I closed the distance between us. The playful amusement was entirely gone now, replaced by a cold, burning fury that had been fueled by five years of meticulous planning. “There is only the consequence of what you and your father did to my family.”
Dominic stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening in sudden, dawning horror. “Your family… The Sterling shipping disaster five years ago. That was an accident! The Coast Guard report said—!”
“The Coast Guard report was bought and paid for by a Vance check,” I interrupted, my voice sharp enough to draw blood. “My father didn’t drown in an accidental storm, Dominic. His ship was deliberately sabotaged to clear the path for your family’s monopoly. He lost everything, including his life, while your father toasted to his new market share with champagne just like this.”
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I picked up a crystal champagne flute from the side table, swirled the golden liquid for a brief second, and then slowly poured it out over the expensive Persian rug.
“And you thought you could finish the job by marrying his daughter, taking over her boutique, and turning her into a helpless little housewife to control her shares?” I shook my head, stepping closer until I was looking straight down into his panicked, dilated eyes. “You didn’t corner a lamb, Dominic. You locked yourself in a cage with a apex predator.”
