Chapter 6 - The Fall of the Dynasty
By Sunday morning, the news had already broken across the front pages of the Chicago Tribune and every major financial blog in the country.
"OLD MONEY COLLAPSE: Montgomery Empire Acquired by Mysterious Tech Tycoon—Who Turns Out to Be Ex-Wife."
Photos of me stepping out of the armored SUV, flanked by my three sharp-suited sons, were plastered everywhere. Social media was in a frenzy. The hashtag #VanceVengeance was trending globally. People loved a good underdog story, especially when the underdog returned wearing emerald couture and owning the mortgage of her former abusers.
I sat in the sunlit conservatory of the Lake Geneva estate—our estate now—sipping coffee while the movers loaded Eleanor and Ethan’s remaining luggage into a pair of cheap rental vans parked outside.
Ethan stood by the doorway, looking like a shattered shell of the man he used to be. His bespoke wedding tuxedo was wrinkled; his hair was uncombed.
"Katherine," he croaked, taking a hesitant step into the room. "Please. Can we talk? Just... just as people. As parents."
I didn't look up from my tablet, where my investment portfolio was climbing another three percent before noon. "You lost your right to parental conversations five years ago, Ethan, when you let your mother hand me an envelope of hush money while I was bleeding out emotionally."
"I was weak," he whispered, his voice cracking with genuine despair. "My mother... she controlled everything. She controlled me."
"And now you're free to find out what it's like to be ordinary," I replied coldly, finally lifting my eyes to meet his. "Enjoy the real world, Ethan. It builds character. Or so I've heard."
Just then, Caroline Hastings and her father marched past the window, refusing to even glance in our direction as they climbed into their limousine and sped down the driveway, leaving the Montgomery name buried in dust.
Eleanor was the last to leave. She paused at the French doors, leaning heavily on a cane she hadn't needed yesterday. Her face was lined with defeat, her proud aura completely dismantled.
"You think you’ve won everything, Katherine," Eleanor rasped, her voice trembling with malice. "Blood will out. Those boys carry our blood. Someday, they'll look at this empire, and they'll despise you for what you did to their family."
I stood up, walking slowly toward her until only a few inches separated us.
May you like
"They carry my blood too, Eleanor," I whispered fiercely. "And unlike you, I taught them loyalty, kindness, and strength. They will never look at this empire with greed because they know they built it with me."
Eleanor turned her face away, her shoulders shaking, and stepped out into the cold Chicago air, closing the door behind her for the final time.
