Chapter 4 - Stripped of Pride
By eleven-thirty, the boardroom had become an execution chamber for the Vance family legacy. One by one, the independent directors voted to strip Malcolm Vance of his chairmanship and terminate Julian Vance’s employment as Chief Executive Officer without severance, citing gross moral turpitude and catastrophic material breach of corporate governance.
Malcolm sat completely motionless, staring at the empty space between his hands as the corporate secretary recorded the unanimous vote. The empire his grandfather had established nearly a century ago had slipped through his fingers in fewer than four hours.
""You planned this,"" Malcolm muttered, his voice barely audible above the hum of the air conditioning. ""From the very beginning. You set a trap for my son.""
""Julian set his own trap, Malcolm,"" I replied coolly. ""I merely provided the rope, and he eagerly tied the noose around his own neck. If Julian had been the decent, honorable man he pretended to be during our courtship, our marriage would have merged our business holdings legally, fairly, and profitably. I would have saved this firm.""
I straightened my jacket and looked down the length of the table.
""Instead, the very first morning after taking your vows, your son proved that he viewed me as property. He struck me across the face because your wife didn't like the breakfast seasoning, and you sat behind your newspaper and defended him. You taught him that cruelty was a birthright. Today, you discover the price of that education.""
Before Malcolm could respond, the boardroom doors swung open again. Victoria Vance burst in, flanked by Julian’s younger sister, Claire. Victoria was clutching a crocodile-skin handbag, her makeup smeared, her designer silk blouse rumpled.
""Malcolm!"" Victoria cried out, ignoring the seated directors. ""The bank just frozen our personal accounts! My black card was declined at the salon! The manager at Cartier refused to release my jewelry from the vault! Tell these people who we are! Tell them to fix this immediately!""
Claire’s eyes darted around the room, landing on me with naked venom. ""What is she doing here? Why hasn't security thrown this gold-digging peasant out on the street?""
""Claire, shut your mouth,"" Malcolm commanded, his voice trembling with broken dignity. He did not look up from the table. ""Shut your mouth right now.""
""What?"" Victoria gasped, staring at her husband. ""Malcolm, what is the matter with you? Stand up and take control of this situation! Julian is sitting in a holding cell with common criminals, and our family name is being dragged through the gutter on every news network in America!""
""Mrs. Vance,"" Marcus intervened, his voice carrying the cold finality of an undertaker. ""You no longer have an expense account with this firm. Furthermore, the Greenwich estate, the Hamptons summer house, and the penthouse on Park Avenue are titled under Vance Real Estate Enterprises—an asset entity that has just been placed into immediate receivership under Elena's direct administration.""
Victoria froze. Her mouth opened, closed, and opened again, like a fish gasping for air out of water. ""The... the houses? Those are family properties! My grandfather-in-law built the Greenwich mansion!""
""And Julian leveraged them to the hilt to cover his margin calls,"" I said, meeting her horrified gaze. ""By five o'clock this evening, private security will arrive at the Greenwich estate to change the locks. You will be permitted two hours under supervision to collect your personal clothing and items acquired prior to Malcolm's tenure. Everything else remains corporate property.""
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""You can't do this!"" Victoria shrieked, lunging toward me. Two building security guards immediately stepped forward, intercepting her and firmly holding her arms. ""I am Victoria Vance! You are a nobody! You are nothing!""
""You're right about one thing, Victoria,"" I said quietly, picking up my tablet from the table. ""The Vance name used to mean something in this town. But after today, it will only serve as a cautionary tale about what happens when arrogance mistakes cruelty for power.""
