Chapter 4 - The Golden Cage Crumbles
Inside the penthouse of the suburban Vance manor, the house was silent save for the soft clicking of Arthur’s fountain pen. He sat in his leather armchair beside the fireplace, reviewing the audit files of the family trust. Across the room, Lily slept peacefully in a canopy bed, her tear-stained face relaxed, clutching a small, repaired teddy bear.
The door opened without a knock. Eleanor walked in, her jewelry clinking sharply in the quiet room. Her eyes were hard, unaccustomed to defiance from her eldest son.
"You have made your point, Arthur," Eleanor said, crossing her arms. "The boy was foolish, but leaving him on the street is an embarrassment to the family name. The social club is already buzzing. Reinstate his allowance before morning."
Arthur did not look up from the financial statements. "Gage has drawn three hundred thousand dollars a year from my corporate account for six years. In return, he produces zero revenue, abuses my domestic staff, and shatters a gift made by my daughter with absolute malice."
"She is a child! A piece of baked mud is not worth bankrupting your brother!" Eleanor hissed, her mask of gentility slipping.
Arthur closed the ledger with a heavy thud that echoed through the high ceiling. He stood up, towering over his mother, his gaze freezing her in place. "The baked mud represented love, something Gage considers worthless. Furthermore, Mother, the audit shows you diverted fifty thousand dollars from Lily's educational trust last quarter to cover Gage's gambling debts in Monaco."
May you like
Eleanor’s pale face drained of all color.
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