Chapter 9
The amber light of the Manhattan Club chandelier seemed to dim as the gravity of Arthur’s words settled over the table. Valeria stared at her father, the pieces of a terrifying puzzle snapping violently into place. Six months ago, during her marriage to Julian, an internal compliance alert had falsely flagged her personal workstation for data theft. Julian had comforted her, told her it was a glitch, and handled the HR meeting himself. She had trusted him implicitly.
"They framed me," Valeria whispered, her voice tight with suppressed fury. "Julian and Robert Vance planted those files on my computer."
"They intended to use it as leverage if you ever discovered his embezzlement," Marcus Vance explained grimly, tapping his pen against the table. "If you threatened to divorce him or expose his finances, they would have had you arrested for corporate theft. You walked away just in time."
"And now Clara has handed over the physical proof of their conspiracy," Arthur added, his eyes burning with protective rage. "She thought it would buy her immunity. Instead, she just signed Julian’s permanent death warrant in a federal penitentiary."
Valeria leaned back in her chair, taking a slow, deep breath to steady her racing pulse. The betrayal cut deep, not because she still cared for Julian, but because of the sheer, calculated cruelty of the trap he had laid for her while sharing her bed.
"Where is Clara now?" Valeria asked, her voice dangerously calm.
"Detained at a federal facility in downtown Manhattan," Vance replied. "Her legal counsel tried to claim diplomatic immunity through a distant relative in Europe, but the judge threw it out within ten minutes."
Arthur reached across the table, placing his hand gently over Valeria's clenched fist.
"You don't have to get involved in the criminal proceedings, Val," Arthur said softly. "My legal team will handle the prosecution. You can focus entirely on your studio and the board seat."
"No," Valeria said, pulling her hand away to pick up her pen with absolute resolve. "I want to sit in the courtroom. I want Julian and Robert Vance to look me in the eye when the judge reads the indictment. I am done hiding in the background."
Vance exchanged a brief, approving glance with Arthur.
"I'll have the prosecutor reserve front-row seating for you and your father tomorrow morning at nine," Vance said, standing up to fetch the updated files.
May you like
As Vance walked away to coordinate with the legal team, Valeria’s phone buzzed on the mahogany table. It was a local news alert banner flashing across her screen.
BREAKING NEWS: Federal Agents Raid Sterling Holdings Subsidiary; Former CEO Robert Vance and Disgraced Executive Julian Davis Indicted on Multiple Counts of Fraud and Conspiracy.
