Chapter 6
The sprawling living room of the Vance mansion was bathed in the amber glow of twilight. Outside, the autumn wind rustled the ancient oaks that lined the grand driveway, casting long, dancing shadows across the French doors. Julian stood by the fireplace, staring into the flickering flames while holding a small, silver pocket watch that had belonged to his grandfather. The rhythmic ticking was the only sound in the cavernous room until the heavy front door clicked open and closed.
Footsteps approached down the hallway—sharp, deliberate, and undeniably proud. Victoria entered the room, having discarded her corporate suit for a flowing emerald silk dress that shimmered under the chandelier. She looked composed, her diamond necklace catching the light, but the tight set of her jaw betrayed the immense strain she was under.
"Playing master of the house in my absence, Julian?" Victoria asked smoothly, walking toward the bar cart to pour herself a glass of gin. "Do you really think a trumped-up internal audit is going to keep me out of my own company?"
Julian did not turn around immediately. He snapped the pocket watch shut with a crisp click and finally turned to face her. "The audit isn't trumped-up, Victoria. It's a complete accounting of your financial crimes. The SEC has already received a preliminary copy of the report. You aren't just losing your seat on the board; you're facing federal indictment."
Victoria’s hand froze mid-pour, a few drops of gin spilling onto the glass tray. She turned slowly, her eyes flashing with sudden, incandescent fury. "You would send your own wife to prison over corporate restructuring? Have you lost your mind?"
"You didn't restructure; you looted," Julian said, his voice terrifyingly calm as he closed the distance between them. "You stole from the foundation, you bullied my mother, and you treated everyone in this family like collateral damage in your endless pursuit of control. I warned you to let it go."
Victoria slammed the glass down, the crystal cracking against the tray. "I built this lifestyle! Without my ambition, this family would have sold off these estates decades ago! You are weak, Julian—just like your mother, hiding behind sentimentality and moral platitudes!"
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"Ambition without a soul is just greed," Julian replied, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a single document, holding it out toward her. "Sign these divorce papers and the immediate transfer of all corporate shares back to the family trust. In exchange, I won't press criminal charges for the foundation embezzlement. You walk away with your personal savings, your clothes, and your freedom."
Victoria stared at the white papers as if they were venomous snakes. The sheer audacity of his ultimatum stunned her into momentary silence. For a woman who believed she owned the world, being offered a fraction of it as an act of mercy was the ultimate insult.
