Chapter 5 - The Fall of the In-Laws
Charles stepped up to me, pulling his bespoke cashmere overcoat from his shoulders and gently draping it over my shivering body, carefully covering my torn gown. He gathered me into a firm, protective embrace.
“I’m sorry I was ten minutes late, sweetheart,” my father whispered softly into my hair, his voice dripping with tenderness. “Are you or the baby hurt?”
“We’re fine, Dad,” I murmured, leaning into his warmth. “I just… I needed to see it for myself.”
Charles turned around slowly. The tenderness in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by an icy, predatory glare that made every person in the room step back in fear.
Dominic stammered, stepping forward with his hands raised. “Mr… Mr. Sterling! Sir! I am Dominic Vance, Vivienne’s husband! There’s been a massive misunderstanding—"
SLAP!
The sound of Charles’ hand cracking across Dominic’s face echoed like a gunshot through the ballroom. Dominic stumbled back, clutching his reddening cheek in absolute shock.
“You dare call yourself her husband?” Charles spat, his voice low and deadly. “You stood by while your mother tore my daughter’s dress? You stood by while they publicly accused the mother of your unborn child of theft?”
Eleanor rushed forward, her aristocratic pride cracking into panic. “Mr. Sterling, please! We didn't know! Vivienne never told us who she was! If she had just mentioned her family background—”
“So you only treat human beings with basic dignity if they hold a billion-dollar surname?” Charles cut her off coldly. “Is that how the Vance family operates?”
Charles raised his hand, gesturing to his lead attorney, Mr. Mercer.
“Mr. Mercer,” Charles commanded. “Execute protocol Alpha on the Vance family immediately.”
Mr. Mercer opened a thick leather briefcase, pulling out a stack of legal notices. He stepped up to Dominic, handing him a document.
“Mr. Vance,” Mercer announced clearly so the entire room could hear. “Sterling Capital hereby terminates the thirty-million-dollar credit line extended to your technology firm. Furthermore, we are foreclosing on your corporate headquarters building, effective in sixty seconds.”
Dominic’s phone began to ring frantically in his pocket. Then again. And again.
He pulled it out with trembling hands. His screen was covered in frantic text notifications from his board of directors: 【ACCOUNTS FROZEN】 【SERVERS SHUT DOWN】 【BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS INITIATED】
Dominic dropped his phone onto the floor. It shattered against the marble.
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“No… no, no, no,” Dominic whimpered, dropping to his knees. “Vivienne… please! That company is my life’s work!”
I looked down at him, my heart completely numb. “Your company was funded by my father’s trust, Dominic. I convinced him to quietly back your business three years ago because I believed in you. You didn't build an empire. I built it for you while you let your family treat me like a beggar.”
