Chapter 10 - The Fall of the House of Prescott
Over the next six months, the high-society world of the city was rocked by a scandal that made front-page news across the country.
The truth about Prescott Global Development blew wide open.
Under Arthur Sterling’s guidance and the oversight of state auditors, the original patent for the structural framing process was legally returned to the Vance Family Trust. The corporate name "Prescott Global" was formally dissolved.
Victoria Prescott tried to fight the asset restructuring in court, attempting to claim half of the company’s remaining wealth. But during the forensic financial audit, investigators uncovered that Victoria had been secretly embezzling millions of dollars into offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands over a six-year period. She was arrested at the regional airport while attempting to board a flight to Switzerland, her wrists handcuffed behind her back as press cameras flashed mercilessly. She was sentenced to eight years in a federal penitentiary.
Gavin didn't fight the legal dissolution.
He voluntarily signed over every share of stock he held, surrendered the Prescott title deeds, and liquidated his personal assets to pay full restitution to the historical estate and the surviving working-class families of Miller's Creek whose pensions had been affected by Richard Prescott's early land grabs.
The thirty-million-dollar mansion was put up for auction.
On the day the estate was sold, a large crowd gathered on the manicured front lawn. Reporters, former business associates, and curious onlookers watched as the auctioneer lifted his gavel.
The highest bidder was not a real estate developer or a hedge fund manager.
It was the newly formed Thomas and Martha Vance Foundation—funded entirely by the retroactively paid patent royalties secured by Arthur Sterling.
Gavin stood at the back of the crowd, wearing plain clothes, a leather duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He watched as Martha stepped onto the grand marble porch of the mansion—not as a cardboard collector, but as the new legal owner of the property.
She didn't keep the mansion as a private home.
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Within three months, the gates were permanently removed. The manicured lawns were converted into a community garden, and the thirty-room estate was transformed into a shelter and career development center for homeless mothers, elderly laborers, and impoverished families trying to rebuild their lives.
Brenda, the young maid who had once snapped at Martha, was given a second chance. Martha hired her back—not as a servant, but as an administrative assistant for the foundation, teaching her the true meaning of dignity and respect.
