Chapter 10 - The Fall of the House of Vance
The aftermath was catastrophic for the Vance dynasty, exactly as they deserved.
Though I honored my agreement not to leak the embezzlement files to the press, Arthur Vance did not let his children off the hook. Two days after the divorce was finalized, Arthur officially ousted Richard from the board of directors, reassigning executive control to an independent management committee. Richard was demoted to an entry-level regional manager in an industrial branch hundreds of miles away, stripped of his trust fund privileges until he repaid every cent he had siphoned.
Amanda’s social exile was complete. The footage of her violent slap followed her everywhere; high society closed its doors in her face, and her boutique went bankrupt within a month. Rumor had it she was forced to complete her court-ordered community service picking up trash along the very highway where her luxury billboards used to hang.
Eleanor attempted to hold her annual charity gala to prove the family was still unbothered, but fewer than a dozen people showed up. The socialites who had once flattered her now treated the Vance name like a contagious disease.
Meanwhile, I used my settlement capital to launch my own forensic accounting firm, partnering with Marcus. Clients who had long suspected corruption in their corporate partnerships lined up at our door, eager for our expertise.
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Within six months, our firm was thriving, recognized for our relentless integrity and sharp investigative precision. I had not only reclaimed my life, but I had also built an empire on the very foundation of the skills they had mocked and tried to bury.
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