Chapter 14 - Eleanor’s Last Gambit
While Victor Cross’s shadows circled Vance Ground, Eleanor Sterling was rotting in her own bitter exile. The damp two-bedroom apartment smelled permanently of stale cabbage and cheap disinfectant. Her diamond rings had been pawned to pay for Richard’s appellate attorneys, leaving only pale, indented rings of loose skin on her fingers.
Every day, the women she had once snubbed at the country club ignored her calls. The boutique owners locked their doors when they saw her coming. In Eleanor’s warped, narcissistic mind, her ruined life was not the result of her son’s embezzlement, his violence, or their collective arrogance.
It was entirely Claire’s fault.
*That little stray,* Eleanor fumed, pacing the worn linoleum of her kitchen, clutching a warm glass of gin. *Arthur Vance’s peasant daughter. If she had just taken her beating and kept her mouth shut like a dutiful wife, none of this would have happened.*
Her telephone rang, its harsh electronic shrill cutting through the silent room. Eleanor rushed to grab it, hoping it was an old acquaintance finally returning her pleas for social rescue.
"Hello?" she answered breathlessly.
"Mrs. Sterling," a smooth, unfamiliar baritone replied. The voice was cold, cultured, and devoid of warmth. "My name is Victor Cross. I believe you and I share a mutual acquaintance who has caused us both severe financial inconvenience."
Eleanor’s hand tightened around the receiver. "Mr. Cross? The... the investor Richard spoke of?"
"The very same," Cross said smoothly. "I am currently organizing an audit of Arthur Vance’s personal history. You lived in the same circles as him for years, Mrs. Sterling. You know where his soft spots are. You know his routines, his properties, and the people he trusts."
"Arthur Vance destroyed my son!" Eleanor spat, venom dripping from every syllable. "He took everything from us! He threw Richard into a cage!"
"Then help me break him," Cross offered quietly. "Provide me with what I need regarding the Vance family's historical assets and vulnerabilities, and I will ensure that once Arthur Vance is neutralized, Richard's conviction is vacated through judicial channels I control. And your estate, Mrs. Sterling, will be restored ten-fold."
May you like
A triumphant, wicked smile spread across Eleanor’s withered face. "Tell me what you need, Mr. Cross. I will give you the rope to hang every last Vance alive."
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