Chapter 6 - The Unraveling of Rebecca
While David was being escorted out of Vance & Sterling in full view of two hundred employees, Rebecca Vance was hosting her weekly bridge luncheon at the prestigious Somerset Club.
She had spent the morning reassuring her social circle that David had been the victim of an unhinged smear campaign orchestrated by his "social-climbing" in-laws. "The girl came from new money, my dears," Rebecca had purred over cucumber sandwiches. "No breeding. No resilience. David was far too patient with her."
Her phone buzzed violently on the silver tray beside her. It was Leonard Croft.
She excused herself and stepped into the carpeted hallway. "Leonard, did you get the restraining order lifted?"
"Rebecca, get out of the club," Croft said, his voice panicked and breathless.
"What are you talking about?"
"The bank has just placed a freeze on all your accounts. Vance Horizon Capital has been declared an illegal enterprise. The feds are executing a search warrant on David's townhouse right now. And Rebecca... Julian Vance just resigned from the board and released an official statement terminating David for multi-million-dollar fraud."
Rebecca’s fingers tightened on the phone until her knuckles turned white. "What about the Palm Beach house? My winter home?"
"The deed was purchased with stolen funds traced directly from Maya Mercer’s trust," Croft said bluntly. "Elena Mercer’s legal team filed a lis pendens on the property an hour ago. The US Marshals are going to seize it by the end of the week. You need to retain a criminal defense attorney immediately. I cannot represent you anymore; I’ve just been subpoenaed."
The line went dead.
Rebecca stood in the corridor, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. When she turned to walk back to the private dining room, she found the club’s general manager standing before her, flanked by two staff members holding her mink coat and designer handbag.
"Mrs. Vance," the manager said in a low, discreet, but utterly uncompromising voice.
"What is the meaning of this, Charles?" she demanded, attempting to summon her usual imperious tone.
"The board of governors has convened an emergency meeting regarding the public events of the past forty-eight hours and the pending federal investigation into your family’s finances," Charles said smoothly. "Under Bylaw Seven, your membership has been suspended indefinitely. We must ask that you vacate the premises immediately."
Through the half-open door of the dining room, Rebecca saw the other women—the wives of state senators, old-money heiresses, women who had kissed her cheek just twenty minutes ago—staring out at her with expressions ranging from cold amusement to utter disgust.
"You can't do this to me!" Rebecca hissed. "My family has been part of this institution for forty years!"
"Your coat, Mrs. Vance," the manager repeated, holding out the fur with absolute, humiliating finality.
May you like
Rebecca grabbed the coat, her face burning with a fiery shame she had never experienced in her life. As she stepped out onto the cobblestones of Beacon Street, a flock of journalists and photographers—tipped off by David's dramatic expulsion from his firm—descended upon her like vultures, their camera flashes blinding her in the gray afternoon light.
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