Part V: The Unraveling of Victoria
The showdown took place forty-eight hours later at the New York State Supreme Court in Lower Manhattan.
Victoria Bennett, flanked by six attorneys from a top-tier white-shoe firm and her father, Thomas Vance, marched up the stone steps of the courthouse. She was wearing a dark navy Chanel suit and large sunglasses, trying to maintain the illusion of a dignified society woman caught up in a unfortunate misunderstanding.
The paparazzi were a wall of flashing lights and screaming questions. "Victoria! Is it true your husband has a secret daughter?" "Are you filing for divorce?" "Did you know about Elena Vance?"
Inside the grand, marble-pillared corridor of the court, Victoria’s lead attorney, a ruthless corporate fixer named Richard Sterling, turned to Gabrielle Thompson.
"Let’s cut through the theater, Thompson," Sterling said, dropping a thick leather folder onto the mediation table. "The Vance Group is prepared to offer your client a settlement of seven million dollars. In exchange, she signs a total non-disclosure agreement, surrenders all original photographs and diaries, and issues a public apology stating that she was mistaken about her parentage due to her mother’s medical delusions. It’s more money than this girl would see in ten lifetimes."
Chloe sat next to Gabrielle, her posture straight. She was no longer wearing the stiff catering apron; she wore a simple, elegant grey dress that Simone Rivers had personally selected for her. The bruise on her cheek was fading, but her eyes were brighter than they had ever been.
"Keep your money, Mr. Sterling," Chloe said, her voice echoing off the high ceilings. "My mother’s name isn't for sale."
"Then we will destroy you in court, young lady," Thomas Vance sneered, leaning over his daughter’s shoulder. "We have twenty years of tax records showing your mother lived below the poverty line. We can paint a picture of financial desperation that will make any jury believe you fabricated this story for a payout."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Thomas," a deep voice boomed from the back of the room.
Arthur Bennett walked in, accompanied by two federal investigators from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He looked tired, but his eyes were fixed on his wife and father-in-law with an absolute, lethal clarity.
"What is the meaning of this, Arthur?" Victoria screamed, standing up. "Are you bringing federal agents into our family business?"
"It’s not our business anymore, Victoria," Arthur said, sliding a set of documents across the table. "While you were busy hiring public relations firms to lie about Elena, I spent the last forty-eight hours opening the Bennett financial archives to the SEC. Specifically, the accounts managed by the Vance Group during our merger in 2004."
Thomas Vance’s face went from arrogant pink to a deathly, chalky white. "Arthur... you wouldn't."
"I would," Arthur said coldly. "My mother confessed everything to me last night, Thomas. She confessed that twenty-three years ago, you discovered Elena was pregnant. You knew that if I married a girl from Astoria, the Bennett-Vance merger would fall through, and your family's failing shipping empire would go bankrupt. So you used my mother’s fear of poverty to forge a letter from Elena claiming she had aborted the child and left the country. And then, you systematically used insider trading to siphon funds from the Bennett Trust into your own offshore accounts to ensure we were tied to you forever."
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Victoria staggered back, looking at her father’s terrified expression. "Dad? Is... is that true?"
"The SEC has already frozen the Vance Group’s primary accounts," Arthur continued, turning his back on them to look at Chloe. "The merger is dead, Thomas. Your company is under federal indictment. And as for you, Victoria... I filed for divorce this morning. You will receive exactly what our prenuptial agreement dictates for a spouse who engages in corporate fraud and criminal assault: nothing."
