Chapter 7 - The Downfall of the House of Vance
The day of the official deposition arrived. For the first time in weeks, I would have to face Dominic and Eleanor in a room.
My father wanted to come with me, but I shook my head. "No, Dad. I need to do this myself. I need them to see that I am not the quiet, submissive girl they thought they could step on."
I walked into the conference room wearing a perfectly tailored white power suit. I looked radiant, healthy, and completely in control.
Dominic and Eleanor sat across from us. They looked haggard. Dominic’s expensive suit looked loose on him, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Eleanor’s signature pearls were missing—likely sold to pay their skyrocketing legal fees.
"Vivienne," Dominic pleaded, reaching across the table. "Please. We can talk about this. We were a family once. I made a mistake, I admit it. I was desperate. The business was dying..."
"A mistake?" I laughed, a cold, clear sound. "You tried to steal my daughter from my arms forty minutes after I gave birth to her. You brought your mistress into my recovery room. You told me I was nothing."
"It was Eleanor's idea!" Dominic yelled, pointing a trembling finger at his mother. "She said we needed an heir to secure the trust fund, and she knew you wouldn't let Chloe raise the baby if you knew the truth! She planned the forged papers!"
"Dominic, shut your mouth!" Eleanor hissed, her face twisting in rage. "You weak-willed boy! I did everything to save this family, and you throw me to the wolves?!"
I watched them tear each other apart with absolute detachment.
Sarah Jenkins tapped her pen on the table, silencing the room. "We are not here to listen to your family squabbles. We are here to present our terms.
First: Dominic will sign an absolute, unconditional waiver of all parental rights to Sophia Sterling.
Second: You will plead guilty to the criminal charges of forgery and conspiracy.
Third: You will surrender all remaining assets of Vance Enterprises to Sterling Global for the sum of one dollar."
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"One dollar?!" Eleanor gasped. "That company has been in our family for three generations!"
"And it is currently worth negative forty million dollars," Sarah replied smoothly. "We are offering to absorb your debt so you do not go completely bankrupt before your prison sentencing. It is a mercy. I suggest you take it."
