Arthur Sterling finally burst through the grand double doors of the ballroom, surrounded by three personal bodyguards and two senior divorce lawyers. He was sweating heavily, his face pale as he looked around at his guests standing in silent shock. He hurried through the crowd, expecting to see his daughter putting someone in their place, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Chloe lying flat on the floor, weeping and screaming at a woman standing tall in a white suit.
Arthur: What is the meaning of this? Call security right now! Who laid a hand on my daughter?
Victoria: Hello, Arthur. It has been a long ten years since you stole my father's shares and forged his final will.
Arthur: Victoria? No... that's impossible. You were supposed to be in Europe!
Victoria: I was in court, Arthur. Settling the estate, buying your bank debt, and securing the master deed to this entire property.
Chloe: Dad! Slap her back! She hit me! She put her hands on me in front of everyone!
Arthur: Shut up, Chloe! Just keep your mouth shut right now!
Arthur’s voice cracked with pure fear, something Chloe had never heard from her father in her entire life. She looked up at him from the floor, her tears smearing her black mascara down her red cheeks. She expected her father to order the guards to attack, but instead, Arthur’s hands were shaking as he looked at the pink diamond ring on Victoria’s finger. He knew what that ring meant. It meant the court trial was over, the fraud had been proven, and his vast wealth was officially gone.
Victoria pulled a thick folder from her inner jacket pocket and threw it down onto Arthur’s chest. The papers spread across the floor beside Chloe. They were foreclosure notices, bank transfer receipts, and an official federal court order granting Victoria Vance sole ownership of Sterling Enterprises, its buildings, its bank accounts, and every asset attached to the family name. The lawsuit had been finalized that very morning, and Victoria had waited until this gala to deliver the final blow in front of all their high-society peers.
The guests began to murmur loudly as they read the headlines on the papers scattered across the marble floor. The truth was out. Arthur Sterling was completely broke, facing federal fraud charges, and his spoiled daughter was no longer an heiress to anything. Chloe looked at the paper beside her knee, her hands trembling as she saw the word Foreclosure stamped in big red letters across her family home address.