Three days after the dramatic incident at the Manhattan ballroom, Victoria Vance stood in the high-ceilinged study of her family's penthouse, pacing back and forth across the hardwood floor. Her father, Richard Vance, sat at the mahogany desk with a dark expression on his face, shuffling through legal documents. The news of Victoria's public disgrace had already spread through the upper circles of New York business society, causing their stock prices to take an immediate hit.
Victoria squeezed her fists tightly, her manicured nails digging into her palms as she remembered the cold looks of the ballroom guests. She was used to getting whatever she wanted, and being publicly discarded by Julian Vance was a nightmare she could not accept.
Victoria: We can't just let him buy us out, Dad! Julian humiliated me in front of the entire New York high society!
Richard: You humiliated yourself, Victoria! Screaming at Eleanor Vance in public? Do you have any idea how much influence that family carries in this city?
Victoria: I didn't know it was his mother! She was sitting there looking like a commoner in that plain cardigan!
Richard: It doesn't matter! The buyout offer Julian sent over is legally sound and generous. If we fight it in court, his lawyers will leak the video footage of you assaulting that hotel maid. It will destroy our remaining stock value!
Victoria: Then we make sure he doesn't have the chance to finalize the buyout contract.
Richard: What are you talking about? What crazy idea is running through your head right now?
Victoria: That girl... Evelyn Miller. Julian hired her as Eleanor's personal assistant. She has full access to the Vance private estate in the Hamptons now.
Richard: Victoria, don't do something stupid that could get us thrown into federal prison.
Victoria: It's not stupid, Dad. It's leverage. If that maid makes a fatal mistake on the property—if something valuable goes missing from Eleanor's private safe—Julian will have no choice but to fire her and cover it up to save face. And I'll be there to offer a quiet settlement in exchange for keeping our shares.
Richard: You're going to frame the girl twice?
Victoria: She ruined my reputation! It's only fair I finish what I started!
Meanwhile, at the Vance family estate, Evelyn was stepping into her new role with pure enthusiasm and gratitude. The estate was breathtaking, featuring high marble walls, sprawling formal gardens, and a large display of historical American art, including a massive framed flag hanging in the main foyer. Evelyn had spent her first two days learning the routine, organizing Eleanor's charitable schedule, and ensuring the elderly woman took her medication on time.
Eleanor loved having Evelyn around. Unlike the previous assistants who only cared about the Vance family fortune, Evelyn was genuinely warm and attentive, always making sure Eleanor was comfortable before taking care of her own administrative tasks.
Eleanor: Evelyn, dear, could you bring the blue folder from the study desk? Julian needs the charity trust documents before his afternoon board meeting.
Evelyn: Right away, Mrs. Vance! I will bring them straight to the living room.
Evelyn walked down the quiet, carpeted hallway toward the private study. The double oak doors were slightly ajar, letting a slice of sunlight spill onto the floor. As she pushed the door open, she was shocked to see a woman standing near the heavy desk, leaning over an open metal filing cabinet near the wall safe.
Evelyn: Excuse me? Who are you?
The woman turned around sharply, her dark silk coat swishing around her boots as she pulled off a pair of leather gloves.
Victoria: Well, well. Look who managed to climb the ladder so quickly. From sweeping floors to walking the halls of the estate.
Evelyn: Miss Vance? How did you get in here? The gate security isn't supposed to let you on the property!
Victoria: I still have my security pass from when Julian and I were business partners, darling. The guard didn't even check the registry when I drove through the main gates.
Evelyn: You need to leave right now, Miss Vance. Mr. Vance is on his way back from his city office, and Mrs. Vance is resting in the parlor.
Victoria: I'm not going anywhere until I get what I came for, you little parasite.
Victoria stepped away from the filing cabinet, sliding a thick brown envelope into her designer handbag. Evelyn's eyes widened as she noticed the lock on the metal drawer had been picked open with a small tool lying on the desk.
Evelyn: Put that back! Those are private foundation files!
Victoria: Oh, it's much more than files, sweetie. Inside this envelope is the original bearer bond for the Vance family foundation. Worth about two million dollars in cash.
Evelyn: You're stealing from Mrs. Vance?!
Victoria: I'm not stealing anything. You are. When security finds this envelope inside your staff locker in ten minutes, Julian will finally see what kind of trash he hired off the hotel floor.
Evelyn took a step back, reaching into her pocket for her phone, but Victoria lunged forward and snatched the phone right out of her hand, throwing it against the hard mahogany desk where the screen shattered into pieces.
Victoria: Nice try, Evelyn! But you don't get to win this time!