Chapter 2 - The Wrath of Marcus Vance
Five high-end black SUVs screeched to a halt along the curved driveway, their high-intensity searchlights bathing the front courtyard in stark, blinding brilliance. Security personnel in matching charcoal coats deployed within seconds, umbrellas snapping open in synchronized motion. From the center vehicle stepped Marcus Vance. Silver-haired, imposing, and draped in an immaculate tailored cashmere overcoat, the legendary magnate looked like a sovereign inspecting the ruins of a conquered province.
Julian burst through the double doors, fury reddening his neck. ""What the hell is this circus? Who authorized these cars on my property?"" Behind him, wrapped snugly in a fur stole, Elena peeked out, her smugness fading into genuine anxiety as she witnessed the small army assembling on the grounds.
Marcus did not spare Julian a single glance. He walked straight toward Clara, his hardened features softening only as he gently draped his heavy coat over her shivering shoulders. ""You have endured enough, little sparrow,"" Marcus murmured, kissing her forehead. He turned around, his gaze locking onto Julian like a predator sighting its prey.
""You,"" Julian sneered, recognizing the elder man only as an uninvited intruder. ""Old man, do you have any idea whose driveway you're trespassing on? Call off your thugs before I have the state troopers drag you off in chains. Clara signed away her rights, and this house is mine!""
Marcus’s senior counsel, Raymond Cross, stepped forward into the rain, opening a leather dossier with surgical precision. ""Actually, Mr. Julian Sterling, you seem to suffer from a catastrophic misunderstanding,"" Raymond said, his voice ringing loud and clear over the pelting rain. ""This property, the underlying four hundred acres, and every single brick beneath your feet were acquired under the Vance Global Trust twelve years ago. Your late grandfather merely leased the estate for a nominal fee.""
Julian’s laughter choked in his throat. ""That’s impossible! My family founded Sterling Capital!""
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""And Vance Global acquired eighty percent of your family's debt three weeks before Clara married you,"" Marcus said, taking a single, measured step toward the young man. ""You called her worthless. You threw my daughter into the mud. Now, pack your mistress and get out of my house.""
Julian opened his mouth to shout an obscenity, but a frantic ping from his pocket interrupted him. He pulled out his phone, and the color instantly drained from his face as a notification from his bank blinked on the screen: All accounts frozen by order of chief creditor.
