Chapter 8 - The Fall of Victoria
The boardroom was dead silent. Several board members stood up in shock, gasping at the sight of the bloodied Vance family.
Victoria’s carefully crafted facade slipped, her face contorting in pure venom. ""Julian? You... you survived?""
""Disappointed?"" Julian stepped forward, setting Leo down on the polished marble conference table. ""You tried to drown your own grandson in the hold of an unregistered cargo ship.""
""Grandson?!"" Victoria scoffed, trying to regain her composure, turning to the board. ""He's lost his mind! This woman is an impostor! Emma Sterling died four years ago at Saint Jude's! This is an extortion plot!""
Emma walked deliberately toward Victoria. From her pocket, she pulled a pristine, sealed envelope bearing the wax stamp of the Swiss Federal Health Institute. She slammed it down on the table directly over the legal conservatorship documents.
""Full DNA sequence and fetal tissue preservation records from Zurich,"" Emma stated, her voice slicing through the room like a scalpel. ""Signed by three independent international magistrates. Leo is Julian's biological son, carried by me. And here,"" she tossed a digital flash drive next to the papers, ""are the encrypted bank transfers from Victoria’s personal offshore accounts to the mercenary unit currently floating in the Hudson.""
Victoria looked down at the evidence, her hands trembling. ""You think this changes anything? I control the private security, the board votes, the capital—""
The glass doors behind the board members slid open. Two high-ranking federal marshals stepped into the room, followed by the District Attorney.
""Mrs. Vance,"" the lead marshal announced, unholstering a pair of handcuffs. ""You are under arrest for corporate fraud, kidnapping, and attempted murder.""
Victoria looked around wildly, but every single board member looked away, averting their eyes from her disgrace. As the handcuffs clicked around her manicured wrists, she locked eyes with Julian, hissing, ""You think you've won, Julian? You have no idea what your father buried before he died. The Vance empire is built on a lie, and it will bury you all!""
As Victoria was dragged out, screaming curses into the corridor, Leo tugged on Julian’s coat.
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""Dad? Can we go home now?""
Julian looked down at Leo, then reached out to take Emma's hand. ""Yes, Leo. We're going home.""
