Chapter 7 - The Auction of Shadows
By mid-afternoon, news of the Vance family’s catastrophic collapse had broken through mainstream media. Cable news flashed banners: VANCE MARITIME ACCUSED OF DECADE-LONG SECURITIES FRAUD; FORMER BILLIONAIRE DYNASTY EVICTED FROM UPPER EAST SIDE ESTATE.
Julian sat on the curb outside his former penthouse on 5th Avenue, a single cardboard box resting between his designer sneakers. His luxury watches, his sports cars, his custom wardrobe—everything had been seized by marshals executing federal liens.
A sleek black Maybach pulled up to the curb, its tinted windows rolling down just two inches. The scent of familiar jasmine perfume drifted through the gap.
Julian scrambled to his feet, dropping the box, papers scattering across the wet pavement. ""Emily! Emily, let me in! Just let me talk to you for five minutes! We can fix this! I'll marry you right now, in city hall, no cameras, nothing! I'll do whatever you want!""
The car door opened. But it wasn't Emily who stepped out. It was Eleanor Vance, looking completely disheveled, her expensive coat stained with rainwater, her makeup smeared across her haggard face. She had been thrown out of her country club twenty minutes prior.
""Julian!"" Eleanor shrieked, running toward her son. ""Tell me you fixed it! Tell me that little bitch gave our money back! We can't even get into our house! The locks have been changed!""
From inside the car, a cool, melodic voice drifted out through the speaker system. ""The locks belong to me now, Eleanor.""
The rear window rolled down completely, revealing Emily sitting comfortably against the hand-stitched leather seats. She held a silver glass of sparkling mineral water, looking down at the two pathetic figures shivering on the sidewalk.
""You witch!"" Eleanor lunged toward the window, but an operative stepped silently between her and the vehicle, his arm barring her path like an iron beam. ""You planned this! You deceived my son! You pretended to be a nobody just to humiliate us!""
""I pretended to be an ordinary woman because I wanted to see who you truly were,"" Emily said calmly. ""And you showed me. You showed me that without your money, you are nothing but cruel, hollow scavengers.""
Emily looked at Julian, whose eyes were wide with desperation.
""Julian, you have one chance to avoid ten years in federal penitentiary for the offshore tax fraud your father forced you to sign,"" Emily said.
Julian fell to his knees in the puddle, heedless of the filthy water soaking his trousers. ""Anything, Emily. Tell me what to do. I’ll do anything.""
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Emily tossed a manila folder out the window. It landed in the grime near his knees.
""Sign the state’s evidence against your mother and father,"" she commanded softly. ""Or share their cell.""
