Chapter 13 - The Fall of House Vance
Federal marshals mounted the stage steps, their badges glinting under the chandelier lights.
Marcus attempted to break through the side exit behind the velvet drapes, but two plainclothes officers tackled him to the floor, twisting his arms behind his back and snapping cold steel handcuffs around his wrists. He shouted obscenities, squirming against the stage floor as board members watched in disgust.
Victoria stood frozen, her trembling hands slowly rising into the air as an agent approached her with a warrant.
"Victoria Vance," the lead marshal declared, his voice carrying clearly over the hushed room, "you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, corporate embezzlement, aggravated fraud, and the attempted murder of Luke Sterling."
She did not look at the officer. Her eyes remained locked on Luke, filled with an incomprehensible mixture of hatred, disbelief, and ruined pride.
"You should have died in that car with him," she hissed, her voice a cracked, venomous whisper as the handcuffs clicked tightly around her slender wrists.
Luke looked at her with neither malice nor triumph, but with the quiet sorrow of a man who had seen the absolute depths of human greed.
"Arthur loved you, Victoria," Luke replied softly, his voice meant for her ears alone. "He would have given you the world if you had simply asked. But you chose to steal what was already freely offered."
Tears of rage spilled down her cheeks, ruining her immaculate makeup as the agents led her down the stage stairs. The press swarmed the aisle, capturing every agonizing second of her public ruin.
Thomas Cole stepped up to the podium, tapping the microphone to address the bewildered assembly. "The board of directors is officially reconvened under the sole leadership of Mr. Luke Sterling. All fraudulent proxy transfers are null and void."
The ballroom erupted into spontaneous, thunderous applause. Investors, dignitaries, and former colleagues rose in a standing ovation.
May you like
Luke stood amidst the storm of applause, steady on his feet. He closed his eyes for a single moment, feeling the presence of his late brother in the warmth of the lights above.
We did it, Arthur, he thought. It is finished.
