Chapter 4 - The Broken Alliance
Lila couldn't take it anymore. The prospect of losing the penthouse, the luxury sports cars, and the endless trust payouts drove her to complete madness.
"She's lying!" Lila screamed to the room, her voice cracking into a shrill screech. "Clara is mentally unstable! Everyone knows she's been jealous of me since the day my father married Victoria! She staged this whole stunt because she couldn't stand that I was always prettier, smarter, and more loved!"
A low chuckle broke through the tension. It came from Daniel’s mother, Eleanor Montgomery, who sat regally in the front row. Eleanor rose slowly, smoothing down her navy couture jacket, her eyes sharp as diamonds.
"Lila, dear," Eleanor said with freezing politeness. "A woman who steals her sister’s inheritance and brags in group chats about ruining a bride’s dress is neither smart nor loved. She is merely pathetic."
Lila froze, her face flushing crimson.
"And as for the Montgomery family," Eleanor continued, turning to address the crowd, "we do not judge a bride by the schemes of her toxic relatives. We judge her by her character. Clara has shown more grace, courage, and strength under your abuse than either of you could muster in a lifetime."
The humiliation was absolute. Lila looked around wildly, hoping to find an ally among the guests, but every gaze she met was filled with disgust or mockery. Several young influencers who had been invited purely to boost Lila’s social profile were already livestreaming the debacle, narrating the scandal to hundreds of thousands of viewers in real-time.
"Victoria," Arthur Sterling’s voice cut through the clamor like a gavel. "You have thirty days to vacate the Vance manor in Lake Forest. All bank accounts tied to Vance Holdings have been frozen by court order as of eight o'clock this morning. Your corporate credit cards have been deactivated."
"You can't do that!" Victoria yelled, completely losing her sanity. "I am the CEO! I built that company!"
"You ran that company into fifty million dollars of debt while laundering Evelyn's personal trust to cover your bad investments," Arthur shot back, pulling a thick blue folder from his briefcase and holding it aloft. "Forensic accountants spent the last six weeks combing through every shell company you established in the Caymans. The FBI’s financial crimes division has already accepted the case."
At the mention of the FBI, several prominent business partners immediately stood up and walked toward the exit doors, unwilling to be caught anywhere near Victoria Vance.
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Victoria grabbed her purse, trembling violently. "This isn't over! I have lawyers! I have friends in the governor's office! You will pay for this, Clara! You will regret the day you turned against me!"
"I didn't turn against you, Victoria," I said, my voice echoing clearly over the audio system. "I simply stopped letting you walk all over me."
