Chapter 2 - The Silent Partner
The moment I stepped out of Vanguard Memorial, the facade dropped. My hands were trembling, not from fear, but from a cold, blinding rage that I had not felt since my late husband fought off hostile takeovers of our tech empire two decades ago.
I climbed into the back of my waiting Maybach and tapped the glass partition. "Drive, Henry. Take the long way back to the penthouse."
I pulled out my encrypted tablet and dialed a number I hadn't used in five years. It rang twice.
"Marcus," I said when the gruff voice answered. Marcus Vance (no relation to Julian) was the kind of attorney who didn't negotiate; he eradicated.
"Eleanor. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I need a complete extraction and containment protocol. My daughter is being physically abused by her husband, Dr. Julian Vance. He's threatened her life under the guise of medical complications during delivery."
Dead silence on the line. Then, a shift in Marcus's tone—from professional to lethal. "Give me the parameters."
"I want her out of that hospital by midnight. I want Julian blind to her location. Furthermore, I want Vanguard Memorial's charter pulled up. I own sixty-eight percent of the shadow holding company that funds his entire obstetrics wing. It's time to cash in."
"What about his medical license?" Marcus asked.
"I don't just want his license, Marcus. I want his freedom. I want his reputation. Dig into his files. A man who beats his pregnant wife with a belt and threatens surgical murder has skeletons. Find them."
As I hung up, my phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number, but the venom was unmistakable.
Eleanor, taking Clara to the Hamptons is a ridiculous idea. Julian is a master in his field. Do not interfere with my son's family. — Evelyn Vance.
I smiled softly to myself. Evelyn. The arrogant matriarch who thought her family’s old money protected her. I quickly drafted an email to my wealth management firm.
May you like
Subject: Vance Family Trusts. Action: Initiate immediate call on all outstanding margin loans and leverage held by Evelyn Vance's primary shell companies.
If they wanted a war, I would scorch the earth before they even realized the battle had begun.
