Chapter 4 - The Scramble for Survival
The twenty minutes ticked down with agonizing slowness.
Chloe was frantically throwing shoes, designer dresses, and cosmetics into a pair of oversized Louis Vuitton luggage bags, cursing under her breath.
Julian, meanwhile, was pacing the length of the living room, frantically pressing buttons on his smartphone, trying to reach his investors, his banking associates, and his PR team.
Every single call went straight to voicemail.
Arthur Vance’s legal blockade had moved with terrifying speed; within an hour, word of the shattered engagement and the immediate withdrawal of the Vance family capital had swept through the Chicago financial district like wildfire.
Julian’s phone finally buzzed violently in his hand.
He lunged at the screen, pressing accept with a desperate gasp of hope.
"Director Vance?" Julian blurted out, expecting a lifeline.
"This is Marcus from Apex Ventures. What the hell is going on? Our compliance team just flagged an emergency freeze on your corporate accounts, and we are pulling our investment backing immediately."
"Marcus, listen to me, it's a domestic dispute, it's completely overblown, I can fix—" Julian pleaded.
"It's not a dispute, Sterling," Marcus interrupted harshly.
"You lost the Vance backing, which means you have zero collateral, zero liquidity, and zero credibility. We are severing ties before the market opens tomorrow morning."
The line went dead with a sharp click.
Julian slowly lowered the phone from his ear, his hands trembling violently.
He looked over at Chloe, who was staring at him with wide, accusatory eyes now that she realized he was no longer a wealthy tech heir, but a penniless liability.
"What do we do, Julian?" Chloe asked, her voice shrill and panicked.
"My apartment lease is already canceled because you told me we were moving into this penthouse permanently! Where are we supposed to sleep tonight?"
"That is no longer my problem," Clara stated, her voice cutting through the panic like a knife.
The security guards stepped forward, their massive frames blocking the exit path toward the private elevator.
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"Your time is up," Miller announced, holding out his hand toward the door.
"Please leave the premises immediately, or we will be forced to escort you out under charges of trespassing."
