Chapter 14 - The Aftermath
News of Julian Vance’s arrest broke before the gala even ended. The financial networks ran non-stop coverage. The Vance Development Firm was dissolved overnight, its assets absorbed seamlessly into the Sterling Sovereign Fund.
Seraphina sat in her corner office the next morning, sipping black tea. The view of the city was breathtaking. It was hers now. Not just legally, but fundamentally. She had exorcised the ghosts of her past.
Her assistant, a sharp-eyed young woman named Clara, knocked and entered.
"Ms. Sterling, the legal team has finalized the Vance asset liquidation. The remaining capital is enough to cover the corporate debts, but Julian Vance’s personal legal fees will bankrupt him entirely."
"Good," Seraphina said without looking up from her tablet. "What about Beatrice?"
"Her charity board officially ousted her this morning. She’s currently residing in a state-run assisted living facility, pending the IRS investigation into her tax filings."
Seraphina nodded slowly. It was a brutal outcome, but it was exactly what they had earned. For three years, they had treated her like dirt beneath their expensive shoes, completely blind to the fact that she was the earth they walked on.
"And Chloe Sterling?" Seraphina asked.
Clara smirked slightly. "Spotted by paparazzi boarding a Greyhound bus back to Ohio. Her accounts are frozen indefinitely."
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Seraphina finally set her tablet down. The board was clear. The enemies were vanquished. But the victory felt hollow unless she built something new upon the ashes.
"Clara," Seraphina said, standing up. "Draft a proposal. We’re converting the Vance estate into a women's educational foundation."
