Chapter 4 - The House of Cards
Halfway across the world, in a sterile, high-end private medical clinic, Arthur Vance was having the worst day of his life. He paced the length of the waiting room, adjusting his expensive tie, feeling a strange, gnawing anxiety in his gut. Three months after the divorce, things were supposed to be perfect, but everything was unravelling. It started with small things: a rejected credit card, a delayed wire transfer for the down payment on their new mansion. Bankers had vaguely mentioned "restricted access" awaiting primary shareholder approval. Arthur thought he was the primary shareholder.
The clinic door opened, and the doctor stepped out alongside Vanessa, who looked pale and furious, her designer handbag clutched tightly. “Well?” Arthur demanded. “How is my son? How is the heir?” The doctor sighed uncomfortably. “Mr. Vance, as requested, we performed the advanced prenatal paternity test. I’m sorry, but the results are conclusive. There is a zero percent probability that you are the biological father.” The world stopped spinning for Arthur. He slowly turned to look at Vanessa, who didn't look apologetic at all. “Don't look at me like that, Arthur!” she snapped. “You were obsessed with having a baby! I just found a way to guarantee it.”
“You lied to me?” Arthur whispered. “You told me this was my legacy.” Vanessa scoffed, crossing her arms. “Oh, grow up. You left your actual children in a conference room without batting an eye. I cared about the ring and the real estate.” Before Arthur could process this ultimate betrayal, his phone began to vibrate violently. It was Marcus Cole, his attorney, sounding frantic. “Arthur, you need to get to the office right now. The shell company that backed the European merger just pulled all their funding. They called in the debts. All of them.”
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“They can't do that!” Arthur screamed, drawing stares. “I used my personal shares as collateral!” Marcus’s voice dropped to a grim whisper. “That's the point. I just looked at the divorce settlement you signed three months ago—the one you refused to read. You didn't just sign away custody. The fine print transferred your collateral shares, all of them, to Evelyn. And the holding company that just executed the hostile takeover is Landry Holdings.”
The name hit Arthur like a physical punch. Landry. The man who had sent the black SUV. “They own everything, Arthur,” Marcus finalized. “The company, the condo, the cars. You are entirely bankrupt.” Arthur dropped the phone, letting it clatter against the floor. He looked up at Vanessa, who was already texting someone, entirely uninterested in his breakdown. He had thrown away a woman who loved him, discarded his own flesh and blood for a child that wasn't his, and happily handed them the knife to slit his own throat. He had nothing left but the expensive suit on his back.
