Chapter 2 - The Paper Empire
Raymond’s office smelled of old leather and stale coffee.
I sat across from him in dry clothes, Lily’s urn resting securely on the mahogany desk between us.
“Your father was a brilliant actuary, Vivian,” Raymond began, pushing a thick manila folder toward me. “Just like you.”
“He was also Adrian’s father’s accountant,” I replied, staring at the folder.
“And he kept their secrets,” Raymond nodded slowly.
He opened the file, revealing documents yellowed with age.
“Thirty years ago, Vance Enterprises was bankrupt. Your father quietly bailed them out using a shell corporation.”
I frowned, my analytical mind spinning into gear. “Wait. If my father bailed them out…”
“Then the Vance family doesn’t own their empire,” Raymond finished, a grim smile touching his lips. “You do.”
I stared at the signatures on the bottom of the page.
It was an ironclad lien.
Every building, every stock, every dollar of the Vance family fortune was legally leveraged against a debt they could never repay.
“Why didn’t my father tell me?” I asked, my chest tightening.
“He wanted you to have a normal marriage,” Raymond sighed. “He hoped you’d never need the kill switch.”
I closed my eyes.
I thought of Lily, gasping for breath in the ICU while Adrian’s assistant denied her medication over a quarterly budget.
“Adrian cut off my daughter’s heart medication to save money,” I said, my voice eerily calm.
Raymond froze, the color draining from his face. “Vivian… I am so deeply sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I opened my eyes, reaching for a pen. “Be ruthless.”
“What do you want to do?” he asked, sliding a legal pad toward me.
“I want to execute the debt,” I said, writing down a list of names. “I want to freeze their assets.”
May you like
I slid the pad back to him.
“By Friday, I want Adrian Vance to wake up with absolutely nothing.”
