Chapter 4 - The Counter-Attack
By the afternoon, the internet had exploded. The live-streamed video of Julian Sterling threatening Elena outside her apartment had gone viral across every major social media platform. The hashtag #JusticeForLeo was trending globally. The Sterling Bank’s board of directors held an emergency closed-door meeting as their stock plunged into a historic freefall, losing billions of dollars in valuation within hours.
Inside Marcus’s secure downtown command center, Elena sat opposite a team of high-profile human rights lawyers and financial prosecutors. Leo was sitting nearby on a large swivel chair, happily drinking a chocolate milkshake, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just dismantled a multi-billion-dollar banking dynasty.
"The evidence is overwhelming, Ms. Vance," the lead prosecutor, an unbribable federal attorney named Arthur Pendelton, said as he reviewed the digital files Marcus had compiled. "We have the original hospital admission records from seven years ago, which Marcus's hackers recovered from the clinic’s deleted servers. It clearly shows a live birth certificate for a male infant born to Elena Vance, followed by a falsified death report signed by a doctor who received a massive 'consulting fee' from the Sterling Foundation the exact next day."
Elena felt a profound sense of validation, but her eyes remained sharp. "What about my mother? Victoria Vance. She was the architect of this. She wanted me compliant so she could control my shares of the Vance Corporation."
Arthur Pendelton sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Victoria is clever. She used multiple shell companies to hide the payments to the clinic. However, we have a breakthrough. A warrant was executed on Julian Sterling’s personal residence two hours ago. The police seized his computer encrypted files. Inside, they found an agreement signed by both Julian and Victoria, detailing the division of your corporate shares upon the successful completion of your marriage—shares that were legally tied to you unless you were declared psychologically unfit or died without an heir."
"So they kept Leo alive as insurance," Marcus intervened, his voice dripping with disgust. "If Elena ever tried to rebel or divorce Julian, they could use the boy—either by revealing him or threatening him—to force her hand. They kept him in the slums under Clara’s care, paying Clara just enough to keep her quiet, until Clara realized they were planning to eliminate the boy permanently once the marriage was finalized."
Elena walked over to Leo, gently placing her hand on his soft hair. The depth of the cruelty her own mother had displayed was hard to comprehend, but she didn't have time for grief. She needed to deliver the final blow.
"What is our next move, Arthur?" Elena asked.
"An emergency shareholder meeting of the Vance Corporation has been called for tomorrow morning," Arthur replied. "Victoria is attempting to use a legacy clause to oust you from the board completely, claiming your public actions have damaged the company’s reputation. If she succeeds, she retains absolute voting power and can use the corporate funds to bail out Julian’s bank."
"She won't succeed," Elena said, a cold determination hardening her features. "Because tomorrow, I am attending that meeting. And I am bringing the new majority shareholder with me."
Marcus smiled, pulling up a document on the main screen. "While Julian’s bank was collapsing today, my financial team quietly bought up the panic-sold shares of the Vance Corporation through our international trust. Combined with your personal shares, Elena... you now hold 51% of the company."
"Tomorrow," Elena whispered, looking at her reflection in the glass window, "the Vance empire changes hands."
Suddenly, the security alarms in the command center began to flash red. The main monitor switched to an external camera view of the building's lobby.
A lone figure stood in the center of the lobby, surrounded by Marcus's armed guards. It was Victoria Vance. She looked old, defeated, but her posture was still stiff with a poisonous pride. She held a single white envelope in her hand, looking directly up at the security camera.
May you like
"She’s alone," Marcus noted, his brow furrowing. "She wants to talk to you, Elena."
Elena stood up, smoothing down her clothes. "Let her up, Marcus. It’s time to say goodbye."
