Chapter 5 - Florence’s Awakening
By 2:00 PM that afternoon, news of Vanguard’s dramatic withdrawal from NexoCloud leaked to the financial press. Tech blogs and financial news outlets reported that NexoCloud’s funding had collapsed due to "executive misconduct and sudden partner withdrawal." The company's valuation plummeted from an estimated $300 million to zero in less than six hours.
I was sitting in the corner office of Vanguard’s headquarters, sipping green tea, when Evelyn entered with a tablet.
"The Miller family is currently blowing up the phone lines at your old Baltimore apartment building," Evelyn reported. "Florence Miller has tried calling the administrative office twenty times."
"Put her through to my direct line," I said.
A moment later, the phone on my desk rang. I picked it up and pressed speaker.
"Charlotte!" Florence’s shrill, frantic voice filled the room. "Charlotte, where are you?! What did you do to Jonathan?!"
"Hello, Florence," I said quietly.
"Don't 'Hello Florence' me!" she screamed. "Jonathan came home in tears! He says his company is ruined because of you! He says you told some rich people a bunch of lies about him hitting you!"
"They weren't lies, Florence," I said. "He hit me in front of you, and you encouraged him."
"It was a lesson!" Florence yelled, completely unrepentant. "A husband has a right to correct a disrespectful wife! You threw dirty water on him! You acted like a street thug! You owe this family an apology, and you need to go back to that investment company and fix whatever lies you told them!"
I let out a soft, amused chuckle. "Florence, did Jonathan fail to explain who I actually am?"
There was a brief pause on the line. "What are you talking about? You're an orphan clerk from Baltimore! You don't have a penny to your name! You should be grateful Jonathan married you at all!"
"I am Charlotte Vance," I said clearly. "I am the President of Vanguard Capital. The investment firm Jonathan was begging for $120 million is mine. The high-rise penthouse, the private security, the legal teams—they are all mine."
Silence descended on the line. I could hear Florence’s heavy breathing, followed by the muffled sound of Arthur shouting in the background.
"W... what?" Florence gasped, her confident, arrogant tone suddenly wavering. "You... you have money?"
"I don't have money, Florence," I replied coldly. "I have wealth that your family couldn't comprehend in ten lifetimes. And because your son decided to treat me like a servant and strike me, his company is now insolvent. By next Friday, the bank will seize your house because Jonathan used your property as collateral for his business loans."
A sharp gasp echoed through the speaker. "Our house?! He used our home as collateral?!"
"Yes," I said. "And when the foreclosure notice arrives, I suggest you take that blue bucket of dirty water and start washing the floors yourself, because you won't have a roof over your head much longer."
"Charlotte! Wait! Please!" Florence whimpered, her tone instantly switching from arrogant anger to pathetic desperation. "We didn't know! If we knew who you were, we never would have—"
May you like
"If you knew who I was, you would have treated me with fake respect while abusing anyone else you deemed beneath you," I interrupted sharply. "That makes you vile, Florence."
I hung up the phone and looked at Evelyn. "Proceed with phase two."
