Chapter 4 - The Counter-Strike
Victoria Vance was not a woman who gave up easily. Driven by humiliation, vengeance, and the rapid collapse of her family's empire, she concocted a desperate plan to destroy Claire's reputation once and for all.
Using what remained of her family's slush fund, Victoria hired a notorious tabloid media network to release a spun narrative.
The next morning, headlines exploded across the internet:
"THE DARK SIDE OF THE VANE HEIRESS: WAS THE ROOFTOP INCIDENT A STAGED PUBLICITY STUNT?" "EXPOSED: Claire Vane Allegedly Used Covert Ops to Frame Socialite Victoria Vance in Targeted Corporate Sabotage!"
The articles featured edited video clips from the rooftop, framed in a way that made Claire appear as an undercover operative who intentionally provoked Victoria into a physical confrontation to destroy Vance Logistics. Deepfake audio clips were leaked, purporting to hear Claire boasting about ruinous corporate warfare.
Public sentiment on social media began to sway.
“Wait, so she disguised herself just to trap another woman? That’s kind of psychotic.” “Rich people playing games with each other’s lives while normal workers suffer!” “#CancelClaireVane”
Inside the Vance Logistics boardroom, Richard Vance looked at his daughter with a mixture of hope and terror. "Victoria... is this going to work? If the Vane family retaliates legally—"
"It is working, Dad!" Victoria laughed hysterically, scrolling through the viral posts on her phone. "The public hates arrogance! They love a fallen icon! Once the Vane stock drops, they'll be forced to settle with us out of court to save their reputation! We will get our money back!"
Just then, the TV screen mounted on the wall switched automatically to an emergency live broadcast from the City Press Center.
Claire Vane was standing behind a podium. But she wasn't alone.
Sitting beside her was the real victim from six years ago—the young intern who had been pushed down the stairs by Victoria. Next to her were four former employees of Vance Logistics, all holding signed affidavits detailing years of verbal abuse, illegal wage theft, and workplace intimidation committed by Victoria Vance.
And standing right behind Claire, wearing a sharp black suit, was Julian Sterling.
Victoria’s laughter died instantly in her throat.
"Good morning," Claire’s calm voice echoed through the television speakers. "Over the past twenty-four hours, certain entities have attempted to frame a clear act of personal violence into a corporate conspiracy. Today, we are releasing the unedited, full-length 4K security footage from the rooftop sky lounge, including full audio."
The screen behind Claire flashed to life, playing the crisp, crystal-clear video of Victoria purposefully striding over, screaming insults, and violently shoving the massive champagne tower directly toward Claire.
"Furthermore," Claire continued, "Sterling Financial has completed a full audit of Vance Logistics' financial records, provided voluntarily by whistleblowers within their accounting department."
Julian stepped up to the microphone.
"As of 9:00 AM today," Julian declared firmly, looking straight into the camera, "Sterling Financial, in conjunction with Vane Global, has filed formal criminal charges against Victoria Vance for assault, extortion, and corporate defamation. Simultaneously, federal auditors are currently entering the headquarters of Vance Logistics."
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Victoria’s phone slipped from her numb fingers and shattered against the floor.
Outside the Vance Logistics building, the sirens of police cars began to blare.
