Chapter 6 - THE TANGLED WEB
While Grant was taken into federal custody, Victoria was left stranded, completely devoid of money, social status, and allies. Every single one of her wealthy socialite friends blocked her number. The country clubs cancelled her memberships, and the boutiques she had frequented demanded immediate settlement of her unpaid personal accounts.
Desperate and driven mad by greed, Victoria sought out an old enemy of the Vance family: Richard Vance, Evelyn’s estranged uncle, who had been banished from the family trust years ago for insider trading.
Meeting in a dark corner of a low-end diner, Victoria practically fell to her knees before the silver-haired older man.
“Richard! You have to help me!” Victoria pleaded, her hands trembling. “Evelyn has ruined us! She’s taken Grant, she’s taken our home! You hate her as much as I do. Help me tear her down!”
Richard cut a piece of steak slowly, looking at Victoria with disdain. “You ruined yourself, Victoria. You threw out a billionaire heiress because you thought she was poor. You are perhaps the stupidest woman in the tri-state area.”
“I have information!” Victoria insisted, leaning in close. “The twins! She had them at a private clinic. I can claim she used an illegal surrogate or that they aren’t Grant’s! I can drag her through a public paternity and custody scandal! The media will destroy her reputation!”
Richard’s eyes narrowed slightly. He took a sip of his wine. “A custody battle... If we contest the children’s legal status, we can freeze her family trust dividends under the guardianship protection act. That would block her control of Vance Global for months.”
“Yes!” Victoria sneered, a wicked grin returning to her face. “We can make her beg!”
What Victoria didn’t know was that Richard’s office had already been bugged by Evelyn’s security team weeks before.
In her penthouse suite overlooking Central Park, Evelyn sat nursing her twin boys while listening to the real-time audio recording playing from her phone.
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Julian stood beside her, holding a thick folder. “They’re planning to file a fraudulent paternity injunction tomorrow morning, Ms. Vance.”
Evelyn smiled softly, kissing little Leo’s forehead. “Let them file it. In fact, help them file it fast. I want every trap set before they spring it.”
