Chapter 12: The Gilded Fall

THE HEIRESS' COLD REVENGE 

The Vance family estate in Greenwich was dead silent until Sarah’s car screeched into the driveway. She didn’t wait for the valet; she slammed the door and marched into the marble foyer, her face flushed and her breathing heavy.

"Dad!" she screamed, her voice echoing off the high ceilings. 

Arthur Vance stepped out of the study, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He didn't look like a comforting father. He looked like a man who had just watched his net worth evaporate. He didn't move to hug her. He stayed behind the heavy oak desk, his eyes cold.

"Why are you screaming about the whole place, Sarah? Don't you have better things to attend to?" 

Sarah didn't pay attention to what her father was saying, instead, she hit the jail on the head. "You need to tell me everything that I need to know!" 

"Ok?" Arthur indifferently replied.

"Julian is being ridiculous! He said the accounts are frozen. He said we have to move out of the penthouse by midnight!"

"He has told you nothing but the truth, Sarah," Arthur said, his voice flat. "I have also spent the last three hours on the phone with the Thorne Group’s board. They have removed Julian as CEO. The fraud allegations aren't just rumors anymore, they are backed by Blackwood signatures."

Sarah froze, her hand resting on her stomach. "But the baby, Dad. Julian is a Thorne. He has assets. We just need a bridge loan until the merger..."

"There is no merger!" Arthur roared, slamming his glass onto the desk. The liquid splashed onto a stack of legal papers. "Are you pretending to be oblivious to the fact that I put everything into this deal, Sarah. My reputation, my liquidity, the Vance legacy. I did it because you told me Julian was the key to the Blackwood fortune. You told me Elena was a nobody."

"She is a nobody!" Sarah shrieked, her eyes wide. "She’s a charity case! She’s an orphan! I made sure to do my findings, her family doesn't even want her and that was why she was sent here!"

"That so-called orphan just bought your debt, Sarah. Your future inclusive,," Arthur said, leaning forward. "She sent a notice to this house ten minutes ago. She owns the lease on your car. She owns that piece of jewelry you are wearing right now. And she’s given me a choice: I can either cut ties with Julian Thorne and keep my remaining holdings, or I can go down with both of you."

Sarah stepped back, her bottom lip trembling. "So what are you trying to say in essence?"

"I’m saying you can stay here," Arthur said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "In the servant’s wing. But Julian Thorne is not allowed on this property. And if you want me to pay for your medical bills, you will sign a statement denouncing him to the press. You will tell them he misled you and you will abide by all my rules."

"I love him, dad!" Sarah cried, though the sound lacked its usual conviction. " Why would I leave him because some lowlife who hasn't experienced love commanded if?"

"You and I know that you do not love him. All you love is the lifestyle he provided," Arthur corrected. "A lifestyle that currently belongs to Elena Blackwood. Now, make a choice. Are you a Vance, or are you going to be a beggar and roll in the mud with Julian?"

Before Sarah could answer, her phone chimed. It was a news alert. The headline was a photo of the Thorne penthouse: movers were already carrying a velvet sofa out onto the sidewalk, a small crowd of reporters was gathered around the pile of furniture, filming the humilation in real-time.

In the background of the shot, standing across the street in the shadow of a black town car, was Elena. She wasn't doing anything. She was just watching, enjoying the whole show of humiliation.

Sarah looked at the screen, then at her father’s cold expression. The reality of her situation finally settled in. The pregnancy, which she had thought was a golden ticket, was now her only tie to a man who had nothing left but his name.

"I am going to be a Vance. Afterall, that's what I am," Sarah whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Good," Arthur said, sitting back down. "Get settled. You have a long day of interviews tomorrow."