Chapter 4
CHAPTER 5 — The Last Standing Heir
Three days later, the financial district of the city was buzzing with headlines detailing the downfall of the Vance conglomerate. Arthur Vance sat in a holding cell downtown, facing multiple felony counts of wire fraud, identity theft, and forgery. Victoria was arraigned alongside him, charged with conspiracy and perjury. Julian, meanwhile, had found himself entirely cut off from all bank accounts as the courts froze every asset associated with the family name. Desperate and alone, Julian showed up at the modest apartment Audrey and Paige had rented off-campus during her final year. Knock. Knock. Knock. Audrey opened the door. Julian stood on the landing, his designer suit wrinkled, his hair unstyled, and his eyes red-rimmed from crying. “Audrey,” Julian croaked, his voice lacking any of the arrogant swagger he had flaunted at graduation. “Please… you have to help me.” Audrey crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe. “Help you with what, Julian?” she asked calmly. “The lawyers say all the accounts are locked,” Julian pleaded, taking a step forward. “They repossessed my car this morning. My cards are declined everywhere. I don’t even have money for food.” Audrey looked at her adoptive brother—the boy who had watched her starve through college while living like a prince on stolen funds. “You have two working hands, Julian,” Audrey said evenly. “Try doing what I did. Work early morning shifts at a diner. Tutor students. Study in the library until closing.” “I can’t do that!” Julian shouted, his old temper flaring for a fraction of a second before crumbling back into desperation. “I don't know how! You’re the smart one! You’re the one who actually graduated with honors!” “And you’re a grown man who spent twenty-two years riding on a throne built of lies,” Audrey replied without a trace of pity. “You wanted the family name and the family wealth. Well, now you have them—both are completely bankrupt.” “Audrey, please!” Julian cried, reaching out to grab her sleeve. Audrey stepped back and gently closed the door in his face. There was no anger left inside her—only a profound, clean emptiness that felt remarkably like freedom. She walked back into the living room where Paige was sitting at the kitchen island, reviewing job offers from three major financial firms in the city. “Was that him?” Paige asked, looking up from her laptop. “It was,” Audrey answered, taking a seat across from her. “Did he ask for money?” “He asked me to save him.” Paige smiled softly, sliding a thick envelope across the table. “Well, while he’s figuring out how the real world works, you have an interview with the senior partners of Vanguard Analytics on Monday morning,” Paige said. “And this time, your name is on the door, your degree is in your hands, and nobody can ever take it away from you.” Audrey opened the envelope, pulling out the embossed letterhead. Her future, once stolen and buried under layers of family deceit, was finally entirely her own.
