Chapter 3 - The Veil Falls
Brendan’s breath hitched in his throat. He looked from Arthur to Cassidy, then back to Arthur, desperate to find a single hint that this was an elaborate, cruel prank.
“That’s... that’s impossible,” Brendan stuttered, his voice cracking violently. “Cassidy doesn’t have a dime! Her family was dirt poor! I married her out of charity! I brought her into this house! I gave her a roof!”
“You gave her nothing, Mr. Vance,” Arthur replied coolly, pulling a stack of heavy parchment documents from the accountant’s briefcase. “When your father founded Vance Enterprises thirty years ago, he took a massive, silent buyout investment from the late billionaire investor, Edward Sterling. When Mr. Sterling passed away five years ago, his entire portfolio, including ninety-two percent of the voting shares in Vance Enterprises, was placed into a blind irrevocable trust.”
Arthur stepped closer, slapping the legal document onto the table right into the pool of dirty water Diane had spilled.
“The sole beneficiary of that trust, and the Chairwoman of Vanguard Legacy Holdings, is Cassidy Sterling-Vance. Your wife—or rather, the woman you divorced three months ago.”
Jessica gasped, backing away from Brendan as if he had suddenly caught a contagious disease. “Brendan... you told me she was a nobody! You told me she was a charity case!”
“She IS a charity case!” Diane shrieked, her hands trembling violently as she clutched her pearl necklace. “She lied to us! She committed fraud!”
“She committed no fraud,” Arthur snapped, his voice booming through the grand dining room. “Under the terms of her inheritance, Ms. Sterling was required to live an unassisted life until her twenty-fifth birthday to understand the value of human character and genuine loyalty. She chose to keep her identity concealed from you to see if your love was real.”
Arthur paused, glaring at Brendan with utter contempt.
“Clearly, it was not.”
Cassidy slowly rose from her chair. The heavy cashmere coat wrapped around her provided warmth against the chill, but inside, her mind was crystal clear and cold as ice. She looked down at Brendan, who looked smaller than he ever had in his entire life.
“Three years, Brendan,” Cassidy said, her voice smooth and devoid of any lingering anger. “Three years I washed your clothes, cooked your meals, listened to your mother insult my clothes, my accent, my background. I stayed because I believed that behind your arrogance, there was a man worth loving.”
“Cassidy... baby... wait,” Brendan stammered, taking a step forward, his hands raised in surrender. Tears of pure horror began to well in his eyes. “I... I didn’t know! If I had known—”
“If you had known, you would have treated me like a queen,” Cassidy interrupted softly. “And that is precisely why you never deserved to know.”
She looked over at Jessica, who was trying desperately to slip her expensive designer purse out of sight.
“The ring on your finger, Jessica,” Cassidy noted casually. “Brendan purchased it using the company’s executive expense line last Tuesday. As of Protocol Seven’s execution, that charge has been flagged as unauthorized embezzlement of corporate funds.”
Jessica went pale as chalk and instantly tore the diamond ring off her finger, throwing it onto the table. “I didn't know! I swear I had nothing to do with this!”
“Security,” Cassidy said calmly, without looking back.
“Yes, Ma'am?” the chief security officer stepped forward.
“Escort these people out of my house.”
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Diane gasped. “Your house?! This is MY son’s mansion!”
“Check the title, Diane,” Arthur interjected mercilessly. “The mansion is registered under Vanguard Real Estate Portfolio B. Effective ten minutes ago, your lease has been terminated due to structural mistreatment and illegal occupancy. You have five minutes to take your personal hand luggage and vacate the premises.”
