Chapter 3 - The Patriarch's Sister
A tall, sharp-featured woman in a tailored emerald-green suit marched into the foyer, flanked by three corporate attorneys carrying thick leather briefcases.
It was Lady Eleanor Vance—Julian’s aunt and the primary shareholder of the Vance Banking Syndicate, the firm that funded fifty percent of Sterling Global's international operations.
"Julian!" Eleanor’s sharp voice echoed through the high ceilings. "What is the meaning of this outrage? Victoria called me weeping from her vehicle! You had security throw my niece out onto the street like a common criminal!"
Julian didn't rise from the sofa. He took a slow sip of his drink. "Victoria attempted to murder my son tonight, Aunt Eleanor. She's lucky I didn't have her thrown into a county jail cell instead."
Eleanor scoffed, waving her hand dismissively as she stepped further into the living room, her eyes landing on Clara. Her lip curled in immediate disgust.
"A video can be manipulated, Julian!" Eleanor declared. "Victoria was under immense stress from preparing the annual gala! And you replace her with this... this peasant? A common servant girl?"
Clara stood up, wrapping the cashmere blanket tightly around herself, her bandage-wrapped hands held firmly at her sides.
"I am the person who saved your grand-nephew's life tonight, Lady Vance," Clara said evenly, matching Eleanor’s glare without flinching.
"You are a hired hand who knows her place!" Eleanor snapped, turning back to Julian. "Listen to me very carefully, nephew. The Sterling-Vance merger is finalized on Friday. If Victoria is not back in this penthouse by tomorrow morning, my syndicate pulls the forty-million-dollar credit line for your port development project."
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Julian stood up, his height towering over his aunt. "Is that a threat, Eleanor?"
"It is a commercial reality," Eleanor replied coldly. "You married my niece for a reason. You needed our capital. You still need it. Choose wisely between a servant girl's dramatic lies and the survival of your father's legacy."
