Chapter 1 - The Outcast's VowThe echo of the slap still resonated through the high-ceilinged grand ballroom of the Vance Manor. Victoria stood frozen, her hand pressed against her burning cheek, her sharp red dress stained with yellow wine. She stared in disbelief at Ethan—the man she thought she controlled—and his mother, Eleanor, who was still trembling on the cold marble floor.
"You dare slap me?" Victoria hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "In front of everyone? Do you have any idea who my father is, Ethan? You just ruined your entire future!"
"My future isn't defined by your arrogance, Victoria," Ethan replied, his voice calm yet heavy with iron resolve. He gently helped Eleanor to her feet, wiping a stray tear from his mother’s weathered cheek. "My mother spent twenty years scrubbing floors and working three jobs so I could stand here today. You asked her to kneel over spilled wine. You forgot one simple thing: money can buy luxury, but it can never buy human dignity."
The surrounding guests gasped, whispering behind delicate silk fans and crystal champagne flutes. Victoria’s father, Arthur Vance, stepped forward, his expression darkened with fury. "Ethan, think carefully about your next move. Step out of this hall with her, and your career in this city is over. The Vance Group will ensure no firm ever hires you again."
Ethan looked at Arthur, then at Victoria. He took off his golden lapel pin—the symbol of his executive position at Vance Enterprises—and tossed it onto the stained floor.
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"Keep your job, Mr. Vance," Ethan said, guiding Eleanor toward the exit. "I’d rather build my own empire from scratch than serve a family that treats human beings like dirt."
As the heavy oak doors closed behind them, Victoria clutched her dress, her eyes burning with pure hatred. "Make sure they suffer, Dad. Make them starve."
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