@FinanceWatcher: "Evelyn Croft just erased her husband's entire net worth in 4K resolution! Absolute embarrassment!"
@WallStreetInsider: "Croft Real Estate stock is going to crash to zero when markets open tomorrow. Never mess with Victoria Vance!"
@LegalEagle: "Victoria Vance handled that like a queen! 'I will not put it down' — CHILLS! She's about to sue the Croft family into bankruptcy!"
Richard dropped the tablet onto the carpet. The glass screen shattered, the glowing display flickering with comments mocking his family name.
Just then, his personal phone rang in his suit pocket. The screen displayed his wife's contact name: Evelyn.
Richard answered the phone, his face contorted in an expression of pure, unadulterated fury.
"Richard! Oh god, Richard!" Evelyn sobbed frantically over the speaker. "You have to help me! The hotel security just threw me out onto the street! They canceled our suite reservation! My name is banned from the building! Cops were everywhere—"
"Shut up," Richard whispered, his voice vibrating with lethal anger.
"What... what did you say?" Evelyn gasped, her crying halting momentarily.
"SHUT YOUR DISGUSTING MOUTH, EVELYN!" Richard screamed into the phone, his roar echoing out of the glass boardroom and into the open-plan office where dozens of employees sat in stunned terror. "YOU RUINED ME! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING I BUILT FOR THIRTY YEARS OVER A STUPID HANDBAG!"
"Richard, I... I thought she took it!" Evelyn wept hysterically. "It looked just like mine!"
"You illiterate, arrogant fool!" Richard raged, tears of frustration streaming down his cheeks. "The Sterling Capital loan is canceled! Our escrow accounts are frozen! We are going to default on the Midtown project by tomorrow morning! The entire internet is watching you scream like a lunatic at Victoria Vance!"
"Who... who is Victoria Vance?" Evelyn whimpered.
"The woman who is going to take our house, our cars, our company, and every single penny we own!" Richard bellowed. "Where are you right now?!"
"I'm... I'm sitting in the back of the Bentley outside the hotel..." Evelyn sobbed.
"Stay right there," Richard commanded, his voice dropping into a dark, terrifying register. "I am coming to The Grand Sovereign right now. And if you say another word before I get there, I swear to God I will divorce you on the pavement."
Richard slammed the phone into his pocket, grabbed his leather jacket from the coat rack, and stormed out of the building.
Chapter 13: Sanctuary of the Sovereign
High above the chaotic streets of Midtown, inside the Royal Sovereign Suite on the top floor of The Grand Sovereign Hotel, an atmosphere of absolute serenity reigned supreme.
The suite was a masterwork of interior design. Floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows offered an unobstructed, three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the city skyline, where glittering glass skyscrapers reached into the clear blue sky. Thick hand-woven silk rugs covered the hardwood floors, while soft jazz music filtered quietly through concealed surround-sound speakers.
Victoria Vance stood near the center window, holding a crystal glass of sparkling mineral water with a twist of lemon. Her deep royal blue peplum suit was still completely unwrinkled, her hair still held in its immaculate low bun. On the marble coffee table beside her rested her burgundy Hermès Birkin bag, its polished 18-karat gold hardware reflecting the warm sunlight streaming into the room.
Sitting across from her on a velvet sofa was Marcus Sterling, the Managing Partner of Sterling Capital, who had arrived via private executive transport ten minutes earlier to apologize in person.
"Victoria," Marcus said, his voice filled with genuine deference as he set down his tea cup. "I want to personally assure you that Sterling Capital has completely severed all ties with Richard Croft and Croft Real Estate Holdings. The credit line was terminated prior to three o'clock, and our legal team has already issued a formal notice of default on his outstanding bridge loans."
Victoria took a slow, composed sip of her water, setting the crystal glass down onto a silver coaster with silent precision.
"Thank you, Marcus," Victoria said, her voice smooth and unhurried. "I expected nothing less from your board. A financial institution of your caliber cannot afford to maintain capital allocations with individuals who display such total reckless disregard for civil liability and basic ethics."
"Of course," Marcus agreed quickly, wiping a bead of sweat from his temple. "When I saw the video of what that woman did to you in the lobby... I was appalled. The shear arrogance of Evelyn Croft is mind-boggling."