Charles had recognized early on that his wife and children were reckless spendthrifts who would liquidate the family legacy within five years. Clara, an accomplished forensic accountant from a working-class background, had been Charles's most trusted advisor during his final years.
However, Clara had kept her position discrete out of love for Julian. She allowed Victoria to maintain the illusion of being the family matriarch, funding her multi-million-dollar monthly allowance, her charity galas, and her extravagant dinners from the master trust without ever pulling rank.
For three years, Victoria had mistaken Clara's humility for weakness. She treated Clara like a charity case, constantly mocking her background, excluding her from family functions, and encouraging Julian to seek a "more suitable" high-society wife.
Tonight's dinner at Le Ritz-Carlton was meant to celebrate Julian's appointment to the board—a board seat that Clara herself had quietly approved behind closed doors earlier that morning. But when Victoria publicly humiliated Clara in front of thirty corporate peers, forcing her to leave the table, the final boundary was crossed.