Chapter 4 - The Vultures of Wall Street
While Sarah Vance fought for her life in the quiet sanctuary of Boston General, a storm was gathering in the high-stakes financial district of downtown Boston.
Inside the glass-and-steel skyscraper of Vanguard Financial, Arthur Sterling—a ruthless private equity tycoon and former business rival of Victor Hail—sat behind a massive marble desk, swirling amber bourbon in a crystal glass.
Across from him stood Julian Vance—a distant, greedy cousin of Sarah Vance’s late husband, and an associate partner at Sterling’s firm.
"Is it true?" Sterling asked, his voice sharp and cold. "Did Victor Hail really pick up two homeless urchins from Lumière on Friday night?"
"It's confirmed, Mr. Sterling," Julian sneered, setting a tabloid newspaper onto the desk. The front page featured a blurry photograph of Victor carrying Leo into his SUV outside the restaurant, with the headline: THE RECLUSE MILLIONAIRE'S STRANGE CHARITY.
"The girl is Sarah Vance's daughter," Julian continued, a sly, dark glint in his eyes. "Which means those two kids are the sole remaining heirs to the old Vance Maritime Estate."
Sterling raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested. "The Vance Maritime Estate? That old shipping port in South Boston? I thought the city foreclosed on that property five years ago."
"They tried to," Julian laughed bitterly. "But my late uncle hidden the original land title deeds inside a private trust before he died. That property sits directly in the path of the new forty-billion-dollar harbor development project! If Sarah Vance dies without an appointed guardian for those kids, the state will auction the land trust for pennies on the dollar—and my firm is first in line to acquire it!"
"And if Victor Hail steps in as their legal guardian?" Sterling asked, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.
"Then Hail Urban Capital gets control of the harbor contracts," Julian snarled, slamming his fist on the desk. "Victor is using those kids to get his hands on the shipping ports! He doesn't care about homeless orphans! He's a corporate shark!"
Sterling leaned back in his leather chair, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face. "Victor has been weak ever since his wife and kid died. He’s emotional. He’s vulnerable."
"What do you want to do, sir?" Julian asked eagerly.
"Call our contacts at the Department of Children and Families," Sterling commanded, his tone dripping with malice. "Issue a formal legal challenge against Victor Hail's temporary custody. Claim that a grieving, mentally unstable billionaire who lives alone in a dark mansion is unfit to care for two traumatized street children."
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Julian grinned wickedly. "And what about Sarah Vance in the hospital?"
"Tell the hospital board that Julian Vance, as her closest living male relative, is demanding full power of attorney over her medical decisions," Sterling declared, standing up and looking out over the Boston skyline. "We will pull the plug on Sarah Vance, put those kids in a state home, and take the harbor."
