Chapter 4 - The Video Message
Harrison inserted the silver flash drive into the high-definition monitor mounted on the mahogany wall of the library.
The screen flickered to life.
Eleanor Vance appeared on the screen. She was sitting in a high-backed armchair in this very library, wearing a simple blue silk blouse. She looked frail, but her sharp blue eyes held an overwhelming intensity that commanded immediate respect.
“If you are watching this,” Eleanor’s recorded voice echoed through the high-end speakers, “it means I have left this world, and my son Ethan has completed his descent into arrogance.”
Ethan stood frozen, his breath coming in ragged gasps as his mother’s voice filled the room.
“Ethan,” Eleanor continued, looking directly into the camera lens. “I built Vance Global with your father from a single garage into a multinational empire. I gave you every advantage. I gave you power, wealth, and education. But I failed to teach you integrity.”
Chloe took a trembling step back, her hand clutching her stomach as she stared at the screen.
“Eighteen months ago,” Eleanor said, her tone cold and unyielding, “I hired a private forensic team after noticing strange financial discrepancies within the company’s expansion accounts. What I found was not just an affair with Chloe Bennett, but a systematic attempt by Ethan to embezzle thirty million dollars from Vance Global into offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands to build his own secret venture.”
Ethan’s jaw trembled. “No... no, she couldn't have...”
“You believed you were smarter than everyone else, Ethan,” Eleanor’s recording continued. “You thought Maya was weak because she was kind. You thought I was senile because I was quiet. You planned to divorce Maya, strip her of her dignity, leave her with scraps, and use stolen company funds to launch your new venture with your mistress.”
The camera zoomed in slightly on Eleanor’s face.
“Therefore, as the founder and majority owner of Vance Global, I have placed the entire future of this family into the hands of the only person who possesses the strength, honesty, and wisdom to lead it: Maya. Ethan, you are fired from your position as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately upon my death. You hold no voting rights. You hold no executive authority.”
Eleanor paused, a soft, heartbreaking sadness touching her eyes for a split second before hardening into steel.
“Maya, my dear girl... take care of my legacy. Do not let him destroy what took a lifetime to build. The future is yours.”
The screen faded to black.
The silence in the library was suffocating.
Ethan turned slowly to face me. His face was no longer pale; it was flushed with a terrifying, desperate rage.
“You...” Ethan rasped, taking a slow step toward me. “You set this up. You poisoned her mind against me!”
“Sit down, Ethan,” I said. My voice wasn't shaking. For the first time in ten years, I felt no fear when looking at the man I had married.
“You think you can take my company?!” Ethan roared, lunging forward to grab the papers from Harrison’s hands.
May you like
Before he could reach the table, the double doors of the library slammed open. Four security guards in dark suits stepped into the room, led by the chief of estate security.
“Mr. Vance,” the chief officer said firmly, stepping between Ethan and the table. “By order of the new majority shareholder, Mrs. Maya Sterling Vance, your security access to this estate and all Vance Global facilities has been revoked. You have fifteen minutes to collect your personal belongings and vacate the premises.”
