Chapter 2 - The House of Cards Crumbles
By midnight, the news of the christening disaster had spread through San Francisco’s business elite like wildfire.
While my mother rested comfortably in a private suite at the St. Regis—attended by the top doctors in the city—I sat in the corner office of Vance Global’s headquarters on Montgomery Street, looking out over the glowing city skyline.
Sitting across from me was Harrison Vance, my father’s longtime chief legal counsel and my most trusted adviser. Beside him was a stack of financial documents three inches thick.
"He really had no idea, did he?" Harrison remarked, shaking his head as he poured two cups of black coffee.
"None," I said, staring at the steam rising from my cup. "When I met Garrett in college, he was ambitious, charming, and seemed to care about building something real. I wanted to be loved for who I was, not for my net worth. So I kept my background hidden. When his company hit financial distress after our wedding, I instructed our asset managers to discreetly inject capital through Aegis Holdings so he wouldn't fail."
"And instead of being humbled, he took the money, assumed he was a tech genius, and began treating you like an accessory," Harrison concluded grimly. "Well, the audit is complete, Maya. And it’s far worse than simple arrogance."
He slid a red folder across the desk.
"Over the last eighteen months, Garrett has siphoned nearly three million dollars from Aegis Holdings' investment funds into personal accounts," Harrison revealed. "He used corporate capital to purchase a yacht registered under his mother’s name, paid off his brother Julian’s gambling debts in Macao, and secured a luxury penthouse in SoMa."
I opened the folder, reviewing the wire transfers, fake invoices, and offshore account numbers. My chest felt hollow, but my resolve was solid iron.
"Is the divorce petition ready?" I asked.
"Drafted, finalized, and ready to be served," Harrison replied. "We are filing on grounds of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and physical endangerment regarding the assault on your mother. We are demanding the immediate return of all Vance assets, the dissolution of Lawson Enterprise, and full sole custody of your son, Leo."
At that moment, my phone lit up on the desk. Garrett’s name flashed across the screen. He had called forty-two times in the past six hours.
I picked up and answered on speaker.
"Maya! Maya, please!" Garrett’s voice was hysterical, stripped entirely of the cruel authority he had displayed hours earlier. "Where are you?! The police came to the penthouse! They put a lock on the door! My cards are declined! Victoria is having a panic attack!"
"Hello, Garrett," I said quietly.
"Maya, listen to me, I’m sorry!" he sobbed into the receiver. "I was stressed! The christening... I was under so much pressure with the board! I didn't mean to hurt your mother! It was an accident, I swear!"
"It wasn't an accident," I replied flatly. "You kicked the chair because you thought she was helpless. You thought I was helpless. You thought you could crush us to make yourself feel large."
"Maya, please, we can talk about this! Think about Leo! We’re a family!"
"Leo will grow up knowing that men who abuse women do not belong in his life," I said. "Look outside your hotel window, Garrett."
There was a brief pause on the line. I heard the sound of footsteps and a curtain sliding back.
May you like
Down on the street below his temporary hotel, process servers and private investigators were stepping out of a black sedan, accompanied by two San Francisco police officers holding a temporary restraining order and a corporate asset seizure warrant.
"You have five minutes to collect your personal belongings, Garrett," I said softly. "Welcome to the real world."
