Chapter 8 - Desperate Measures
Cornered, broke, and stripped of her social standing, Victoria Caldwell refused to go down quietly. Driven by a volatile mix of embarrassment, desperation, and rage, she decided that if she couldn't save her family's fortune, she would destroy mine.
Victoria hired a disgraced former private investigator to dig up dirt on Graham Foster and Foster Global Enterprises, searching frantically for any legal loophole or scandal that could ruin our reputation or tie up our assets in court. When that yielded nothing—since my grandfather’s business dealings were notoriously clean—Victoria resorted to criminal desperation.
One rainy evening, as I was leaving the Foster Global regional office in downtown San Francisco, I walked toward my car in the underground parking garage. The garage was quiet, echoing only with the sound of my footsteps.
Suddenly, a figures stepped out from behind a concrete pillar, blocking my path. It was Victoria Caldwell.
She looked unrecognizable. The immaculate designer suits were gone, replaced by a rumpled coat. Her hair was unkempt, her eyes bloodshot and wild with resentment.
"Evelyn," Victoria hissed, her voice raspy.
I stopped in my tracks, keeping a safe distance of ten feet. "Mrs. Caldwell. You shouldn't be here. This is private property."
"You ruined us!" Victoria shouted, stepping closer, her hands twitching. "You played us like fools! You pretended to be a poor little clerk just to humiliate my family! You set a trap for Chloe and me!"
"I never lied to anyone, Victoria," I replied calmly, reaching quietly into my purse to press the emergency call button on my phone. "I lived a modest life because I wanted to accomplish things on my own terms. You were the one who decided that a cheap dress gave you the right to strip away my dignity, tear my clothes, and spit on me."
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"You belong in the dirt!" Victoria screamed, pulling a small bottle of chemical drain cleaner from her coat pocket. Her eyes flashed with pure madness. "If my daughter destroyed your dress, I’ll destroy your face! Let’s see if Ethan loves his precious heiress when she’s scarred forever!"
She unscrewed the cap and lunged toward me, throwing the liquid forward.
