He Threw His Wife and Newborn Into the Rain for Another Woman, Then Learned Whose Name Was on the Building

By 1:00 PM, Vance Tower was in absolute chaos. News of the dramatic failed takeover and the sudden revelation of Victor Vance’s true heir had sent shockwaves through Wall Street. Vanguard Industries stock surged by fourteen percent, while Halcyon Capital’s stock plummeted into a violent freefall.

Up on the forty-second floor, inside the sprawling corner executive suite that had once belonged to Victor Vance himself, Emily sat at a massive mahogany desk. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see the gray Manhattan skyline clearing as the sun finally broke through the clouds.

Arthur Sterling knocked gently on the door frame before walking in, placing a steaming cup of tea on her desk alongside a thick folder.

"How is Leo doing?" Emily asked immediately, setting down her pen.

"Sleeping peacefully in the executive suite daycare downstairs," Sterling smiled softly. "The pediatric nurse we hired says he is perfectly healthy and adjusting well."

Emily let out a long breath, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease slightly. "And Halcyon?"

Sterling’s expression turned solemn. "It’s a bloodbath, Miss Vance. Halcyon’s board of directors held an emergency meeting twenty minutes ago. They have suspended Mark Reynolds and Jessica Thorne indefinitely, pending the outcome of the financial audit."

"And the eviction?"

"Security has just escorted all Halcyon staff off the premises. Mr. Reynolds tried to resist and was escorted out of the building in handcuffs by NYPD officers for criminal trespass after refusing to clear his desk."

Emily looked out the window. Down on the street below, news vans were parked bumper-to-bumper along Fifth Avenue.

Just then, her private phone line rang. Sterling glanced at the console screen. "It’s Jessica Thorne’s personal counsel. They are begging for a private meeting."

"Put them on speaker," Emily said.

Sterling pressed a button. A nervous male voice filled the room.

"Miss Vance? This is Richard Hayes, representing Jessica Thorne. My client is prepared to offer full cooperation with Vanguard’s audit team regarding Halcyon’s internal records. In exchange, we ask that Vanguard refrain from filing civil fraud charges against Ms. Thorne personally."

Emily smiled coldly. "Where is Ms. Thorne right now, Mr. Hayes?"

"She... she is currently in her vehicle outside the building, Miss Vance."

"Tell her to come up alone," Emily said. "She has five minutes."

Ten minutes later, the double doors opened. Jessica Thorne walked into the executive suite. The immaculate, icy composure she had displayed at Emily’s dinner table two nights ago was completely gone. Her hair was windblown, her makeup smudged, and her red blazer rumpled.

She stood in front of Emily’s desk, clutching her leather purse tightly, unable to meet Emily’s eyes.

"You wanted to see me, Miss Vance," Jessica said, her voice tight and defensive.

Emily sat back in her chair, looking at the woman who had walked into her home, drank from her anniversary glasses, and tried to strip away her dignity.

"I don't need your cooperation, Jessica," Emily said calmly. "Our forensic team already has access to every email, text message, and financial document stored on Halcyon’s servers in this building. I already know that you and Mark were leaking confidential Vanguard files six months before Victor Vance died."

Jessica’s face turned pale. "Mark was the one who initiated it! He assured me that his wife was clueless, that he would handle the home front while I secured the board votes!"

"And you believed him," Emily said. "You thought you were the clever partner in his little grand design. But you were just another tool he used to get what he wanted."

Jessica clenched her jaw, tears of frustration welling in her eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to leave this building," Emily said, rising slowly from her chair. "And I want you to know that by four o'clock today, the District Attorney’s office will receive a complete dossier on your illegal insider transactions. Your legal career is over, Jessica."

Jessica stared at Emily in horror before turning around and fleeing the office, the click of her heels echoing down the hallway.