Within hours of the board meeting, the news hit the wires. "Vance Industries CEO Ousted Amidst Fraud Allegations.""Phoenix Holdings Announces Hostile Takeover." Richard and Stella returned to their penthouse, only to find the locks being changed. Two burly security guards stood outside, their faces impassive.
"What is the meaning of this?" Stella shrieked, clutching her designer handbag. "This is our home!"
"Not anymore," a voice rang out. Aurora was standing down the hallway, looking effortlessly elegant in a white silk blouse and tailored black trousers. "This penthouse was purchased with Thorne Industries' funds. Since Phoenix Holdings has now acquired all assets of Vance Industries—and by extension, the stolen Thorne assets—this property now belongs to me."
Richard lunged toward her, his face contorted with rage, but Mr. Hayes stepped in his path, his presence immovable.
"You bitch!" Richard spat. "You think you've won? You've just started a war!"
"The war ended the moment you stepped into that boardroom, Richard," Aurora said, her voice calm and steady. "I have already frozen all your personal accounts. The evidence of your fraud has been handed over to the District Attorney. By tomorrow morning, there will be a warrant out for your arrest."
Stella began to sob, her glamorous facade completely shattered. "Emily, please... we're sisters. You can't do this to me!"
Aurora looked at her half-sister, her eyes filled with a weary sadness. "You weren't thinking about our sisterhood when you lied on the stand and claimed I had stolen the money, Stella. You weren't thinking about me when you married the man who ruined our father's life. You made your choice. Now, you have to live with the consequences."
Aurora turned to the security guards. "Show them out. And make sure they leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Everything else in that penthouse belongs to the Thorne estate."
As Richard and Stella were escorted down the hallway, their desperate pleas echoing in the marble corridor, Aurora walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window. She looked out at the city lights, the same lights she had watched through the bars of a prison cell for two years.
For the first time in a long time, the weight on her chest felt lighter. The revenge was sweet, but she knew it was only the beginning. Reclaiming her father's company was one thing; restoring his honor and building a future that wasn't defined by the past was her next great challenge.
But for tonight, she would savor the silence of her victory.