Chapter 7 - Shadows of the Past
Back in Chicago, the autumn night had grown pitch black, mirroring the bleak atmosphere inside the Vance family mansion. The festive white silk draperies and floral arches from the afternoon celebration now looked like eerie decorations at a wake.
Arthur sat slumped in his leather executive chair in his private study, a half-empty glass of scotch resting on the desk before him. His phone buzzed incessantly with text messages from angry investors, frantic inquiries from tabloid journalists, and missed calls from Selina, who had locked herself in the guest wing upstairs after the disastrous garden party.
The heavy oak door swung open without a knock. Arthur Sr. walked in, leaning heavily on his cane. The old man looked ten years older than he had that morning, his face etched with profound exhaustion and bitter regret.
"She’s gone, Arthur," the patriarch said quietly, his voice devoid of its usual thunderous authority. "Your mother is resting under doctor's supervision upstairs. The board of directors has called an extraordinary session for tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM. They are voting to remove you as CEO."
Arthur didn't look up from his desk. "Mother shouldn't have thrown that party. She shouldn't have paraded Mateo around like a trophy."
"And you shouldn't have lied to us!" Arthur Sr. slammed his cane against the hardwood floor, the sharp crack echoing through the cavernous study. "For sixteen years, we had a brilliant, capable woman running our business—a woman who brought capital, brains, and unyielding dedication to this family! And what did you do? You treated her like a broodmare, you cheated on her, you forged corporate documents, and you stole from the very company that feeds us all!"
"Mariana was too strong!" Arthur shouted, finally snapping, slamming his fist onto the mahogany desk. "She didn't bow down like the women in our family are supposed to! She questioned me, she audited the accounts, she made me feel small in my own house!"
"She made you a success!" Arthur Sr. roared back, his eyes flashing with fury. "Without Mariana, that workshop in Indiana would have gone bankrupt fifteen years ago! And now? Now she owns forty-three percent of Vance Fine Furniture, and with the fraud charges Sarah Jenkins is filing, she has the legal leverage to take the remaining majority stake."
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Arthur swallowed hard, the cold sweat beading on his forehead. "What do we do?"
"We don't do anything," the old man said, turning toward the doorway with a heavy sigh. "You reap what you sow, Arthur. You traded a queen for a pawn, and now you’ve lost the entire board."
