Chapter 3: The Reconstruction of Guilt
"She didn't do anything, Dad," Lily murmured, her voice barely audible, her eyes fixed firmly on the wet marble floor. "I... I broke a vase last month. Victoria said I had to earn my keep. She said your business was failing because of my tuition fees."
Richard slowly rose to his feet. The sadness in his eyes was instantly consumed by a terrifying, arctic rage as he turned to face his wife of four years.
Victoria stepped backward, her heel catching on the edge of the ruined sofa. "Richard, the girl is exaggerating! She’s been manipulative ever since her mother passed away! I was only trying to teach her structure! You’re never here, you don't see how lazy she gets—"
"My business is thriving, Victoria," Richard said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy register. "And her tuition was paid in full into a trust fund before her mother died. You knew that. Because you signed the disclosure agreements."
He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his phone. He didn't call the police—not yet. He dialed a direct line that bypassed the reception desk of Vance Enterprises.
"Marcus," Richard said into the receiver, his eyes locked onto Victoria’s pale face. "Bring the corporate security team to the estate immediately. And call Thomas at the family office. Tell him to execute the immediate asset-freeze clause on the secondary accounts. All of them."
Victoria gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "You can't freeze those accounts! That’s my personal allowance! My daughter Chloe’s debutante ball is next week! The deposits are drawn from that fund!"
"Chloe is currently upstairs sleeping in a room with silk sheets while my daughter is scrubbing the floors in a uniform," Richard said, hanging up the phone without another word. He turned back to Lily, his expression softening into a look of deep, sorrowful reverence. "Go upstairs, sweetheart. Take off that garbage. Pack your things. We are leaving this house tonight."
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"Richard, please!" Victoria sobbed, falling to her knees on the very floor Lily had been cleaning, her silk robe soaking up the dirty water from the bucket. "We can talk about this! It was a mistake! I was stressed!"
Richard didn't look down at her. "The only mistake I made, Victoria, was believing that a snake could be a mother. Marcus will be here in ten minutes. If you or your daughter are still in this house by midnight, you will be removed by the county sheriff for domestic abuse and labor exploitation of a minor."
