Chapter 3 - The Sanctuary of Power
Within ten minutes, the grand charity gala I had spent six months planning was completely behind me. I sat in the plush leather interior of Vincent Moretti’s armored limousine, watching the rain streak across the glass windows as we drove through downtown Chicago.
I expected to feel broken. I expected to cry. But instead, looking at the city lights, all I felt was a cold, driving clarity.
"Why did you help me?" I asked, turning to face the older man sitting across from me. He had poured two glasses of sparkling water, handing one to me with an effortless courtesy. "You don't know me. To you, I'm just a stranger who ruined your tuxedo sleeve."
Vincent leaned back, resting his hands on his silver-headed cane. "I've known who you were for a year, Julianne. I’ve watched you run the Carter Foundation from the shadows while Ryan took the credit. A woman with your precision, your intellect, and your loyalty is a rare asset. It infuriated me to see you waste it on a cockroach who didn't even understand the value of the gold he was holding."
"He took my mother's estate," I said, my jaw tightening as the reality set in. "If he sells those properties, I lose everything."
"He won't sell a single brick," Vincent said, his voice carrying the absolute weight of a king issuing a decree. "By tomorrow morning, the Carter Foundation’s bank accounts will be frozen under a federal asset preservation order. Ryan’s logistics company will be audited by the state. And your sister... well, I imagine she will find out very quickly how attractive Ryan is when he doesn't have a dollar to his name."
May you like
The car pulled up to a massive, heavily guarded penthouse overlooking Lake Michigan. Vincent stepped out, holding the umbrella over me as he guided me inside.
"You're safe here, Julianne," he said as the private elevator ascended. "Tonight, you rest. Tomorrow, we take back what is yours. And then, we take everything else they have."
