Chapter 3: The Pursuit of Power
The rain poured heavily over the Hudson River as Victoria’s black SUV sped toward JFK Airport. She was on the phone, frantically typing a wire transfer to a Swiss bank account. She knew Arthur’s reach; once he unleashed the full power of Vance Enterprises' legal and security teams, she would be ruined.
Suddenly, blinding high beams flashed in her rearview mirror.
A massive black Cadillac Escalade surged forward, sideswiping her SUV. Victoria screamed, gripping the steering wheel as her vehicle skidded on the slick asphalt of the highway. Another security vehicle cut her off from the front, forcing her to slam on the brakes. The SUV spun out, crashing violently against the guardrail.
Before the smoke could even clear from the airbags, the door was ripped off its hinges.
Marcus pulled a coughing, bruised Victoria out into the pouring rain. She fell to her knees on the wet asphalt—a poetic reversal of the scene from that morning.
A sleek black sedan pulled up. The door opened, and an umbrella was hoisted. Arthur stepped out into the rain, his expression completely blank. Beside him stood Clara, wearing a heavy coat, looking down at the woman who had terrorized her.
"You're done, Victoria," Arthur said, looking down at her.
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"You can't prove anything!" Victoria shrieked, rain washing away her expensive makeup. "The police will call this kidnapping!"
Clara stepped forward, pulling a small, waterproof digital recorder from her pocket. "I didn't just come to scrub floors, Victoria. The maid uniform had a hidden mic. I recorded every single threat, every confession of the car crash you made while you thought I was just a helpless servant."
