Chapter 2: The Gathering Storm
Three weeks passed. Clara was put on strict bed rest at a secure, undisclosed private clinic. The physical bruises from Victoria's attack had faded, but the psychological trauma lingered. Every time a door opened too quickly, Clara flinched.
Ethan spent every waking hour dividing his time between comforting Clara and working with his legal team. He knew Victoria wouldn't stop. She viewed Ethan not as a son, but as a prized asset, and Clara was the obstacle that had ruined her grand plans for a corporate merger through an arranged marriage.
One evening, as Ethan sat by Clara's bedside holding her hand, his phone buzzed. It was a secure message from his private investigator.
“We found it. The security footage from the hospital room wasn't completely deleted. The nurse kept a backup on a personal drive out of fear for her own life. It clearly shows Victoria stepping on Mrs. Vance.”
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Ethan looked down at Clara, who had fallen into a restless sleep. He gently kissed her forehead. For months, he had tried to handle his mother through corporate negotiations and quiet withdrawals. But Victoria had crossed a line into attempted murder.
The next morning, Ethan bypassed the corporate board and went straight to the authorities. Armed with the hospital footage, medical reports of Clara's distress, and a history of Victoria's threatening messages, he initiated a full-scale legal assault. He also leaked a heavily redacted version of the incident to the press—just enough to send the Vance Global stock into a tailspin.
