Chapter 16 - The Fall of the Vances
Over the next forty-eight hours, the news of the scandal rocked the city's highest social circles.
Headlines dominated the local news and social media feeds:
"VANCE ENTERPRISES COLLAPSES FOLLOWING EMBEZZLEMENT AND MEDICAL NEGLECT ARREST."
"HEIRESS CLAIRE STERLING REVOKES PROXY ON BED OF HOSPITAL, SAVES UNBORN DAUGHTER."
Photos of Ethan Vance being led out of the precinct in handcuffs, his hair disheveled and his designer suit wrinkled, were splashed across every major news outlet.
Without the Sterling family's backing, Ethan's legal team crumbled. His bail was set at a figure his bankrupt family couldn't afford. Arthur Vance was forced to sell their family estate at a public auction just to pay off the mounting corporate debts Ethan had racked up to fund his secret life with Serena.
Serena fared no better. Stripped of the luxury apartment and facing civil charges for receiving stolen trust funds, she was forced to pack her bags and leave the city in disgrace, her reputation completely destroyed among the wealthy circles she had tried so hard to infiltrate.
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Claire was moved to the top-floor master suite—the wing named in honor of her late father, Thomas Sterling.
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She spent her days surrounded by fresh flowers, real medical professionals who cared, and the quiet peace she had been denied for years.
👉 What surprise guest will visit Claire to offer a final, unexpected piece of closure?
