Chapter 3 - The Morning AfterRobert Vance sat in his mahogany-paneled home office, pressing a bag of frozen peas to his swollen nose. His head throbbed with a vicious migraine, a combination of physical trauma and the sheer shock of the previous day's events.
Helen paced the length of the Persian rug, clutching her silk robe tightly around her thin frame. Her phone had been ringing off the hook since 8:00 AM, and it was currently flashing silently on the desk.
"This is a disaster," Helen hissed, chewing on a manicured thumbnail. "A total disaster. Lily’s friends saw the whole thing. The Mayor's wife was there, Robert! She saw you in a cake! We are the laughingstock of the entire social club."
"I don't give a damn about the social club, Helen!" Robert snapped, wincing as the movement pulled at his bruised face. He slammed a piece of paper down on the desk. It was the invoice from Mr. Sterling. "Look at this! $150,000. Due immediately. The card we put on file declined."
Helen stopped pacing. "Declined? How? We just moved money from the trust."
Robert rubbed his temples. "The trust is tied up in the real estate development. We're leveraged to the hilt, Helen. You know this. We needed the optics of a lavish party to secure the Montgomery investment on Monday. If word gets out that we can't even cover our own catering tab..."
"Thomas was bluffing," Helen said dismissively, waving a hand. "He has to be. Owner of the country club? Please. The man wore off-the-rack suits. He drives a Ford. It's a trick. He probably bribed the manager to embarrass us."
"Helen, he handed me a Centurion Card!" Robert yelled. "You don't get an Amex Black by changing tires!"
Before Helen could respond, the heavy oak doors of the office swung open. Their eldest son, Richard—the father of the cousins who had been tormenting Thomas's kids—walked in. He looked pale, a stark contrast to his usual arrogant demeanor. He was holding an iPad.
"Dad. Mom," Richard said, his voice unusually tight. "We have a massive problem."
"Not now, Richard," Robert groaned. "I'm trying to figure out how to stall the country club."
"You might want to stall the SEC first," Richard said grimly, walking over and placing the iPad on the desk.
The screen displayed a financial news article. The headline read: Vance Holdings Hemorrhaging Stock as Major Backer Pulls Out; Fraud Investigation Rumored.
Robert’s stomach dropped to the floor. He stared at the screen, the words blurring together. "Major backer? The Montgomery group didn't..."
"It wasn't Montgomery," Richard interrupted, swallowing hard. "I just got off the phone with our broker. The shell company that’s been floating our debt for the last three years, the one that bought out our bad mortgages?"
"Yes, Apex Capital. What about them?" Robert demanded.
"They pulled out this morning at 6:00 AM," Richard said, his hands shaking. "And Dad... I looked into who owns Apex Capital. The CEO."
"Who is it?!" Helen shrieked, sensing the impending doom.
Richard looked at his parents, his eyes wide with fear. "It’s Thomas. Thomas owns Apex. He’s been keeping us afloat. And as of an hour ago, he called in all our debts. Dad... we owe him twelve million dollars."
May you like
The bag of frozen peas slipped from Robert's hand, hitting the floor with a dull thud. The room spun.
"He's destroying us," Robert whispered, the realization finally hitting him. The man he had mocked, the man whose children he had treated like slaves, held their entire lives in the palm of his hand. And he had just crushed his fist.
Related Stories
