Chapter 3 - The Hostile Takeover
The ballroom erupted into a frenzy of shocked whispers and panicked murmurs.
Julian staggered backward as if he had been physically struck in the chest.
"You cannot do this, Mr. Vance, we have a verbal agreement for a partnership!" Julian pleaded desperately.
"I do not partner with men who dress my daughter in rags and parade their whores in public," my father replied coldly.
Chloe shrank back, her cheeks burning bright red as the elite guests began to laugh and point at her.
The champagne dress she had bragged about now looked like cheap garbage compared to my crimson gown.
Julian grabbed his hair, his perfect corporate facade crumbling into pieces of pure panic.
"Clarissa, please, you have to talk to him," Julian begged, taking a step toward me.
I looked at him with absolute disgust, feeling nothing but pity for the man I used to love.
"You told me I would only humiliate you tonight, Julian," I reminded him softly.
"It seems you are doing a spectacular job of humiliating yourself without any of my help," I added.
The crowd gasped at my words, and several investors immediately walked away from Julian to distance themselves from the fallout.
My father's lawyers walked into the room, handing Julian a thick stack of legal foreclosure documents.
Julian's hands shook violently as he read the paperwork that officially stripped him of his CEO title.
His company, his wealth, and his precious reputation were evaporating in front of his eyes.
He fell to his knees in the middle of the ballroom, surrounded by the mocking stares of his peers.
Chloe realized the money was gone and immediately tried to slip away into the crowd.
My father's security guards blocked her path, forcing her to stay and watch her lover's total destruction.
I felt a profound sense of justice washing over me as I watched Julian weep on the marble floor.
But suddenly, Julian stopped crying and let out a dark, twisted chuckle that sent a shiver down my spine.
He slowly stood up, wiping the fake tears from his face with a sinister smirk.
"You think you are so smart, Arthur, swooping in to save your precious little girl," Julian sneered arrogantly.
He reached into his tailored suit jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper bearing a notary seal.
"If you bankrupt my company, you bankrupt Clarissa, because she is the legal guarantor for all of my corporate debt," Julian announced triumphantly.
My heart dropped to my stomach as he unfolded the document and held it up for my father to see.
At the bottom of the page, clear as day, was my own signature authorizing over two hundred million dollars in high-risk loans.
"I never signed that document!" I shouted, staring at the perfect forgery of my handwriting.
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Julian laughed loudly, his eyes glowing with malicious victory.
"It doesn't matter what you say, sweetheart, because the banks have already frozen all of your personal assets."
