Chapter 6 - THE ARRIVAL
Before Julian could process the terrifying calm of his new wife, the heavy, brass-studded double doors of the Waldorf Astoria ballroom burst open with a deafening crash.
The guests turned in unison.
Walking through the doors was Victoria Vance. She held a thick, black leather folder in her hand, her expression like carved granite. But she wasn't alone.
Flanking her were four uniformed county sheriff's deputies. Behind them came a court reporter carrying a stenography machine, and the pale, sweating manager of the hotel.
The cinematic nature of the entrance sent a shockwave through the elite crowd. Whispers erupted like wildfire. Are those police? What is happening?
Julian’s face, already pale from his loss of control, instantly lost all remaining color. He looked like a corpse in a tuxedo. Eleanor clutched her diamond necklace, her mouth opening and closing silently like a fish out of water.
Victoria marched directly down the center aisle, her heels clicking rhythmically against the marble floor. The crowd parted for her as if she were Moses parting the Red Sea. She didn't look at the guests; her eyes were locked entirely on Julian.
She stopped three feet away from the ruined wedding cake, standing protectively next to Clara.
"Julian Sterling-Hayes," Victoria's voice boomed through the silent room, requiring no microphone. "I am Victoria Vance, chief legal counsel for Clara Vance. You have just committed an act of physical assault against my client in front of two hundred witnesses, which has been recorded by the videographers you hired."
Julian took a step back, his hands raised in defensive panic. "It was... it was a mistake! She provoked me! We're married, this is a private domestic issue!"
"You are gravely mistaken," Victoria said coldly, opening the black leather folder. "As of two minutes ago, you triggered Section 4, Paragraph 12 of your prenuptial agreement: The Absolute Forfeiture and Morality Clause."
Eleanor pushed her way forward. "Prenup? What are you talking about? The prenup protected our estates!"
Victoria turned her icy gaze to Eleanor. "The prenup you failed to read properly, Mrs. Sterling-Hayes, explicitly stated that any act of physical violence or financial coercion against Clara would result in the immediate forfeiture of all collateral put up by your family."
"We put up no collateral!" Julian shouted, desperation making his voice crack.
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"You put up the Sterling-Hayes ancestral trust," Victoria corrected, pulling out a notarized document holding Julian’s signature. "You bound your family's remaining properties to Clara's estate. And because you just assaulted her, you have defaulted."
Clara watched, the stinging in her cheek forgotten. She looked at Julian, her voice dropping the facade of the loving bride forever. "You don't own the Hamptons estate anymore, Julian. You don't own the penthouse in Manhattan. As of this exact second, I own it all."
