Chapter 4 - The First Crack in the Facade
I spent the next three hours at the kitchen island,
the leather-bound journal open before me as I took photos of every single page.
My phone camera clicked in the quiet apartment,
each snap sounding like a tiny hammer striking a nail into Grant's coffin.
I needed to know exactly who Cynthia Vance was,
and why she was so deeply embedded in my husband's life.
I opened my laptop,
accessing my family’s private security database,
a privilege my father had set up for me years ago.
I typed her name into the search bar,
waiting for the screen to populate with her history.
Within seconds,
her entire life was laid bare before me,
scrolled across the glowing screen in cold,
analytical detail.
Cynthia Vance wasn't just a beautiful socialite,
she was the daughter of Arthur Vance,
a legendary real estate mogul.
More importantly,
Arthur Vance was the primary investor in Grant's new multi-million dollar tech venture.
Without the Vance family's backing,
Grant's company would collapse overnight,
ruining his reputation and leaving him in massive debt.
I leaned back in my chair,
a slow,
mocking chuckle escaping my lips as the pieces of the puzzle aligned.
Grant hadn't just fallen in love with a pretty face,
he had targeted Cynthia to secure his financial empire,
using his charm to manipulate her.
But Cynthia was no victim,
she was using Grant just as much as he was using her.
She wanted a family,
she wanted status,
and she wanted my husband's name to legitimize her own ambitions.
Further down in the report,
I found a medical file that sent a shiver down my spine.
Cynthia had visited a fertility specialist three times in the last six months,
with the latest visit being just last week.
The diagnosis was clear,
she was unable to conceive naturally,
a fact that she had kept hidden from her own father.
I stared at the medical report,
my mind racing as the true depth of her desperation became clear.
She was desperate to be in that ultrasound room because she wanted to see her future baby.
They were planning to use my daughter to secure Arthur Vance's fortune,
presenting her as their own once they forced me out.
It was a sick,
twisted plan,
born of pure greed and narcissistic delusion.
They believed they could paint me as an unfit mother,
using my past history of mild anxiety against me.
They thought they could use their wealth and influence to buy custody,
leaving me with nothing but shattered pieces.
I closed the laptop slowly,
my heart hardening into stone.
They had underestimated the length a mother would go to protect her child.
They thought they were playing a game of chess,
but they didn't realize I had built the board they were playing on.
I picked up my phone,
dialing a number I hadn't called since my father's passing.
"Victoria,"
I said when the call was answered,
my voice steady and cold.
"I need the best forensic accountant and the most ruthless divorce lawyer in the country."
"And I need them by tonight."
On the other end of the line,
my father's old friend didn't hesitate for a single second.
"They will be at your apartment in two hours,
Vivienne,"
May you like
she replied.
"Let's burn his world to the ground."
