Chapter 6 - THE DESPERATE PLEAS
Twenty-four hours after the disastrous wedding, the Sterling family was in a state of absolute collapse. The
glittering ballroom of the Plaza Hotel had been replaced by the tense, suffocating atmosphere of the Sterling
Enterprises boardroom.
Patricia sat in a corner, her face pale and haggard, her eyes red from crying. Vanessa was furiously scrolling
through her phone, watching in horror as the video of them tearing Clara’s dress went viral across every social
media platform. The headlines were brutal: “High Society Monsters: Rich Family Attacks Pregnant Woman at
Luxury Wedding.”
The family patriarch, Richard Sterling, paced back and forth, slamming his hand onto the mahogany table.
“How could you two be so incredibly stupid?!” he roared at his wife and daughter. “Do you have any idea who
Arthur Vance is? He doesn't just have money; he has the power to erase us from existence!”
“We didn’t know!” Vanessa cried, her voice high and defensive. “She lived like a peasant! How were we
supposed to know she was the heir to the Vance empire?!”
“It shouldn’t have mattered!” Richard screamed.
Daniel sat at the end of the table, his head in his hands. His world had completely unraveled. He had lost his
wife, his newborn daughter, and now, his family’s entire legacy was crumbling around him.
“We have to apologize,” Daniel said quietly, lifting his head. “We have to go to Vance Enterprises. We have to
beg for mercy.”
Two hours later, Daniel, Patricia, and a highly reluctant Vanessa stood in the towering, marble lobby of the
Vance Enterprises headquarters. The building was a monument to wealth and power, soaring fifty stories into the
sky.
When they approached the reception desk, the receptionist didn't even look up from her screen. “Do you have
an appointment?”
“We are the Sterlings,” Patricia said, trying to maintain a shred of her former dignity. “We need to see Arthur
Vance. Or Clara. Please, tell Clara her family is here.”
Before the receptionist could answer, the elevator doors at the end of the lobby chimed. Arthur Vance walked
out, flanked by his legal team and several security officers.
Daniel rushed forward. “Mr. Vance! Please! We came to apologize. We will do anything. My mother and sister
are ready to beg Clara for forgiveness!”
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Arthur stopped. He looked at the three of them as if they were stains on the pristine marble floor.
“You’re too late,” Arthur said. “My daughter is currently preparing to sign the divorce papers. And as for your
business... the foreclosure paperwork has already been filed.”
“Please!” Patricia wept, dropping to her knees on the cold marble. “We are sorry! We didn't mean to hurt her!”
Arthur looked down at her with zero pity. “You tore her dress because you thought she was powerless. Now,
May you like
you will learn what real power looks like.”
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