Chapter 3 - The Viral ExecutionFiona Sterling was a shark in a tailored suit, and she moved faster than Eleanor could ever anticipate.
Within forty-eight hours, she had secured an airtight restraining order against the entire Vance family, frozen all of Liam’s marital assets, and subpoenaed the family group chat server records before Eleanor could have her tech people scrub them.
But the real fatal blow didn't happen in a courtroom. It happened on the internet.
Liam was an executive at a top-tier investment firm. His entire life was built on his reputation, his charm, and his polished public image. Eleanor ran three major philanthropic charities, hosting galas and pretending to be a beacon of women’s empowerment in high society.
On a Friday morning, as I sat on Sarah’s couch drinking decaf tea, Fiona called.
"Turn on the news, Clara," Fiona said, her tone thick with satisfaction. "And check Twitter."
I grabbed the remote and switched on the local news channel. My jaw dropped.
There, blurred slightly for graphic content but with the audio crystal clear, was the video. The local news anchor looked genuinely sickened as she read the teleprompter.
"Breaking news this morning. A prominent investment banker, Liam Vance, has been indicted on felony charges of aggravated domestic torture. A horrifying video, mistakenly posted by Vance himself into a family group chat, was leaked anonymously to the press late last night..."
"Who leaked it?" I breathed into the phone.
"A concerned citizen," Fiona said smoothly. "Sometimes these digital files just find their way into the inboxes of hungry investigative journalists. It’s a tragedy for his privacy, really."
I opened my phone. The internet was on fire. The video had gone viral globally. The hashtag #JusticeForClara was trending at number one.
But it wasn't just Liam who was going down. The audio of Eleanor's voice—"Harder. She still hasn't learned"—had been isolated and amplified.
My phone buzzed with an incoming news alert: Investment Firm Terminates Liam Vance Effective Immediately. Three Charities Remove Eleanor Vance from Board of Directors Amidst Horrifying Abuse Scandal.
They were ruined. The empire they had used to threaten me was crumbling to dust in front of my eyes.
Suddenly, my phone rang. It was an unknown number, but I knew who it was. I answered it, putting it on speaker.
"You bitch!" Eleanor screamed, completely unhinged. She sounded like she was hyperventilating. "You ruined us! My charities! The country club just revoked my membership! I am going to kill you!"
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"Keep talking, Eleanor," I said softly. "My lawyer is recording this call. Add 'terroristic threats' to your resume."
I hung up. For the first time in three years, I genuinely smiled.
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