Chapter 3 - THE FAMILY COUNCILAt 8:00 AM the following morning, the phone in my suite at Bell Tower began ringing incessantly.
It was my father, Arthur Carter.
When I answered, his voice didn't carry warmth, worry, or comfort. It carried pure, blistering rage.
"Vivian! What the hell did you do at the Sterling Hotel last night?!" Arthur yelled through the speaker. "Madison came home sobbing hysterically! Ryan's campaign sponsors are dropping him by the hour! The newspapers are running stories calling our family a disgrace!"
I sat at the glass dining table, wearing a crisp white silk blouse, drinking black coffee while reviewing corporate spreadsheets with Dominic’s lead legal counsel, Victoria Vance.
"Good morning to you too, Dad," I said smoothly, my tone entirely calm.
"Don't you 'good morning' me, Vivian!" Arthur barked. "You humiliated your sister in public! You ruined Ryan's political future over a harmless misunderstanding! He told me you threw a jealous tantrum because he was comforting Madison over a private business matter!"
I felt a cold laugh bubble up in my chest.
A harmless misunderstanding.
"Dad," I said softly. "Did Ryan also tell you that he forged my signature and stole twelve million dollars from Mom's trust fund?"
There was a sudden, jarring pause on the other end of the line.
"That... that's impossible," Arthur stammered, though his voice lost its aggressive edge. "Ryan wouldn't... Madison said—"
"Madison helped him, Dad," I interrupted ruthlessly. "I have the certified forensic receipts. I have the state prosecutor's seal. And as of two hours ago, Dominic Bell’s legal team has frozen every bank account tied to the Carter family trust."
"Dominic... Bell?!" Arthur nearly choked on his breath. "Vivian, stay away from that man! He’s a shark! He will swallow you whole! You bring those legal documents to the house right now! We are having an emergency family meeting!"
I looked across the table at Dominic, who had just walked into the room wearing a tailored charcoal suit, holding a briefing folder.
Dominic gave me a slow nod.
"I’ll be there in thirty minutes, Dad," I said into the phone. "And tell Ryan to be there too. He’s going to want to hear this in person."
Half an hour later, my black car pulled up to the gates of the Carter family estate in Oak Brook.
When I stepped into the grand living room, the atmosphere was suffocating. My father sat in his leather armchair, looking ten years older. Madison was curled on the sofa, her eyes swollen from crying, holding a wet tissue. Ryan sat at the dining table, looking disheveled, his eyes bloodshot and desperate.
"Vivian!" Madison wailed, leaping up from the sofa. "How could you do this to me?! Ryan and I were going to tell you! We loved each other! You were always so busy with work that you neglected him!"
"Neglected him?" I scoffed, stepping into the center of the room, tossing a thick stack of bank statements directly onto the coffee table. "Is that why he needed to steal my mother's money, Madison? To pay for your luxury trips to Cabo while I was working sixteen hours a day managing his campaign?"
Ryan stood up, trying to put on his manipulative smile. "Vivian... honey, let's talk privately. We can work this out. I can transfer the money back—"
"With what money, Ryan?" a deep, echoing voice sounded from the doorway.
Every head in the room snapped around.
Dominic Bell walked into the living room, accompanied by two armed private security officers and Victoria Vance.
My father stood up, his face pale. "Bell... what are you doing in my house?"
"I am here as Vivian's legal representative and senior partner," Dominic said, walking smoothly to my side, placing a protective hand on the back of my chair. "Mr. Carter, your daughter Madison and Ryan Bennett are facing eight federal counts of grand larceny, bank fraud, and identity theft."
Madison gasped, dropping her tissue. "F-federal charges?!"
"Unless," Victoria Vance stepped forward, opening her briefcase, "Ms. Vivian Carter exercises her right to accept an out-of-court settlement."
Ryan practically threw himself across the table. "I’ll sign anything! What do you want?!"
I stepped forward, looking down at my ex-fiance and my sister with absolute, unyielding coldness.
"I want Ryan's total surrender of the Bennett PAC," I stated clearly. "I want Madison's complete resignation from Carter Estate Managers. And I want the Carter house transferred entirely into my name."
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Arthur gasped. "Vivian! This is my house!"
"Mom paid for eighty percent of this house, Dad," I replied, my eyes burning with quiet fire. "And you let her daughter steal her memory. Sign the papers, or watch Madison and Ryan leave this room in handcuffs."
