Chapter 5 - The Howard Empire
Zachary led me out to the curb, where a long black Maybach luxury sedan was waiting with a uniformed driver holding the door open.
I climbed into the plush leather back seat, still wearing my ridiculous, wrinkled wedding gown. Zachary sat beside me, pulling a soft cashmere throw blanket from the side pocket and gently draping it over my shivering shoulders.
"Where would you like to go, Dr. Vance?" Zachary asked softly as the car glided silently away from St. Peter’s Chapel.
"My apartment," I murmured, staring out the tinted window at the rain-slicked city streets. "1424 Crestview Drive."
Zachary gave the address to the driver, then turned to me, handing me a crystal bottle of sparkling water. "I owe you a debt I can never fully repay. Paisley is my entire world. Her mother passed away three years ago from illness. If I had lost Paisley today..."
"She’s going to make a full recovery, Zachary," I said gently, using his first name for the first time. "She’s strong. She’ll be out of the ICU by Monday."
Zachary nodded slowly, his fingers tapping against his knee. "I noticed the man back there... Andrew Bennett."
"My ex-fiancé," I said bitterly. "Apparently, three hours was the maximum expiration date on his devotion."
"It wasn't about the three hours, Claire," Zachary said, his voice dropping an octave, filled with heavy gravity. "Andrew Bennett didn't marry Gemma because you were late. He married her because of what was inside your prenuptial agreement."
I turned my head to look at him, frowning. "What are you talking about?"
Zachary pulled out an iPad from his leather briefcase, tapped the screen a few times, and handed it to me. On the screen was a corporate dossier bearing the seal of Howard Global Capital—the largest private equity and hedge fund firm in the state.
Zachary Howard wasn't just a grateful father. He was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Howard Global Capital—the parent company that owned Vanguard Holdings.
He was Andrew’s ultimate boss.
"Two weeks ago, Vanguard Holdings initiated a confidential forensic audit," Zachary explained quietly. "Andrew Bennett has been embezzling client funds—over four million dollars—to cover massive losses in offshore crypto trading."
My breath hitched in my throat. "Four million dollars?!"
"He needed a quick influx of capital to replace the money before the audit finalized next Friday," Zachary continued, leaning in close. "Your family trust, Claire... the one left to you by your late grandfather. It holds five million dollars, doesn't it?"
The room seemed to spin. "Yes... my trust unlocks on my wedding day."
"Specifically," Zachary added, pointing to a highlighted clause on the screen, "it unlocks upon the registration of a valid marriage certificate under your name. But if the bride fails to sign, or if a secondary marriage clause is executed under the Bennett estate charter... the secondary beneficiary takes temporary power of attorney."
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I stared at the screen, tears of anger finally brimming in my eyes. "Gemma... Gemma’s father is the co-trustee of my grandfather’s estate."
"Exactly," Zachary said coldly. "Andrew didn't just replace you because you were late. He and Gemma engineered a legal loophole to seize control of your inheritance before the audit catches him next week."
