Chapter 6 - The Trap is Set
The Maybach pulled up to the curb outside my apartment complex. The rain had stopped, replaced by a cool, crisp evening fog.
I sat in the back seat, staring at the financial documents on Zachary’s tablet. The heartbreak I had felt hours earlier had completely dissolved, replaced by a white-hot, razor-sharp fury. Andrew hadn't just been a selfish, arrogant groom—he was a criminal predator who had used my love and my career to set up a financial trap.
"They think they won," I whispered, my voice cold as ice. "They think I'm going to hide in my apartment and cry while they drain my grandfather's trust."
"They won't get a single penny, Claire," Zachary said, his dark eyes fixed on mine with fierce intensity. "Howard Global Capital owns eighty percent of Vanguard Holdings. As of five minutes ago, I called my legal team. We have frozen all executive asset transfers pending a full forensic investigation."
"That stops Andrew from taking the money, but it doesn't expose him," I said, turning to look Zachary in the eye. "He'll lie his way out of it. He'll blame his accountants. He'll claim Gemma acted alone."
Zachary smiled—a dangerous, predatory smile that explained how he had built a multi-billion-dollar financial empire before the age of thirty-five.
"What do you suggest, Dr. Vance?" Zachary asked, leaning back against the leather seat.
"The annual Vanguard Holdings Gala is on Thursday night," I said, remembering the gold-embossed invitation sitting on my kitchen counter. "Andrew was supposed to introduce me as his new wife and announce his promotion to Managing Director."
"He still plans to do that," Zachary noted. "Only now, he'll introduce Gemma."
"Let him," I said, my knuckles white as I clenched my fists. "Let them dress up, let them toast with expensive champagne, and let them announce their new life in front of every board member and investor in the city."
"And then?" Zachary asked softly, his eyes dancing with dark amusement.
"And then," I replied, "I walk in with the Chief Executive Officer of Howard Global Capital."
Zachary looked at me for three seconds before letting out a soft, low laugh that resonated through the quiet cabin of the car.
"Dr. Vance," Zachary said, extending his hand to me once more, "it would be an absolute honor to be your date."
Before I stepped out of the car, Zachary reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box.
May you like
"What's this?" I asked, frowning.
"A small token of appreciation from a father whose daughter is alive tonight," Zachary said gently, pressing the box into my hand. "Open it on Thursday."
