Chapter 3 - The Sanctuary of Truth
The silver SUV glided through the wrought-iron gates of the Vance Private Estate in Goochland County, twenty miles outside Richmond.
Unlike the modern, flashy home Derek had insisted on occupying, the Vance estate was an old-money compound surrounded by oak trees and manicured lawns—a property that had belonged to Audrey’s family for three generations.
When Audrey stepped out of the vehicle, Arthur Harrison was already waiting on the front veranda. Next to him stood a team of three paralegals and two private security directors.
"Welcome home, Audrey," Arthur said warmly, stepping down to help her with her bag while keeping a protective posture beside the baby.
"Thank you, Arthur," Audrey said, her strength momentarily dipping as exhaustion caught up with her. "Is everything ready?"
"More than ready," Arthur said as they walked into the warm, timber-paneled library. "Your grandfather built the Vance Trust to protect you from predators, Audrey. He knew the world was full of men like Derek Halston. It is a pity Derek believed his own press releases."
For six years, Derek Halston had believed he was the dominant partner in the marriage. When he met Audrey, she was working as an independent graphic designer, living modestly and keeping her personal life private. Derek had assumed she was an orphan with a tiny inheritance.
What Derek had never bothered to investigate—because he was too consumed by his own vanity—was that Audrey Vance was the sole living heir to the Vance Industrial Group, a multi-hundred-million-dollar timber and commercial real estate empire managed entirely by an impenetrable private trust.
When they bought the Richmond mansion three years ago, Derek had boasted to all his friends that he had secured the home for his young family. In reality, Derek’s business had been drowning in debt. Audrey had quietly used a subsidiary of the Vance Trust—Vance Holdings LLC—to purchase the deed outright for cash, allowing Derek to pay a subsidized 'lease-to-own' rent to the LLC just to keep his dignity intact.
Derek had never actually owned a single brick of that house.
"He hasn't made a single rent payment from his corporate account in seven months," Arthur said, laying out a thick leather binder on the mahogany desk. "Technically, he is in default of his commercial lease. Furthermore, the prenuptial agreement you both signed explicitly states that any act of marital infidelity or abandonment during childbirth forfeits all claims to temporary residence, spousal support, and discretionary trust allowances."
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Audrey sat down in a leather armchair, nursing Maisie gently. "He ignored seventeen calls while I was in labor, Arthur. I was alone in that room for fourteen hours. And when I came home, he had his mistress in our bed while his mother cheered him on."
Arthur’s eyes turned to ice. "Then we won't just evict him, Audrey. We will erase him."
