Chapter 6 - The Vance EstateThree hundred miles away, the morning sun poured over the manicured lawns and stone courtyards of the Vance family estate on the coast of Maine.
The air smelled of salt water, pine, and absolute, unshakable peace.
I sat on the wide stone veranda, wrapped in a soft cashmere throw, a cup of Earl Grey tea steaming between my palms. Behind me, the heavy oak doors opened softly, and my father stepped out onto the terrace.
He didn't look like an aging, out-of-touch billionaire. In his tailored navy blazer and open-collared shirt, he looked like a man who owned the horizon—because he essentially did.
He walked over, pulled up a wrought-iron chair beside me, and sat down. He didn't say anything at first. He just reached out, gently lifting my left hand to inspect the faint, fading red marks across my wrist where Daniel’s grip had bruised me.
“Does it still hurt?” my father asked softly.
“Only when I think about how long I let him believe he was smarter than you,” I answered, offering a small, tired smile.
My father let out a low, rumbling chuckle, shaking his head. “I told you on your wedding day, Claire. Power doesn't need to shout. It just needs to wait for the right moment to collect on its debts.”
“Marcus called from the city an hour ago,” I said, setting my teacup down. “Daniel tried to breach the perimeter at Sterling Tower this morning. Federal marshals had to escort him off the premises.”
“Let him scream,” my father said, his dark eyes hardening into flint. “A man who raises his hands in anger instead of using his intellect has already lost the game. He will spend the rest of his life trying to understand how an empire he thought he conquered slipped through his fingers like sand.”
I leaned my head against my father’s shoulder, breathing in the clean scent of cedar and old paper.
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“Thank you, Dad,” I murmured. “For trusting me. For letting me hit the wall.”
“I never doubted you for a second, sweetheart,” my father replied, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of my head. “You are a Vance. And we never break.”
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