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“My mother-in-law laughed when I claimed I could remove her son as CEO. Sloan laughed too. Then the chairman opened the ballroom doors carrying the one thing they never expected to see.” / Chapter 7 / 10

Chapter 7 - A New HorizonWith the dead weight of Caldwell finally excised from my life, I thrived. I stepped officially into the role of CEO of Vance Global, immediately rebranding it to Vanguard Enterprises.

Without Caldwell’s incompetent meddling and massive ego slowing down operations, our stock soared. I was working late one evening, reviewing an acquisition, when a knock came at my office door.

Julian Sterling, Marcus’s thirty-two-year-old son and the head of our European division, leaned against the doorframe. He was tall, impeccably dressed, and possessed a quiet, dangerous intelligence that Caldwell could only dream of.

"Working late, Madam CEO?" Julian asked, stepping inside with two glasses and a bottle of expensive Scotch.

"Someone has to clean up a decade of my ex-husband's sloppy paperwork," I smiled, leaning back in my chair.

Julian poured the drinks and handed me one. "You know, I always wondered why a woman as brilliant as you hid behind a clown like Caldwell."

"Love makes you blind," I admitted, taking a sip. "But betrayal gives you 20/20 vision."

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The chemistry in the room was electric. For the first time in years, I wasn't managing a man's fragile ego. I was looking at an equal.

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Chapter 8 - The Society GalaSix months later, the annual Manhattan Charity Gala was the event of the season. It was the same event where Caldwell had humiliated me a year prior.
Chapter 9 - The Final SeveranceThe next morning, the headlines of the financial papers were dominated by my success. Vanguard Enterprises Acquires Rival Firm. Saraphina Vance Named Most Powerful Woman on Wall Street.
Chapter 10 - The Phoenix RisingA year later, the scars of my past life were nothing but distant memories.

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