Chapter 3 - THE WEB OF LIES
The concrete floor of the county jail holding cell was cold, but not nearly as cold as the realization slowly
dawning on Daniel Vance. He paced the narrow cell, his Hugo Boss suit now wrinkled, stained with dirty water,
and smelling faintly of cheap cell block disinfectant.
"This is a mistake!" Daniel yelled at the iron bars, his voice echoing off the concrete walls. "I am the CEO of
Vance Logistics! I have rights! I want to speak to my lawyer!"
"Shut up in there!" a guard shouted back from down the hall.
Daniel slammed his fist against the wall. How had this happened? Everything had been perfect. For three years,
he had tolerated Evelyn’s quiet, boring presence, her ballooning pregnant body, and her pathetic attempts to please
him. He had successfully isolated her from her friends. He had convinced her that her billionaire father, Charles
Sterling, despised her. And finally, this morning, she had signed the papers transferring the massive block of
Sterling Logistics shares she held in her trust.
He was supposed to be a billionaire by sunset. He was supposed to be celebrating in their mansion with
Vanessa, drinking Cristal and laughing at the stupid girl they had kicked to the curb.
Instead, he was locked in a cage, and Vanessa was... where was Vanessa?
The heavy steel door at the end of the corridor groaned open. A guard walked down the line and stopped in front
of Daniel's cell. "Vance. Your lawyer is here. Conference Room B."
Daniel let out a sigh of relief. "Finally! Tell them I’m going to sue this entire precinct for wrongful arrest!"
He was escorted into a small, windowless room with a laminate table and two chairs. Sitting in one of the chairs
was not his usual corporate attorney, but a slick, sharp-eyed man named Victor Vance—his cousin and co-
conspirator.
"Victor! Thank God," Daniel said, lunging forward and sitting down. "Get me out of here. Post bail. I don't care
what it costs. We have the Sterling shares now. We are golden."
Victor looked at Daniel with a expression of pure, unadulterated panic. "Daniel... we don't have the shares."
Daniel froze. "What are you talking about? I saw her sign the contract. I have the signed copy in my study."
"The police raided your study two hours ago, Daniel," Victor whispered, leaning across the table. "They had a
warrant signed by a federal judge. And they didn't just take the contract. They took your hard drives, your personal
ledger, and your offshore banking records."
"So what?" Daniel snapped. "The contract is legal! She signed it willingly!"
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"It wasn't a share transfer, you idiot," Victor hissed. "The document you had her sign was a heavily modified
corporate restructuring agreement. It was drafted by Sterling’s top legal team. By signing it, you legally admitted to
using shell companies to embezzle four million dollars from Sterling Logistics over the last two years. You also
signed a clause stating that if you ever committed domestic violence against Evelyn—which was witnessed tonight
by four police officers, a district attorney, and Charles Sterling himself—all your personal assets, including your
share of the house and your bank accounts, would immediately revert to Evelyn as punitive damages."
Daniel felt the air leave his lungs. The room seemed to spin. "No... no, that’s impossible. She’s stupid! She
didn't know!"
"She knew everything, Daniel," Victor said, his voice trembling. "She and her father set you up. From the very
May you like
beginning."
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