Chapter 3 - The Freezing Out**
By Monday morning, the corporate world of Chicago was experiencing a seismic shockwave, and the epicenter was Vance Medical Supply.
I was still recovering in the private VIP suite of Saint Aurelia Medical Center, a room my grandfather had upgraded me to, complete with a private balcony, round-the-clock specialized nursing care, and direct video feeds to the NICU incubators where Liam and Chloe were growing stronger every day. My sister-in-law—or rather, my former husband’s sister, Clara—had called me in tears over the weekend, apologizing profusely for her brother’s monstrous behavior and offering to testify against him in any proceeding.
According to Maya, who brought me fresh coffee and legal briefs every morning, Dominic’s company was in a state of total freefall. Within forty-eight hours of Harrison Vale’s phone call, every major hospital network in the Midwest had followed Saint Aurelia’s lead, canceling their contracts with Vance Supply citing “ethical breaches and supply chain instability.” Warehouses filled with millions of dollars in medical inventory sat idle, debts were coming due, and the company’s primary lenders were demanding immediate cash settlements.
At 10:00 AM, my lead divorce attorney, a shark named Marcus Vance (no relation to Dominic, thankfully), walked into my hospital room carrying a thick stack of embossed documents.
“Good morning, Victoria,” Marcus said with a sharp, professional smile. He set the leather briefcase on the bedside table. “I have some updates regarding the separation agreement you signed under duress last week.”
“Did Dominic try to enforce it?” I asked, leaning back against the plush pillows while watching Liam move his tiny fingers on the NICU monitor.
“He tried,” Marcus chuckled, pulling out a red-stamped legal brief. “Or rather, his panicked bankruptcy attorneys tried. They filed a motion to freeze your personal trust assets, assuming you were completely unprotected. Unfortunately for them, your grandfather’s legal team intervened within twenty minutes. Because the original agreement was signed under physical duress in a medical facility while you were recovering from major surgery, and because Dominic fraudulently concealed corporate asset valuations during the negotiation, Judge Holloway declared the document null, void, and legally fraudulent.”
I felt a profound weight lift off my chest. For the first time since that terrible morning, the suffocating panic in my ribs dissolved. “What happens to the company?”
“It’s insolvent,” Marcus stated plainly. “Vance Medical Supply is currently facing liquidation to satisfy emergency creditors. Furthermore, the forensic audit ordered by your grandfather has uncovered massive tax irregularities and shell-company transfers. Dominic isn't just looking at bankruptcy, Victoria. He’s looking at federal indictment for corporate fraud and embezzlement.”
As if on cue, my phone buzzed violently on the bedside table.
The caller ID flashed Dominic Vance.
I stared at the screen for a long moment, watching the digits flash before swiping to answer and putting it on speaker so Marcus could listen.
“Victoria! Please—you have to listen to me!” Dominic’s voice screamed through the speaker. He sounded completely unraveled, his usual polished cadence replaced by frantic, breathless sobbing. “The banks have seized our accounts! The federal investigators are at the warehouse! They’re saying I could face prison time! You’re my wife—you can call your grandfather, you can fix this with a single word!”
I looked out the window at the brilliant Chicago skyline, listening to the man who had stood over my premature babies and told me I was on my own.
“Dominic,” I said, my voice steady, cold, and entirely devoid of emotion. “When you stood in that NICU unit and threw those papers at me, you told me that I had no family, no job, and no way to fight back. You told me and my children that we were on our own.”
“I was stressed! Natalie manipulated me—she forced me into this!” he lied desperately, his voice cracking. “Please, Victoria, think of the years we spent together—”
“I am thinking of them,” I interrupted softly. “And I’m signing off on the exact future you designed for us. Enjoy the shelter, Dominic.”
I tapped the red end-call button, blocked his number permanently, and tossed the phone onto the blanket.
May you like
Marcus smiled, closing his briefcase with a satisfying click. “Brilliant execution, Victoria. Now, let’s talk about your full custody filing and the complete seizure of his remaining personal assets.”
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