Chapter 10 - The Heir’s New Reality
Within an hour, the Grand Vanderbilt Hotel ballroom was completely empty of guests. The glittering elite had fled into the New York night, eager to distance themselves from the crumbling Vanderbilt dynasty before their own names appeared on the federal subpoena lists.
Only the catering staff, federal investigators, and Chloe remained.
Chloe was sitting on an overturned velvet chair near the bar, her mascara streaked across her cheeks, sobbing hysterically into her diamond-encrusted clutch. All her money, her status, her arrogance—evaporated in less than sixty minutes.
I walked over, my footsteps clicking softly against the marble floor. I stopped right in front of her.
Chloe looked up, her eyes bloodshot and full of venom. “You... you ruined everything. You’re just a nobody maid! What are we supposed to do now?!”
I reached down, picking up one of her dropped diamond earrings from the floor and tossing it onto her lap.
“You’re about to find out what it feels like to stand outside in the freezing rain with nowhere to go,” I said quietly. “Except unlike you, I earned my way back up.”
May you like
I turned my back on her, pulling off the scratchy catering apron and letting it drop to the floor. As I walked out through the grand double doors into the cool night air, the heavy silver tray of champagne flutes felt like a distant memory.
My father’s name was finally cleared. The empire built on his bones belonged to the rightful heir. And the Vanderbilt dynasty was officially history.
