Arthur: Robert, you can't freeze our accounts! We have payroll due on Friday!
Attorney Robert: The default clauses in your loan agreement were activated the moment your son defaulted on the engagement contract terms.
Julian: What default clauses?! I didn't read any default clauses!
Attorney Robert: Section 14, Paragraph 3. Any physical or emotional abuse inflicted upon Miss Sterling invalidates all corporate protections immediately.
Arthur grabbed his son by the lapels of his tuxedo, shaking him violently.
Arthur: You idiot! You signed away our entire life work for a wedding agreement?!
Julian: Dad, stop! I didn't think she would actually leave!
Arthur: You hit the daughter of a billionaire in front of fifty high-profile guests!
The surrounding guests began whispering loudly, pulling out their phones as the news spread through the room.
Guest 1: Did you hear that? The Vance family is completely bankrupt!
Guest 2: I am pulling my investments out of their firm immediately!
Arthur: Everyone, please! Clear the room! The party is over!
Nobody moved toward the exits politely; instead, guests rushed out to call their brokers and legal teams.
Attorney Robert: Furthermore, Mr. Vance, we are serving you with an immediate restraining order. You are not to come within five hundred yards of Miss Sterling or her property.
Julian: I need to talk to her! I love her!
Attorney Robert: You loved her trust fund, Mr. Vance. And now, it is completely out of your reach.
The legal team turned on their heels, exiting the mansion with synchronized, calm footsteps.
Julian sank to his knees on the cold marble floor, his hands covering his face as he let out a dry sob.
Arthur: Get up, Julian! Get up and help me save the firm!
Julian: We can't save it, Dad... without the Sterling backing, our stock will crash to zero by nine tomorrow morning.
Arthur: You ruined us! Thirty years of building this empire, gone because of your arrogant temper!
Arthur threw his champagne glass against the white wall, shattering it into a hundred tiny pieces.
Outside, Chloe sat in the back of her father's private limousine, staring out the tinted window as the gates of the Vance estate opened.
Thomas: Are you alright, sweetheart?
Chloe: My cheek hurts, Dad. But my heart feels lighter than it has in years.
Thomas: I should have listened to you months ago when you said he was hiding something.
Chloe: I wanted to believe he changed. But a bully never changes, Dad. He just hides it until he thinks he has total control over you.
Thomas: He will never control anything ever again. I will make sure of it.
Chloe squeezed her father's hand, feeling the warmth of true family support as the black car drove down the quiet suburban road.