By six o'clock that evening, news of the ruined engagement had hit the national financial papers.
Chloe sat in the spacious living room of her father's penthouse, watching the news ticker scroll across the bottom of the television screen.
Reporter: Breaking news: Vance Corporation shares have fallen by forty-five percent in after-hours trading following the sudden withdrawal of Sterling Global backing.
Chloe: It's happening faster than I thought.
Thomas: That's just the stock market reacting to the news. Wait until the audit results come out tomorrow.
Chloe: What audit results?
Thomas set down his coffee cup, looking at his daughter with a serious expression.
Thomas: My team spent the last three hours digging into the Vance Corporation financial ledgers. Julian wasn't just using your trust fund to pay off personal debts.
Chloe: What else was he doing?
Thomas: He was embezzling money from his father's charity foundation to cover his gambling losses in Vegas.
Chloe gasped, putting her hand over her mouth in disbelief.
Chloe: He told me those trips were for regional business meetings!
Thomas: He lied about everything, Chloe. He targeted you because he knew our family wealth could erase his three-million-dollar debt.
Chloe: I almost married a criminal...
Thomas: You stopped it in time. Be proud of yourself for standing up to him.
A soft knock sounded at the penthouse door, and Attorney Robert stepped into the room holding a new folder.
Attorney Robert: Mr. Sterling, Miss Sterling. We just received a call from Julian Vance's criminal defense attorney.
Thomas: He already hired a defense lawyer?
Attorney Robert: He had to. The district attorney's office reviewed the footage from the gala hall. They are filing assault charges against him by morning.
Chloe: Did someone record the slap?
Attorney Robert: Three different guests posted videos online, Miss Sterling. It went viral within an hour.
Chloe pulled up her phone, seeing millions of views on a video titled "Billionaire Heir Slaps Fiancée at Mansion Gala."
Chloe: The comments are entirely supportive of me...
Attorney Robert: The public is outraged, ma'am. Julian Vance has become the most hated man in the business sector overnight.
Thomas: Tell the DA we will cooperate fully with the prosecution. I want him held accountable for every single thing he did.
Attorney Robert: Understood, sir. I will make the call now.
Chloe looked out at the city skyline, the sparkling lights reflecting off the high glass windows.
She knew the road ahead would be filled with legal battles, but for the first time in years, she felt completely free from Julian's manipulative grip.