At my birthday party, my husband tied me to a ceiling beam and whipped me thirty times because I had stained his mistress’s dress. “Maybe now you’ll learn your place,” he laughed while everyone watched. I didn’t cry. When they finally cut me down, I picked up my phone and called my five gangster brothers. “Make his entire family beg for mercy,” I whispered. Then the front gates suddenly slammed shut.

Within thirty seconds, the fifty high-society guests fled the ballroom like rats escaping a sinking ship, dropping their glasses and abandoning their coats in their hurry to distance themselves from the doomed Vance family.

The heavy double doors closed shut, leaving only Isaac, Wendy, Arthur, Clover, my five brothers, and me inside the grand hall.

Arthur dropped his phone, his hands shaking violently. “My CFO just texted me. The Department of Justice has executed a search warrant at our corporate headquarters downtown. How... how did you do this so fast?”

“My sister called me four minutes ago,” Noah replied simply. “Four minutes is more than enough time for my brothers to destroy a fraudulent empire.”

Marcus stepped forward, handing a thick stack of papers to Arthur.

“These are the forensic audit papers,” Marcus said calmly. “Every dollar you stole from Flora’s joint account over the last three years has been traced. To cover the liability, my firm has executed an emergency freeze on the Vance Estate, including the very ground you stand on.”

Wendy clutched her pearl necklace, her eyes wide with terror. “You can’t take our home! This estate has been in the Vance family for generations!”

“Not anymore,” Julian interjected softly. “The bank holding your primary mortgage was bought by Leo’s logistics umbrella five hours ago. You are currently trespassing on Sterling property.”

Isaac scrambled to his feet, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity despite his torn, dripping suit.

“Flora!” Isaac yelled, trying to reach for my hand. “You can’t do this to me! I’m your husband! We took vows!”

Noah caught Isaac by the throat before his fingers could even graze my sleeve. He lifted Isaac off his feet, pinning him against the decorative wooden beam where I had been tied minutes earlier.

“If you speak her name again,” Noah whispered, his voice dark and lethal, “I won't wait for Julian to destroy you in court.”

Isaac choked, his feet dangling off the marble floor, his face turning purple until Noah casually let go, letting him crash to the ground like a sack of rocks.

“Flora,” Leo said, turning to me with gentle eyes that contrasted sharply with his fierce demeanor. “Let’s get you out of here. Your back needs medical attention.”