Chapter 16 - The Public Collapse
News of Richard Vance's federal arrest swept across every major television network and financial newspaper in America.
Vance-Harrison Global stock plummeted by forty percent in a single trading session as panicking investors liquidated their shares.
Chloe sat in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel, wearing sunglasses to hide her red, swollen eyes as she tried to order a coffee.
The waiter looked at her card, then handed it back with a cold, disgusted expression. "This card has been declined, Miss Vance."
"What?! Try it again! It's a black card!" Chloe shrieked, slamming her hand onto the marble table.
"Your family's accounts have been frozen by federal order, ma'am," the waiter replied coldly. "You need to leave the premises."
Laughter and hushed whispers erupted from neighboring tables as the former high-society princess was publicly turned away.
Chloe stumbled out onto Fifth Avenue, her expensive designer heels clicking against the sidewalk as rain began to fall.
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She had gone from living in a twenty-million-dollar penthouse to having her credit cards rejected in front of the entire city.
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