Chapter 10 - Jasmine’s Entitled Ambush
Darius’s humiliating ejection from Vance Tower was only the beginning of the storm.
When Darius returned to their cramped rental apartment in tears, his suit disheveled and his spirit completely broken, Jasmine was waiting for him with a cocktail in hand. When he finally confessed that the billionaire CEO of Vance Group was none other than Claire—and that not only had he failed to get the job, but his career was permanently destroyed—Jasmine didn't react with shame.
She reacted with explosive, entitled fury.
“You idiot!” Jasmine shrieked, throwing her glass against the kitchen wall, shattering it into pieces. “You walked away from a forty-million-dollar fortune for nothing?! And then you let her kick you out like a dog without demanding our rightful share?!”
“What was I supposed to do, Jasmine?!” Darius yelled back, clutching his head. “She owns the entire company! Her father set up unbreakable trusts! We have no legal claim!”
“She had a child with you, Darius!” Jasmine hissed, her eyes gleaming with venomous greed. “Under family law, an heir to an estate that size is entitled to millions in child support and family trusts! She owes us! If she thinks she can hoard all that wealth while we drown in debt, she’s out of her mind!”
The very next morning, Jasmine decided to take matters into her own hands.
Dressed in her most expensive remaining outfit—a faux-fur designer coat and oversized sunglasses—Jasmine marched into the main lobby of Vance Tower. She bypassed the security desk and attempted to storm the executive elevator bank, screaming at the top of her lungs.
“I demand to see Claire Vance right now!” Jasmine shrieked, causing employees and visiting clients to stop and stare in shock. “Tell your fraudulent CEO that Jasmine Ellis is here! She’s hiding behind her father’s money while depriving my husband of his paternal rights!”
Within ninety seconds, Evelyn descended from the executive suite, accompanied by four armed building security guards and the Vance Group’s Chief Legal Counsel.
Jasmine crossed her arms, smirking smugly. “Are you here to take me upstairs? Good. Tell Claire that if she doesn't settle with us out of court for five million dollars and give Darius an executive salary, I will go straight to the press! I’ll tell every tabloid that the great ‘C.J. Vance’ abandoned her child’s father in poverty!”
Evelyn didn't blink. She stepped aside as Arthur Pendelton stepped forward, holding a thick legal notice and an envelope bearing the official seal of the District Attorney’s Office.
“Mrs. Ellis,” Arthur said in a voice that cut through the lobby like ice. “Or should I say, Ms. Jasmine Carter—since your marriage to Darius Ellis was never legally finalized due to fraudulent documentation submitted during your expedited filing.”
Jasmine’s face went chalk white. “What… what are you talking about?”
“We took the liberty of investigating your background over the last twenty-four hours,” Arthur continued calmly. “It appears that during your tenure at Apex Logistics, you actively assisted Darius in embezzling $85,000 through fraudulent corporate expense accounts—money you used to purchase your designer jewelry and vacation packages.”
A collective gasp rippled through the gathered crowd.
“Furthermore,” Arthur added, handing a copy of the criminal indictment to the senior security officer, “Vance Group has acquired the outstanding bad-debt portfolio of Apex Logistics. As of this morning, we are the primary creditor holding your personal loans. The Columbus Police Department and the fraud division are waiting for you outside the revolving doors.”
Jasmine’s arrogance shattered into pure, paralyzing terror. “No… no, that’s a lie! Darius did that! It wasn't me!”
May you like
“Save your defense for the magistrate, Ms. Carter,” Arthur replied coldly. “Security, escort this trespasser off the property and hand her directly to the officers.”
As the security guards took Jasmine by the arms, she kicked and screamed, her designer shoes slipping across the polished floor as the press—already alerted by local business reporters—flashed dozens of cameras in her face. The woman who had sneered at me in the courthouse was now dragged away in handcuffs for the entire city to see.
