Chapter 6 - The Exiles of the Valley
The scandal broke over the Hudson Valley like a dam bursting.
By ten o'clock the following morning, the news of the interrupted wedding at Graymere House had spread through the wealthy enclave of Bedford and Greenwich like wildfire. In a town where social standing was measured by historical preservation boards, country club memberships, and charity gala invitations, the story of a fortune-hunting boyfriend trying to marry a best friend in the victim's own backyard under a dead mother's veil was a feast of unprecedented proportions.
At 11:00 AM, Sienna Vale arrived at her boutique interior design studio on Main Street, wearing oversized dark sunglasses and trying to avoid the gaze of her shop manager.
She didn't get past the front desk.
Two process servers stepped out from the lounge area, holding thick white envelopes.
"Sienna Vale?" the lead server asked.
"I have no comment," Sienna snapped, trying to push past him toward her private office.
"You've been served, Miss Vale," the man said, thrusting the documents into her hands. "Temporary Restraining Order issued by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, along with a notice of immediate asset freeze filed by Hartwell Capital Holdings."
Sienna dropped the envelope as if it were on fire. "Asset freeze? You can't freeze my business account!"
"We already did," Julian Vance’s voice called out from the doorway.
Julian stepped into the studio, flanked by two uniformed officers from the city commercial division. He looked around at the expensive Italian wallpaper, the marble display tables, and the custom velvet swatches.
"Miss Vale," Julian announced loudly enough for the two assistant designers and three wealthy clients in the showroom to hear clearly. "As of nine o'clock this morning, the Hartwell Trust has terminated your lease on these premises for material breach of contract and non-payment of rent."
Sienna gasped, clutching her throat. "What are you talking about? My lease runs through 2028!"
"Your lease was co-signed by Amelia Hart as a personal guarantor," Julian replied smoothly, pulling a official notice from his leather briefcase. "Mrs. Hart has withdrawn her guarantee. Furthermore, she has exercised her right as primary mortgage holder of this building to initiate immediate eviction proceedings. You have four hours to clear your personal effects. All inventory purchased using Hartwell credit lines has been impounded."
One of the wealthy clients in the showroom—a prominent local philanthropist who sat on the museum board with Amelia—slowly set down her glass of sparkling water, picked up her designer handbag, and walked out of the store without saying a word.
"Julian, please!" Sienna begged, her tears finally bursting through her makeup. "This will ruin me! I have fifty thousand dollars in custom furniture orders sitting in the warehouse! If I can't deliver, my clients will sue me!"
"Then I suggest you call your fiancé, Miss Vale," Julian said with a cold, terrifying smile. "I hear he has plenty of free time today."
Meanwhile, three miles away, at the public marina near the river, Lucas Wren was standing beside his mother’s sixty-foot boat slip, screaming into his cell phone.
"What do you mean the card is declined?!" Lucas roared at the dockmaster. "It's a black card! Try it again!"
"Mr. Wren, the card has been flagged as stolen by Hartwell Capital," the dockmaster said flatly, holding out the plastic card. "And the marina manager has instructed me to inform you that your slip rental has been canceled. You need to move your boat by one o'clock, or we're calling the coast guard to haul it to the impound yard."
Lucas grabbed the card, his face purple with rage.
He jumped into his sports car—a vehicle he had bought six months ago using a trade-in credit from Amelia's old Range Rover—and slammed his hands against the steering wheel.
He dialed Amelia’s personal number.
The number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service.
He dialed her private office line.
The number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service.
He dialed Sienna.
She answered on the first ring, her voice a shrill, hysterical scream. "Lucas! Where are you?! They're locking the studio! They froze the bank accounts! The police are here!"
"Sienna, shut up for a second!" Lucas panicked, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. "Did you call the solar developers? Did they send the deposit wire?"
"What deposit wire?!" Sienna sobbed. "Julian Vance served them with a cease-and-desist letter at eight o'clock! They canceled the contract, Lucas! They're threatening to sue us for fraud!"
The phone slipped from Lucas’s hand, dropping onto the leather passenger seat.
May you like
He sat in his car, listening to Sienna’s distant, hysterical screams coming through the speaker, while the sky above the marina grew dark with rain once again.
The golden dream of Florence, the solar royalties, the grand life at Graymere House—it had all evaporated in less than twenty-four hours, leaving him sitting in a car he couldn't afford, on a dock he was being evicted from, faced with absolute, total destruction.
