Chapter 8 - The Aftermath

News of the Pierce family's financial ruin dominated the papers for weeks, but the identity of the orchestrator remained sealed behind a wall of corporate anonymity. Vanguard Holdings operated like a ghost organization, existing only on digital ledgers and offshore certificates.

In downtown Manhattan, the skyscraper that once bore the Pierce family name was officially rebranded as the Sullivan Tower. The new executive board restored the three million dollars stolen from the employee pension fund, distributing back-pay and medical bonuses to hardworking families.

In Queens, Jackson’s private investigation firm expanded into a full-scale corporate oversight and security consultancy, funded by Vanguard endowments. Maeve lived in Zurich, occasionally sending updates about auditing corrupt hedge fund managers.

May you like

My fiancé let his friend chop off my mother’s waist-length

My husband spent the night with another woman

My husband brought his mistress to our nine-year-old daughter’s dance

As for Owen and Margot, they vanished from high-society circles entirely. Stripped of their wealth, they were forced to rent a modest apartment in the outer boroughs—experiencing what it felt like to work for a living.

I watched a brief segment about their downfall on a late-night broadcast, sitting comfortably in the rocking chair on our porch. I felt only the quiet indifference of looking at a weed pulled by the roots.