My Father Fired Me to Favor My Sister, but I Was Ready for Him
Previously: When Natalie's father publicly fired her from the family empire to favor her younger sister, she didn't cry. Instead, she activated a dormant emergency protocol that changed their family dynamic forever.
The fallout from Natalie’s departure was instantaneous. By midnight, the Vance family empire was in complete lockdown. The "emergency protocol" Natalie had activated was a failsafe she had quietly established five years prior, following Arthur’s disastrous attempt to siphon company funds to cover private debts. Under the clause, any attempt by the chairman to unilaterally terminate the CEO without board consensus triggered an automatic suspension of majority voting rights and an immediate independent forensic audit.
Furthermore, all corporate credit cards, trust accounts, and estate allowances linked to the Vance family were frozen to protect corporate assets during the investigation.
The Empire Crumbles
By morning, the reality of their situation set in. Claire’s high-end shopping spree ended in humiliation when her cards were declined. Victoria found herself locked out of the family's offshore accounts. Arthur’s phone calls to board members went straight to voicemail; they were legally forbidden from speaking to him during the audit.
Desperate and cornered, Arthur, Victoria, and Claire showed up at Natalie’s modest downtown apartment that evening. The haughty aristocrats who had looked down on her were gone, replaced by anxious, pale-faced shadows of themselves.
"Natalie, please," Arthur said, his voice cracking as he stood in her hallway. "We need to talk. We are family. This audit... it will ruin us. It will expose things that should stay buried."
Natalie leaned against her doorframe, looking at her family. The cut on her lip had healed into a tiny pink line, a physical reminder of their cruelty.
"Family?" Natalie asked, her voice dripping with ice. "You threw me out like garbage to hand my life's work to Claire, who has never worked a day in her life. Now you want mercy?"
"I'll reinstate you!" Arthur pleaded, reaching out to touch her arm, though she stepped back. "You can be CEO permanently. Just call off the board."
Natalie looked at them, knowing that if she agreed, they would simply wait for another opportunity to stab her in the back. But if she let the audit proceed, her father would likely face criminal charges, destroying the legacy she had spent a decade building.
”But if she let the audit proceed, her father would likely face criminal charges, destroying the legacy she had spent a decade building.