Chapter 4 - THE SISTER-IN-LAW’S TRAP
Three days after Thanksgiving, the Peterson family was unraveling at violent speed.
Without Vance Capital’s credit line, Peterson Architecture was forced to freeze its payroll. Their sub-contractors walked off two major construction sites downtown, filing million-dollar mechanics' liens against Frank Peterson personally. Meanwhile, Megan’s luxury fashion boutique in the West Loop was served with an immediate asset seizure notice after her primary creditor—a Vance-owned private equity fund—called in a $450,000 delinquent business loan.
They were living in a cramped, two-bedroom long-term rental apartment near the airport, funded by what little cash Frank had left in his personal savings.
Megan Peterson, however, refused to go down quietly.
Brought up on a steady diet of privilege and arrogance, Megan believed she was untouchable. She believed that if she played the victim in the court of public opinion, she could force me to back down.
On Tuesday afternoon, while I was picking Lily up from her private preschool in Lincoln Park, I noticed a camera lens flashing from a black SUV parked across the street.
An hour later, Marcus called my cell phone.
"Chloe," Marcus said, his voice flat. "Look at the local news blog Chicago Gossip Daily."
I pulled up the website on my phone.
The headline was written in bold, sensational red font: BILLIONAIRE HEIRESS CHLOE VANCE ABANDONS IN-LAWS AFTER THANKSGIVING DRAMA—LEAVES FRAIL MOTHER-IN-LAW HOMELESS!
Below the headline was a video.
Megan Peterson was standing in front of the locked gates of the Gold Coast brownstone, wearing an oversized winter coat, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.
"We just wanted a peaceful holiday," Megan cried into the camera, her voice dripping with calculated sorrow. "My brother's wife, Chloe, snapped over a minor parenting misunderstanding. She violently attacked me in front of her daughter, and then used her vast corporate wealth to kick my elderly parents out of their home in the freezing cold! She is using her billions to destroy a normal, hardworking Chicago family!"
The comment section was already exploding with outrage:
"Rich people think they can treat normal families like trash!"
"Boycott Vance International!"
"She attacked her sister-in-law and kicked out an old lady? What a monster!"
I sat in my office, watching the video play on a loop. I didn't feel panic. I felt a cold, sharp satisfaction.
"She wants to play media games, Marcus," I said softly.
"I can have our PR firm issue a press release denying the allegations," Marcus offered.
"No," I replied, a small, dangerous smile touching my lips. "Denials look like defense. Megan just gave us the exact rope we need to hang her in public."
I tapped my desk. "Do we have the high-definition audio and video recording from the brownstone dining room?"
Marcus paused. "You had a camera in the dining room?"
"I installed a hidden Nanny-Cam inside the oak clock on the mantlepiece six months ago," I revealed. "I put it there because I suspected the nanny was stealing silver. I forgot it was running on a continuous cloud loop."
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Marcus let out a low, slow chuckle. "Chloe... you hold a nuclear warhead."
"Contact Chicago News Channel 5," I ordered. "Tell them I am granting an exclusive, live, eight-minute interview tonight at 6:00 PM. And tell them to make sure Megan Peterson is watching."
