Chapter 3 I was kicked out of Whitman Corp. Standing beneath the building my father had fought his whole life to build , I felt like a complete joke . [ ] I needed a lawyer . ] But after three days of making hundreds of calls and hitting up every major law firm , nobody would take the case . Vincent was a Wall Street wolf with a fearsome reputation and vast resources , now controlling Whitman Corp. ] Even the best lawyers couldn't guarantee victory against such wealth . Moreover , Vincent had already bought off the media , spreading news that I'd gone mentally unstable from losing my father . ] ] ] Just because I wouldn't sign as he demanded , he was determined to make me fall into a miserable fate where everyone would despise me . But I would never give up . ] I called a cab on phone to the next law firm . [ ] The driver accepted then immediately canceled the ride . [ ] When I I was confused , my phone buzzed with a bank alert : [ WARNING : Your credit card has been suspended due to high - risk transactions . Please contact your card issuer for details . Every card under my name was tied to his accounts as supplementary cards . He - was cutting off all my lifelines . [ ] I was broke - couldn't even afford cab fare or legal consultation fees now . Phone buzzed agai An electronic invitation came from Vincent . [ ] [ New Life Celebration Dinner ] ] Celebrating Luna Hayes ' second pregnancy . Location : Skyline Villa # 1.J Skyline Villa . ! ] That was our old wedding house . I remembered when we were decorating . Vincent had said : "This is where our future begins . " ] Now it was the venue for his " new life " celebration . At the bottom of the invitation was a small line : [ ] This event sponsored by the Whitman Family Trust Fund . ] ] ] So he was using My family's money , in MY former home , to celebrate his second bastard with a side piece ! Just then , a delivery guy approached me . " Ms. Whitman ? Got a package for you . " [ ] I opened the box - it's the maternity dress Luna had worn to my father's funeral . ] With a check for a hundred thousand dollars . The card was in Luna's handwriting : " Jade , Vincent says you're pretty broke right now . Girls should always have some spending money. And this outfit got too small for me , so you can have it . Women need to tr themselves right . " [ ] I threw up bile and immediately tore the check to shreds . ] I couldn't wait to destroy those bitches anymore ! ] I went back to my father's study . [ ] I had to find some money , even if it meant selling my father's belongings . Just as I picked up an old fountain pen to add to my " items to sell box , I felt something loose inside the barrel . I unscrewed the pen . ] A tiny USB drive fell out ! ] With trembling hands , I plugged it into the computer . ] Password hint - my mother's birthday . The screen lit up , and my father's exhausted face appeared . [ ] " Jade , if you're seeing this , Daddy's probably gone . " ] " Daddy let the wolf into our house . Daddy was wrong . Vincent's ambition far exceeded my imagination . " [] " Conventional legal channels won't work on him . You need a more vicious wolf to take him down . " ] " Go to Wall Street . Find a man named Decker Ashford . " " He used to be my rival , and he's Vincent's mortal enemy . " ] " He's a Street vulture , notorious for his ruthless methods . But he owes me a favor . " Tell him Marcus Whitman sent you to collect his debt . " ] The video ended . [ ] Tears had long since streamed down my face without me realizing when they'd started . This wasn't just my fight anymore this was me and my father , fighting side by side . After carefully securing the USB drive , I dialed that phone number . " Mr. Ashford , I'm Marcus Whitman's daughter , Jade Whitman . My father told me to find you . It's about Vincent Sterling . " ] Silence for a few seconds , then a soft chuckle . " Vincent Sterling ? That sanctimonious social climber . " " Yes , he embezzled my father's billion dollar fortune through some complex offshore trust . " " Offshore trust ? Interesting . " " I need your help . But right now … I can't pay your fees … So … " " Money doesn't matter . " ] Decker cut me off . " Getting to destroy Vincent Sterling would be payment enough . " * Send me everything you've got . I love dismantling these elegant scams . " " Ms. Whitman , congratulations . You just found an ally willing to go to hell with you . " ]