Gilded Desires

Chapter 18: Fortune Inn - Halos and Shackles

It was late into the night.

The full moon hung high in the sky, casting its silvery glow over the land. The stars were scattered like a river of light—so bright, it almost looked like daylight.

Elliot Vance sat alone in the dark, his room unlit. Unable to sleep, he slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the balcony. His eyes drifted instinctively toward the opposite wing—Clara Hayes’ room.

Just like his, Clara’s suite had its own balcony.

From his vantage point on the third floor, he could see her second-floor terrace clearly. The hanging swing, the cluster of succulents, and the oversized ceramic orange cat perched on the tea table—it looked so lifelike that anyone might mistake it for a real feline at first glance.

And every time Elliot looked at it, he felt it: beneath Clara Hayes’ bright, sunny smile, there was a heart that refused to go through another goodbye.

Shawn Rayne had confirmed that for him.

Unlike many boutique inns, the Fortune Inn didn’t keep any cats or dogs around. According to Shawn, Clara had once brought a ginger cat with her when she moved to Willowbrook. The cat had died after eating chocolate given by a guest—poisoned, unknowingly.

Shawn had told him that Clara hadn’t cried. She had just cradled the cat, smiling the whole time, murmuring softly, "In this broken world, we’re all just dust in the wind. You and I—we were always bound to leave this place someday, to be forgotten. But you were with me for nearly ten years. The world might forget you. I won’t."

That lifelike ceramic cat? A one-to-one replica, custom-made by a local artisan known for crafting high-end porcelain. Shawn had commissioned it as a gift for Clara—down to every whisker and stripe, perfectly mirroring the cat she lost.

Since then, Clara had never owned another cat. Never even touched one. The neighborhood cats that wandered over from time to time—she’d let Abu feed them. But she always kept her distance.

“She’s a woman of principle,” Shawn had said. “And Fortune Inn? It’s the highest-rated place in all of Willowbrook. Five stars. The most expensive in town. Even in off-season, the cheapest room starts at over a thousand.”

The people who stayed here weren’t your average tourists. They were wealthy. Elite. Not here for a weekend escape—but for a seasonal immersion. A month. Three months. Sometimes longer.

Clara Hayes wasn’t just beautiful—she had poise, intelligence, emotional finesse. No matter who the guest was—old or young, high-ranking or not—she could meet them eye to eye. Speak to them in a way that reached under their skin.

Over the years, countless men from affluent families had tried to pursue her. Even elderly guests had tried to set her up with their sons or grandsons. But Clara always kept her boundaries firm and clean. She never manipulated affections. Never used a man’s fondness for personal gain.

As for why she was so close to Shawn Rayne—it was a misunderstanding. Clara had assumed he was the true owner behind Fortune Inn.

After all, he was the one introducing guests, the one staying alert to every detail of the inn. The moment anything happened here, he’d be the first to know. If he wasn’t the boss—what else could he be?

She hadn’t gotten over her ex in five years. To forget, she’d chosen someone like Shawn to take his place.

Even if Elliot Vance didn’t mind playing the role of the stand-in—even if he could spend a few months with Clara here in Willowbrook, indulging in love, desire, mutual attraction—when the time came, he could return to Federal Cross without a second glance. No strings attached.

But could Clara do the same?

Especially now—Elliot had his own mess to untangle. That night in the car, when he pulled Clara into him, it hadn’t just been lust. It had been the pressure—the suffocating weight of everything building up.

He’d taken a call from his brother William Vance on the drive back to Willowbrook. The audit team had moved in. The Vance family was panicking. Their business partners were acting like he was contagious—avoiding him like the plague.

When he’d leaned back, eyes closed in the car, all he could see were their judgmental stares. The way they looked down on him. Half a year ago, when Vance Capital was suspected of money laundering, his father—still in uniform—had slammed his hand on the desk, roaring, “You’re not worthy of being a soldier’s son.”

Those words had haunted him. Stuck in his head like a curse. So when Clara had reached out that night, touched him—he lost control. Pulled her into his arms. Kissed her hard.

After the heat faded, Elliot sobered up.

He was a man of logic. Of restraint. And he knew—this was not the time to get distracted.

Especially not by Clara Hayes. She wasn’t built for casual affairs. Not the kind you walked away from without scars.

Shawn’s words lingered in his mind. That was why Elliot had decided to draw the line.

A woman like Clara—only by making her feel used could he extinguish the spark she had for him.

Because Elliot knew himself. Logic or not, even he couldn’t hold up against her teasing forever.

But if she stopped—if she stopped reaching for him, stopped tempting him—he could find his footing again. Get his head back in the game.

The next morning.

Shawn Rayne came knocking early.

“Something big just dropped.” He barged in with urgency. “You need to see this post.”

He shoved his phone at Elliot. “It’s blowing up. Viral. They didn’t mention your name, but anyone in the business world who sees ‘Internet mogul L from the Capital Circle’ will know it’s you.”

Elliot took the phone, skimming quickly. When his eyes caught the words “Red Circle background,” his brows knitted into a frown.

“You saw the third page, didn’t you?” Shawn said, catching his expression. “Whoever posted this knows things. This isn’t some nobody.”

“Someone’s clearly coming for the Vance family,” he warned. “Vance Capital’s situation is worse than we thought. Assets frozen. Investigations underway. If they actually pin bribery and laundering on you—forget bankruptcy. You’ll be lucky if it stops there. Jail time is the real risk now.”

“If this post was part of the setup, I’d bet good money the mystery funds in the company’s accounts over the last two years? All part of their plan.”

“There’s no way we can fight this alone. You need to go back to the Vance estate. Sit down with your father. With everyone.”

Elliot said nothing.

“Don’t be like this, man,” Shawn pressed. “This isn’t just about the company anymore. This is about your whole family.”

Elliot handed the phone back. “The post is gone.”

Shawn blinked. Refreshed the page. “No way… Damn, you’re fast.”

But then he paused. “Hold up. You didn’t make a single call. How’d it vanish?”

Elliot shoved his face away. “Brush your teeth before you come breathing on me.”

“You ungrateful bastard! I’m here worrying about you, and you’re offended by my breath?!”

Elliot ignored him and walked back into the bedroom.

With the door shut, the noise of Shawn's voice faded, and Elliot’s expression darkened.

He had always known exactly what his family had done for him behind the scenes.

He never used their influence. Not once. Even if he’d wanted to—his father never would’ve allowed it.

From an unknown name to a rising star of the Capital tech scene—people only knew him as Elliot Vance. A returning overseas entrepreneur, son of Chinese-American parents living abroad.

Only close relatives and a few inner-circle elites knew the truth.

No one had ever uncovered his identity. Because in families like his, the greatest fear wasn’t failure—it was scandal. Trouble. The kind that tarnished everything.

The day Elliot started to make a name for himself, someone from home had been assigned to monitor him. Discreetly. Every time his identity was on the verge of exposure, the family handled it quietly.

Because those vultures waiting for the Vance family to fall—they were eager for a crack. Just one slip, and they’d spin his mistakes into some cautionary tale of privilege and corruption.

That’s why Elliot had always hated what it meant to be born into the elite. Hated the invisible chains that came with the so-called “Red Circle” legacy.

The halo didn’t just come with power. It came with shackles.

For years, he’d tried to distance himself from it. Deny it.

But now, he realized—he was benefitting from it too.

Anyone else in his position—running a firm accused of laundering and bribery—would’ve been under lock and key by now. But he? He could come and go freely between Federal Cross and the quiet peace of Willowbrook.

All because he was the second son of General William Vance.

He could disappear, and nothing would happen. But his father was still in Federal Cross. And if the allegations proved true… it wouldn’t just be Vance Capital going down. The whole Vance family would burn with it.