Chapter 7
“You told me it was clean!” she screamed at him, completely unconcerned now with who was watching. Travelers were stopping in their tracks, turning to gawk at the unfolding spectacle. “You said she was an idiot! You told me she never looked at the statements, that she didn't know anything about finance! You told me your brother was an incompetent hack who couldn't balance a ledger!”
“Shut up!” Brian roared, turning on her, his face contorted in vicious, cornered rage. “Shut your mouth, Vanessa! You were the one who pushed for the offshore setup! You were the one who wanted the house tied up so she couldn't hire a top-tier litigation firm!”
“Because you said she was soft!” Vanessa shrieked back, her manicured fingers trembling violently as she clutched her designer purse to her chest. “You said she would roll over and take a settlement! You dragging me into this! I have a career! I have clients!”
“Not anymore,” I said quietly, cutting through their screeching match like an axe through kindling.
They both stopped, turning their heads toward me.
“The Board of Directors at Vance Logistics received a full digital package thirty minutes ago,” I continued, checking my phone screen one more time. “Accompanied by an emergency petition for Brian’s immediate removal as CEO, signed by Arthur, myself, and the two minority angel investors whose equity Brian illegally diluted to fund Apex Horizon. By five o'clock today, Brian, your corporate security badge will be deactivated, your email accounts will be archived for federal discovery, and the building security team will have instructions to escort you off the premises if you even step into the lobby.”
Brian’s knees visibly buckled. He reached out to steady himself against a pillar—the very pillar I had stood behind minutes earlier.
“Elena... please,” he stammered, the rage evaporating into pathetic, desperate pleading. He looked smaller, withered, the expensive tailoring of his suit hanging off him like a borrowed costume. “Elena, baby, think about what you’re doing. We’ve been married for eight years. Eight years! We can fix this. I made mistakes—terrible, stupid, unforgivable mistakes. Vanessa manipulated me! She took advantage of my stress, she planted these ideas in my head! I love you. The house... I never would have actually taken the house from you. I was just trying to protect our assets from market volatility. You know how volatile the tech sector is right now!”