Chapter 2 - The Boardroom Shadow
Marcus struggled to pull his composure back together, his eyes darting frantically between Julian and me like a trapped animal calculating escape routes.
"Julian, wait," Marcus stammered, his professional mask slipping entirely. "We’re in the middle of final term-sheet negotiations for Mercer Tech. If there’s some kind of... personal misunderstanding here, we can clear it up in the office on Monday—"
"There is no misunderstanding," Julian cut him off, his tone flat, cold, and final. "Rhodes Capital doesn't mix personal ethics with business, Marcus. We audit both. And as of forty-eight minutes ago, my compliance team finished reviewing your corporate asset allocation."
Marcus’s breath hitched. "Our financials are completely clean. The board signed off on every—"
"Your board signed off because you forged quarterly compliance statements," I said softly, adjusting Emma’s weight on my hip.
Marcus whipped his head around to stare at me, his eyes wide with sudden, unadulterated horror. "You..."
"Compliance attorney, remember?" I offered a faint, polite smile. "You always told me I was too meticulous for my own good, Marcus. Turns out, reading the fine print is a very useful habit when your ex-husband runs a company fueled by smoke and mirrors."
Chloe let go of Marcus’s arm as if he had suddenly caught fire. She took a panicked step backward, her glittering gown whispering against the marble floor. "Marcus, what is she talking about? What did you do?"
"Shut up, Chloe," Marcus hissed, his face flushing a mottled, furious crimson. He turned back to Julian, his voice dropping into a desperate plea. "Julian, you can't pull funding now. The press release is scheduled for Tuesday. If Rhodes Capital walks, the entire company collapses."
Julian didn't blink. He reached down, gently taking Emma’s silver shoes from his other hand and sliding them onto her dangling feet before looking back up at Marcus.
"Then I suggest you call your liquidation lawyers, Marcus," Julian said evenly. "Because by Monday morning, the Securities and Exchange Commission is going to receive a very interesting compliance package compiled by my wife."
May you like
Marcus staggered backward half a step, colliding with a passing waiter and nearly sending a tray of champagne flutes crashing to the floor. The glittering world he had built over the last five years—the house in Weston, the expansion, the social standing—was evaporating before his eyes, reduced to ash by the very woman he thought he had destroyed.
---
