Chapter 9 - The Fall of Vance & Sterling
By late afternoon, the sleek, glass-fronted skyscraper housing Vance & Sterling in downtown Manhattan was surrounded by federal black-and-whites and unmarked Homeland Security vehicles.
I stood across the street on the sidewalk, wrapped in my trench coat, watching federal agents carrying boxes of paper files and seized computer towers out through the revolving glass doors.
A black luxury sedan pulled up beside the curb, and Adrian stepped out, looking frantic and exhausted. He pushed through the media barrier, his eyes locking onto me instantly.
"Nora!" Adrian called out, rushing across the pavement. "I heard what happened. The federal prosecutor's office just reversed the asset freeze. They're raiding Vance's offices right now... they said you handed them the evidence."
I didn't turn around until he was standing right beside me. The cold wind whipped my hair across my face, but I didn't flinch.
"I didn't do it to save you, Adrian," I said quietly, my voice devoid of any warmth or affection. "I did it to protect the two thousand employees who depend on this company, and to make sure nobody ever mistakes my loyalty for weakness again."
Adrian stopped, his dark eyes searching my face, looking for some trace of the wife who had loved him through every corporate war and family crisis. But there was nothing left for him there.
"Nora... we can fix this," he said, his voice cracking with a rare, raw desperation. "We can rebuild. I'll step down as CEO. I'll sign over my shares. Just... don't walk away from our marriage."
"Our marriage ended the moment you let Sloane into our bed and used my signature as a shield against federal prison," I said, stepping back as a sleek town car pulled up to the curb for me.
Margaret Shaw stepped out of the back seat, holding the door open for me.
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I turned my back on Adrian, sliding into the warm leather interior of the car without a backward glance. As the vehicle pulled away from the curb, I looked out the tinted window for the final time.
Adrian was standing alone on the sidewalk, watching me disappear into the Manhattan traffic, finally realizing that the foundation holding his entire empire together was gone.
