Chapter 4 - The Corporate Ambush(Length: ~1800 words)
Three months passed.
Winter had settled over the city, covering the pine trees around my cottage in a blanket of crisp white snow.
Inside my home office, I sat at my desk reviewing statistical data for a major national healthcare group. Beside my chair sat a large playpen where Noah, Eli, and Grace were happily playing with soft alphabet blocks, crawling around on their hands and knees.
My laptop chimed with an incoming video call.
It was Ethan Vance.
I tapped the screen. "Hi, Ethan."
Ethan’s handsome face appeared on the monitor. He was sitting in his downtown office, holding a coffee mug, a subtle, triumphant smile on his lips.
"Good morning, Claire," Ethan said warmly. "I have two updates for you regarding Daniel’s legal team."
"Did they contest the restraining order?" I asked, leaning back in my chair.
"They tried," Ethan chuckled. "Daniel hired three top-tier family law attorneys to try and overturn the IVF relinquishment contract. They claimed he signed it under 'emotional duress' during the divorce."
"And?"
"And I presented the court with the original notary video recording from the clinic," Ethan revealed. "The footage clearly shows Daniel laughing, signing the papers without reading them, and stating on camera: 'I just want this over with so I can marry Madison.'"
I let out a soft sigh of relief. "The judge upheld the contract?"
"The judge threw his petition out of court with prejudice," Ethan confirmed. "The restraining order is permanent. Daniel has zero visitation rights, zero custody, and zero authority over Noah, Eli, and Grace."
"Thank God," I whispered, looking over at my triplets, who were busy stacking red blocks.
"However," Ethan continued, his tone turning serious, "there is a second matter. Daniel’s company, Whitmore Logistics, is currently falling apart."
I frowned. "Falling apart?"
"When Daniel fired his vice president, Marcus, Marcus retaliated by whistleblowing to the Securities and Exchange Commission," Ethan explained. "It turns out that for the past two years, while Daniel was distracted by his affair with Madison, Marcus was embezzling millions of dollars from the firm and doctoring the tax returns."
"Is Daniel facing charges?"
"Daniel wasn't involved in the embezzlement," Ethan said, "but because he was criminally negligent as CEO, the board of directors is stripping him of his equity. Whitmore Logistics is heading toward mandatory liquidation."
I sat in silence for a moment, processing the news.
Daniel had sacrificed his marriage, his morals, and his true family in pursuit of a fake fantasy with Madison. Now, every single pillar he had built his arrogance upon was crumbling to dust.
"Why are you telling me this, Ethan?" I asked.
Ethan smiled predatorily, pulling a blue folder into view.
"Because, Claire," Ethan said smoothly, "the court-appointed liquidator for Whitmore Logistics happens to be an old colleague of mine. They are auctioning off the company's primary commercial office building downtown at a fifty-percent discount to satisfy creditors."
"And?"
"And with the inheritance your late grandfather left you in trust three years ago—which you wisely kept completely separate from Daniel during your marriage—you have enough capital to purchase the building outright."
I stared at the screen, a slow, powerful realization dawning in my mind.
May you like
The very high-rise office where Daniel had conducted his affair, where he had signed my divorce papers, and where he had bragged about his success, was available for purchase.
"Do it, Ethan," I said, a confident smile spreading across my face. "Buy the building."
Related Stories
