Chapter 6 - The War RoomForty-eight hours later, the main conference room on the 40th floor of Whitmore Enterprises had been converted into a legal war room.
Laptops, files, and half-empty coffee cups covered the long glass table. Eleanor Whitmore sat at the head, surrounded by three senior partners from Manhattan’s top family law firm.
Nathan stood by the window, staring out at the hazy skyline, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. He hadn't slept more than two hours a night since returning from Vermont.
"The situation is complex, Nathan," stated Harold Vance (no relation to Julian Vance), the lead family attorney. "Because Emma filed in Vermont under her family’s established residence, the jurisdiction favors local privacy laws. Furthermore, she isn't requesting spousal support, which strips us of financial leverage."
"I don't want financial leverage!" Nathan snapped, turning around. "I want my wife back, and I want shared custody established before the child is born!"
"If we press for a hostile custody battle now," Harold warned, "Julian Vance will leak the surveillance footage from the Plaza Meridian ballroom, along with corporate credit card statements showing your private dinners with Olivia Grant. In the eyes of a Vermont family court judge, you will look like an unfaithful, neglectful husband trying to bully a pregnant woman."
Eleanor slammed her pen down. "We cannot afford a public scandal right now! The Grant family is threatening to pull out of the merger if Olivia’s name is dragged through the tabloids!"
Nathan turned a furious glare toward his mother. "I don't give a damn about the Grant family or their money, Mom! Do you realize what you did? You encouraged me to push Emma aside for years because you thought she wasn't 'high-society' enough for this family!"
"I did what was best for the firm!" Eleanor yelled back, her composure slipping. "You were the one who took Olivia to the gala, Nathan! Don't pin your infidelity on me!"
"I wasn't sleeping with Olivia!" Nathan roared, slamming his palm onto the glass table. "It was business! It was stupid, arrogant posturing! But I never touched her!"
"It doesn't matter if you slept with her or not, Mr. Whitmore," Harold said calmly, adjusting his glasses. "To your wife, the emotional abandonment was absolute. And in court, perception is reality."
The conference room door opened, and Mark walked in nervously.
"Sir... Olivia Grant is downstairs. She says she needs to speak with you regarding the press releases."
Nathan let out a bitter laugh. He looked at his mother, then at the team of high-priced lawyers who had spent years helping him optimize his life, only to leave him completely bankrupt where it mattered most.
"Tell Miss Grant to leave," Nathan said coldly. "And tell her father that the merger is off."
Eleanor gasped, standing up. "Nathan! Are you insane? That deal is worth two billion dollars!"
Nathan picked up his coat from the chair, looking at his mother with a cold, hollow pity.
May you like
"Keep the two billion, Mom," Nathan said quietly. "It’s all you have left anyway."
He walked out of the conference room, leaving the lawyers and his mother in stunned silence.
Related Stories
