Chapter 3 - The Confrontation at the OfficeAt 11:30 AM, the glass doors of Katherine’s department swung open with enough force to rattle the blinds. Reginald strode in, his tailored charcoal suit slightly disheveled, his face flushed with a mixture of panic and fury.
He didn't bother greeting anyone. He marched straight to Katherine’s desk, slamming both palms onto the partition.
"What the hell did you do?" Reginald hissed, his voice trembling with suppressed rage.
Katherine remained seated, slowly turning off her monitor and looking up at him with unblinking composure. "Good morning to you too, Reginald. You look stressed. Did something happen at the site?"
"Don't play games with me!" he snapped, leaning down so his face was inches from hers. "First Meridian just slapped a total freeze on Whitfield Development’s primary operating accounts. My contractors can't draw payroll. My suppliers are threatening walkouts. And the bank compliance officer signing off on the freeze order is... you."
Heads turned across the floor. Marcus Bell stepped out from his cubicle, arms crossed, watching quietly from ten feet away.
"I’m just doing my job," Katherine said, her voice carrying clearly across the quiet office. "When an audit reveals multi-million-dollar discrepancies routed through fraudulent shell companies, compliance policy dictates an immediate asset freeze."
"Those aren't fraudulent accounts, they’re restructuring vehicles!" Reginald snarled, lowering his voice into a vicious whisper. "You absolute fool. You’ve ruined us. Fix this right now, or I swear to God, when we get home—"
"We aren't going home together, Reginald," Katherine interrupted, standing up slowly. She was several inches shorter than him, but her presence filled the space entirely. She reached into her blazer pocket, pulled out the printed photograph from the wine bar, and laid it face-up on her keyboard.
Reginald’s eyes dropped to the image. All the blood drained instantly from his face.
May you like
"Where... where did you get this?" he stammered, the bravado evaporating in a second.
"Table two," Katherine said softly. "Two blocks from our anniversary restaurant. While you were supposedly 'stuck at work,' ensuring our marriage stayed conveniently out of your way."
