Chapter 3 - The Fake Sonogram Scandal
By morning, the news of Everett Hale's downfall dominated every major tabloid in the country. Pictures of him being escorted out of the Plaza Hotel in shame were splashed across the front pages of the New York Post. But the nightmare for the Hale family was only just beginning.
I sat in the penthouse office on the 80th floor of the Vanguard Tower, looking down at the fog rolling over Central Park. Nathan walked in, placing a thick manila folder on my mahogany desk.
"The forensic audit of Everett’s accounts is complete, Chairwoman," Nathan said, opening the folder. "And as you suspected, the corruption runs far deeper than just simple corporate embezzlement."
"What about Vanessa’s pregnancy?" I asked, sipping my black coffee.
Nathan smiled dryly. "Our medical team bribed the private clinic where Vanessa obtained that ultrasound. The sonogram image she flaunted at the gala didn't belong to her. It was downloaded from a medical stock photography website three weeks ago."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "So my dear husband ruined his life, his marriage, and his career over a completely fabricated baby?"
"It gets worse," Nathan added. "Vanessa isn't even pregnant. Blood tests obtained by our legal team during her arrest confirm she was taking high-dose fertility suppressants. She orchestrated the entire affair with Everett to extort a twenty-million-dollar divorce settlement out of you, assuming you would yield quietly to protect your dignity."
"They truly underestimated who they were dealing with," I murmured, rising from my leather chair. "Where are they now?"
"Everett and his mother spent the night in a cheap motel near Queens," Nathan reported. "Everett’s personal bank accounts are frozen pending the IRS tax evasion investigation. His mother tried to use her personal jewelry to pay for a luxury hotel, but all her pieces were leased under company collateral. They were repossessed this morning."
Just then, my personal phone rang. The screen displayed an unlisted number. I clicked speakerphone.
"Claire! Claire, please answer me!" Everett’s hysterical voice burst through the speaker. He sounded like he hadn't slept in days, his tone manic and trembling. "Claire, I’m so sorry! I was tricked! Vanessa lied to me! She faked the whole pregnancy! She manipulated me into treating you like that!"
"Is that so, Everett?" I replied coolly. "Did she also manipulate you into calling me a 'barren leech' in front of three hundred executives? Did she force you to rip off your wedding ring and throw it at my feet?"
"I was stupid! I was arrogant!" he sobbed openly over the line. "I lost my head! Please, Claire, just unlock my personal account so I can buy food for my mother! She’s hyperventilating in this disgusting motel room! We have nothing!"
"You have exactly what you brought into this marriage, Everett," I said coldly. "Ten years ago, you were a mid-level analyst with mountain-high debt. I gave you my connections, my capital, and my father's empire, allowing you to pretend you were a self-made titan. You mistook my humility for weakness."
"Claire, I beg you! I’ll drop to my knees! I’ll crawl to your office and kiss your shoes!"
May you like
"Save your knees for court, Everett," I said. "Because at two o'clock today, the Board of Directors convenes for the final liquidation meeting. And you aren't invited."
I clicked the end button, leaving his desperate screams ringing into empty air.
