Chapter 7 - The Emergency SummonsThe sun was beginning to dip below the Pacific horizon, casting long, bruised shadows across the sprawling grounds of Carrington Studios.
Up in the executive suite, Lily stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the city lights flicker to life one by one. Her phone rested on the marble desk behind her, vibrating silently with updates from the legal team, the financial controllers, and the vault managers.
The door opened quietly, and Theodore stepped in, holding a fresh cup of coffee and a thick manila envelope.
“Vanguard’s stock has dropped twenty-three percent since the morning opening bell,” Theodore said, a thin smile touching his lips as he handed the envelope to Lily. “Arthur Vance has tried calling my private line four times in the last hour. He wants to negotiate an emergency merger.”
Lily didn't turn around immediately. She traced the reflection of her own face in the glass, noting the quiet strength in her eyes—the exact strength Grant had assumed was weakness.
“Negotiate?” Lily turned slowly, her ivory dress catching the fading evening light. “Tell Arthur Vance that negotiations closed when he agreed to help my former husband hide corporate assets.”
“That’s what I figured,” Theodore said approvingly, setting the envelope on the desk. “What’s inside there is the final forensic report on Vanguard’s commercial debt structure. If we file this with the SEC and call in their credit lines tomorrow morning, Arthur Vance won’t just lose his company—he’ll face federal indictment for securities fraud.”
Lily walked over to the desk, picked up the manila envelope, and slid it into her leather briefcase alongside the corporate seal of Carrington Global.
“Let him sweat until midnight,” Lily said softly. “Sometimes, a slow realization is much more painful than a sudden blow.”
At that moment, the private office intercom chimed.
“Mrs. Carrington?” security chief Marcus’s voice came through clearly. “You have an unexpected visitor in the ground-floor lobby. He refuses to leave, and he’s causing a scene with the front desk.”
Lily raised an eyebrow. “Who is it, Marcus?”
“It’s Grant, ma’am. And he brought a camera crew from TMZ with him.”
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Theodore’s expression darkened instantly. “That pathetic little rat. Shall I have security throw him out into the street?”
“No,” Lily said, a slow, brilliant smile spreading across her face. “Let him up. If he wants a public spectacle, I’ll give him an audience he’ll never forget.”
