Chapter 10 - The Ultimate Victory
Six months after the wedding heard round the corporate world, I received a thick, formal envelope in the mail.
It wasn't from Nicholas. It was from a civil court in Vermont.
Nicholas and Chloe’s divorce had been finalized. The settlement was a disaster for my brother; between the legal fees, the failed business ventures, and the massive debts he had accumulated trying to maintain an illusion of grandeur, he had been forced to sell his luxury sports car, his designer wardrobe, and his upscale suburban condo. He had moved back into our parents' basement, working an entry-level desk job at a regional shipping firm—the exact kind of mundane, middle-management position he had spent his entire life looking down on.
The irony was thick enough to cut with a knife.
I was sitting in my brand-new executive corner office on the forty-fifth floor of the Stewart Technologies tower when the mail carrier dropped the letter on my desk. The room was expansive, bathed in natural sunlight, featuring minimalist modern art and a sprawling view of Central Park.
My phone buzzed on the mahogany desk. It was a text message from Emmett: “Conference room B in five minutes. Bring your sharpest pen and your favorite sarcasm.”
May you like
I smiled, slipping the court letter straight into the shredder without even opening it. Some chapters of your life aren't worth reading twice.
As I walked down the glass-paneled hallway toward the conference room, I caught my reflection in the polished chrome doors. I was wearing a tailored charcoal blazer, sharp heels that clicked with absolute confidence, and a look of quiet, unbreakable power.
