Chapter 2 - STRIPPED TO THE BONEThe walk from L’Étoile back to the apartment complex was six miles long.
When Jasper, Priscilla, and Gillian hurried out of the restaurant—after having to scrape together every last dollar in their wallets to cover the $1,200 steak bill that Jasper’s blocked corporate card couldn’t pay—they found the spot where the black SUV had been parked completely empty. In its place was a heavy-duty tow truck driving away, flanked by two black sedans with blacked-out windows.
By the time they reached the luxury high-rise in the financial district, Jasper’s designer shoes had given him excruciating blisters, his silk shirt was drenched in sweat, and his mind was spiraling out of control.
“Jasper, this has to be a mistake!” Priscilla wheezed, clutching her designer handbag like a shield as they stumbled into the apartment lobby. “Hailey can’t do this! She’s your wife! Legally, half of whatever her father has belongs to you!”
“Shut up, Mom! Just shut up!” Jasper screamed, his composure totally destroyed. He rushed toward the elevators, slamming his thumb onto the call button.
When they arrived at Floor 14, Unit 1402, Jasper shoved his hand into his pocket, pulled out his electronic keycard, and swiped it against the lock.
A sharp, red error light flashed twice. BEEP. BEEP.
“What?” Jasper panicked, frantically swiping the card over and over. “No, no, no! Open! Open!”
The door suddenly swung inward. But it wasn’t Hailey holding baby Toby.
Standing in the doorway was a tall, imposing woman in a sharp navy-blue business suit, carrying an iPad and flanked by two burly security officers wearing Robertson Global badges.
“Jasper Vance,” the woman said coldly. “I am Victoria Cross, senior legal counsel for the Robertson Family Office.”
“This is my apartment!” Jasper roared, trying to push his way past her. “Get out of my way! Hailey! Hailey, are you in there?!”
“This apartment is leased under the name of Robertson Estates LLC,” Victoria replied calmly, blocking the doorway without flinching. “The lease was terminated one hour ago due to gross violation of terms. All personal belongings belonging strictly to Hailey Robertson and Toby Vance have been removed.”
Jasper peered past her shoulder into the living room. The apartment was completely stripped. The high-end Italian leather furniture, the OLED televisions, the fine art on the walls—everything that Hailey’s father had secretly paid for under the guise of “wedding presents”—was gone. Only Jasper’s cheap, pre-marriage clothes lay stacked in sloppy cardboard boxes in the middle of the bare hardwood floor.
“My stuff...” Jasper stammered, his eyes widening in horror. “Where is my laptop? Where are my servers? All the code for Apex Dynamics is on those local drives!”
“Those drives were purchased using funds drawn from the Vanguard Horizon credit line,” Victoria stated smoothly, showing him a signed court order on her iPad. “They have been seized as physical assets pending the liquidation audit of your company. Furthermore, here is your formal copy of the emergency restraining order filed on behalf of Hailey Robertson and infant Toby Vance. You are strictly prohibited from coming within 1,000 feet of either of them, their residences, or any property owned by Robertson Global Corp.”
“You can’t do this!” Gillian shrieked from behind Jasper, shoving her way forward. “My brother is a tech prodigy! He built that company from scratch! Hailey was just a nobody who sat on her ass all day!”
Victoria turned a razor-sharp glare toward Gillian.
“Miss Vance,” Victoria said, her voice dripping with lethal professional precision, “if you check your phone, you will find that your employment at Horizon PR Firm—a firm that receives 80% of its contract revenue from Robertson Global—has just been terminated for gross professional misconduct. Effective immediately.”
Gillian’s jaw dropped. She frantically pulled out her iPhone. A notification was already flashing on her screen: NOTIFICATION: Your access to corporate Slack and email has been revoked. Please do not report to the office.
“My... my job?” Gillian gasped, her face draining of all color. “I... I just bought a Chanel bag on credit! How am I supposed to pay my rent?!”
“That is entirely your concern,” Victoria said. She motioned to the two security guards. “Gentlemen, please escort these individuals out of the building. If they resist, call the NYPD and have them booked for criminal trespassing.”
“Wait! Please!” Jasper begged, tears finally streaming down his face as the guards stepped forward, grabbing him firmly by the arms. “Tell Hailey I’m sorry! I’ll go to therapy! I’ll beg on my knees! Just let me talk to her!”
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“Hailey has a message for you, Mr. Vance,” Victoria said as the elevator doors began to close, locking Jasper, Priscilla, and Gillian out in the cold corridor.
“She said: 'Make sure you save your bus fare. You’re going to need it.'”
