Chapter 2 - The Aftermath of FireHook: “He thought he owned the empire, until he realized he was just living in a house built on her paper credit.”By 2:00 AM, the penthouse on Park Avenue was illuminated only by the faint blue glow of the city skyline and the harsh, flashing lights of Nathan’s continuous incoming calls.
Evelyn sat in her library, sipping chamomile tea in a silk robe. On the desk in front of her were three red folders—the culmination of eighteen months of quiet, methodical preparation.
The heavy front door slammed shut down the hall. Heavy, frantic footsteps echoed across the marble foyer.
Nathan burst into the library. His suit jacket was gone, his silk tie hung untied around his neck, and his hair was wildly disheveled. He looked twenty years older than he had four hours ago.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Nathan roared, slamming his palms down on the dark oak desk. "Do you have any idea what you did tonight?! Arthur Vance pulled the Vanguard deal off the table! The entire board is calling an emergency meeting for 6:00 AM! I had three major investors pull out before I even got to my car!"
Evelyn set her teacup down with a quiet clink.
"You look stressed, Nathan. Did the waiter forget to pour your wine?"
"Don't play games with me, Evelyn!" he shouted, his face turning dangerously red. "You embarrassed me! You humiliated Clara in front of the entire financial sector! She was in tears!"
"Oh, poor Clara," Evelyn said with dripping sarcasm. "She slaps your wife in public, and your primary concern is her emotional state? You really are a remarkably consistent man, Nathan."
"She was drunk! She was emotional! You pushed her with your arrogant, condescending attitude!" Nathan lunged around the desk, leaning down until his face was inches from hers. "You think you can ruin me? You think because your grandfather had money, you can just walk in and destroy ten years of my hard work?"
Evelyn didn't pull back. She leaned in closer, her dark eyes locking onto his with terrifying stillness.
"Your hard work?" she whispered. "Who secured the seed capital for Grant Dynamics, Nathan? Who signed the personal indemnity bond when your first prototype blew up three server farms? Who convinced Senator Hayes not to launch a federal inquiry into your supply chain in 2022?"
Nathan swallowed hard, his posture weakening slightly. "We... we were partners."
"We were never partners," Evelyn spat. "You were the mouth. I was the spine. You liked being the handsome CEO who got featured on magazine covers, while I stayed in the dark, fixing your illegal accounting tricks and paying off your mistakes."
She stood up, pulling a stack of legal documents from the top folder.
"This is a formal petition for divorce," she said, sliding the papers toward him. "Along with a freeze order on all joint assets, including this penthouse, the estate in the Hamptons, and your liquid shares in Grant Dynamics."
Nathan stared at the document, his breath catching in his throat. "You... you can't freeze my shares. That's eighty percent of my net worth!"
"Your shares were posted as collateral against the Hartwell Trust loan," Evelyn replied smoothly. "Since Grant Dynamics is currently in default of its financial covenants as of midnight, those shares now belong to my family's holding company."
Nathan collapsed into the leather armchair opposite her, staring at her as if she were a total stranger.
"Evelyn... please," he stammered, his arrogance suddenly dissolving into sheer terror. "We can fix this. We can talk to the board tomorrow. I’ll fire Clara! I’ll fire her right now! I’ll fire her on speakerphone in front of you!"
Evelyn looked at him with profound pity.
"It’s not about Clara, Nathan. Clara was just the stupid girl who was naive enough to believe your lies. This is about you forgetting who built you."
Her phone buzzed on the desk. She glanced down at the screen. It was a text from her lead investigator.
“We found the paper trail for the Zurich accounts. Clara’s name isn’t the only one on the off-book transfers. There’s a third party involved.”
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed slightly, but her face remained an unreadable mask.
"Get out of my house, Nathan," she said quietly.
May you like
"Evelyn, please—"
"Get out. Before I call security to have you removed from the building my grandfather bought."
