Chapter 4 - The Outcast BillionaireBy evening, the news had already sent shockwaves through the elite social circles of the city. Vance Global CEO Ousted by Wife in Shocking Boardroom Coup was flashing across financial news tickers. Julian had tried to stage a comeback by calling emergency press conferences, but every media outlet was met with an iron wall: my legal team had already slapped him with a freezing injunction on all personal accounts tied to corporate funds.
I sat in the master study of our sprawling mansion—now legally my mansion—sipping a glass of vintage Pinot Noir when the heavy oak front door banged open.
Heavy, frantic footsteps echoed down the hall, and a second later, Julian burst into the room. He looked completely unraveled. His designer suit was wrinkled, his tie was loosened, and his eyes were bloodshot and wild.
"What kind of sick game are you playing?!" Julian screamed, slamming his hands onto the mahogany desk. "You ruined my life! Do you know what the board is saying? Do you know what my associates think of me? I built this company!"
I didn't flinch. I slowly set my wine glass down, looking up at him with a look of profound pity that stung him worse than any insult. "You inherited the seed, Julian. Your father built it. You just spent four years nearly running it into the ground while funding Chloe’s luxury apartments in downtown Manhattan."
Julian flinched, his pupils dilating. "How... how do you know about Chloe?"
I pressed a button on my desk console. The massive smart-screen on the wall flickered to life, instantly playing high-definition security footage of Julian and Chloe walking hand-in-hand out of an exclusive jewelry boutique, buying a diamond necklace with corporate wire transfers clearly labeled as 'logistics optimization.'
"I've known for eight months, Julian," I said softly. "Every dinner you missed, every anniversary you spent 'trapped in meetings,' every cent you stole from our joint accounts to fund your mistress—I cataloged every single bit of it. I gave you enough rope to hang yourself, and you tied the knot with a double-windsor."
Julian stumbled backward, grabbing the edge of a bookshelf to steady himself. The arrogance was completely gone, replaced by a desperate, pathetic panic. "Elena... please. We’ve been married for seven years. I made a mistake. Chloe meant nothing to me, I swear! We can fix this. We can go back to how things were—"
"How things were?" I stood up, walking slowly around the desk until I stood inches away from him. "You looked down on me every single day. You treated me like a ghost in my own home. Well, ghosts are terrifying when they come back to haunt you."
"I'll fight you!" he suddenly snarled, his mask of desperation slipping back into venomous threat. "I’ll contest the trust in court! I’ll strip you of every penny!"
May you like
I smiled, pulling a folded legal notice from my pocket and tapping it against his chest. "You can try. But tomorrow morning, Chloe is also being terminated from Vance Global for corporate fraud, embezzlement, and misuse of company funds. And since all her luxury assets were purchased using corporate wire fraud... well, let's just say federal prosecutors are already reviewing the case file I sent them this afternoon."
Julian’s face went corpse-white. "You... you didn't."
