Chapter 3: The King Without A Kingdom
The fallout was spectacular. Within forty-eight hours, Julian was stripped of his CEO title. The board of directors, terrified of the federal subpoenas, distanced themselves from him instantly. Beatrice, the woman who had orchestrated the social downfall of countless families, found her own social standing liquidated.
Julian finally tracked Elena down on the third day. He didn't come with flowers or an apology. He came with rage, his expensive suit disheveled, his eyes bloodshot. He found her in the hotel lobby, sitting by the window with a cup of tea.
"You ruined me," he spat, his voice trembling. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done? We were supposed to be a team! You were my wife!"
Elena didn't look up from her tea. "You were never my teammate, Julian. You were my captor. And a captive eventually finds the keys to the cell."
"I’ll take the baby," Julian threatened, his voice dropping to a low, jagged hiss. "I’ll hire the best lawyers in the country. You’ll be lucky to even get a visitation."
Elena finally looked at him. There was no fear in her eyes, only a profound, stinging pity.
"You don't understand, do you?" she said, her voice calm. "The lawyers you think you can afford? I’ve already paid their retainers. I have the documents that implicate them in your financial crimes. They aren't going to represent you, Julian. They’re going to be testifying against you."
Julian looked as if he’d been struck. "You... you planned this?"
"I planned for my survival," Elena corrected. "You made the mistake of thinking I was a burden. You treated me like a broken object, and you forgot that an object, once broken, becomes a weapon."
"I loved you," he shouted, the sound echoing in the lobby.
"You loved the way I made you feel," Elena replied. "You loved the prestige of a beautiful, submissive wife. But you never actually looked at me. If you had, you would have seen that I was the one holding your world together. And now, you’ll have to see what happens when the foundation is pulled out from under you."
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She stood up, her belly prominent beneath her coat. "Don't follow me again, Julian. The next time I call the authorities, it won't be to report financial fraud. It will be to report a stalker."
He stood frozen as she walked past him. He was a man who had everything, and in three days, he had been reduced to a man with nothing but a name that was now synonymous with disgrace.
