Chapter 3: The Audit of Lies
"You wanted an annulment?" Clara asked, stepping forward, her wet dress forgotten, her posture now that of a CEO. "Fine. But let’s discuss the terms."
Elias handed the file to Julian. It wasn't just a list of assets; it was an audit. "My legal team spent the last three months tracking every dollar you’ve siphoned out of the Sterling accounts, Julian. You haven’t just been unfaithful; you’ve been embezzling. That’s a felony in the state of New York, and it carries a mandatory prison sentence."
Eleanor gripped the banister, her knuckles white. "This is preposterous! We are the Sterling family! We have status!"
"Status?" Clara laughed. "Eleanor, you’ve been using the company credit cards to fund your gambling debts in Vegas and your 'charity' galas that were just front operations for money laundering. We have it all. The receipts, the offshore wires, the emails."
May you like
Clara looked at her husband, who was shaking now, his eyes darting to the exits. "You were going to throw me out, penniless and pregnant, to save your own reputation? Well, here is how this is going to go. You will sign the documents Elias has provided. You will vacate this property by sunrise. And you will never, ever mention my name or my child’s name in public again."
Julian looked at his mother, begging for an intervention, but Eleanor was staring at the floor, realizing that the life of luxury she had built was built on a foundation of sand—and that sand had just been washed away.
