Chapter 3
The sound of the phone hitting the floor seemed to break the spell of shock that had paralyzed Brendan.
He erupted from his chair,
knocking it backward so violently that it shattered against the wall behind him.
"You bitch!"
he roared,
his face contorted into a mask of pure,
unadulterated rage as he lunged toward me.
"You set us up!
You sat here for months,
letting us think you were nothing,
letting my family treat you like garbage,
just so you could pull off this sick,
twisted revenge play!"
But before he could even get within two feet of me,
the heavy oak front doors of the mansion burst open with a resounding boom.
Four men in tailored black suits,
carrying high-grade tactical security earpieces and official corporate enforcement badges,
strode into the dining room with absolute precision.
Leading them was Arthur,
my Executive Vice President of Legal Affairs,
looking immaculate in a charcoal three-piece suit,
holding a thick leather portfolio under his arm.
He didn't look at Brendan;
he didn't look at Diane or Jessica;
he walked straight to me and immediately stripped off his expensive wool overcoat.
"Cassidy,"
he said,
his voice filled with a mixture of deep respect and profound anger as he wrapped the dry,
warm coat around my shivering shoulders.
"I came as fast as the corporate transport could bring me,
are you hurt?
Did they touch you?"
"I am fine,
Arthur,"
I said,
drawing the warm fabric around my wet dress,
feeling the immediate comfort against my pregnant belly.
"The baby kicked a few minutes ago,
he is stronger than these people will ever be."
Arthur turned his gaze toward Brendan,
and the sheer coldness in his eyes made my ex-husband freeze in his tracks.
"Mr. Morrison,"
Arthur said,
his voice dropping to a dangerous,
measured tone that sounded like a judge delivering a death sentence.
"Step back from the Chairwoman immediately,
if you come within one meter of her person,
my security detail has full legal authorization to use non-lethal force to neutralize a corporate threat."
Brendan laughed hysterically,
though his eyes were darting toward the four large security guards who had positioned themselves around the room.
"Chairwoman?
You are calling her the Chairwoman?
She doesn't know anything about business!
She has a degree in early childhood education!"
"She has a master's degree from Oxford in international corporate law,
Mr. Morrison,"
Arthur replied calmly,
opening his portfolio and pulling out a document stamped with a raised gold seal.
"A degree she completed under her maiden name before she ever had the misfortune of meeting you."
"She intentionally kept her academic and financial profile hidden from the public eye to protect the integrity of the sovereign trust."
He turned the document around so Brendan could see the massive,
undeniable signature at the bottom of the master incorporation papers.
"Your grandfather did not build Morrison Global,
Mr. Morrison,"
Arthur continued,
each word hitting the room like a sledgehammer.
"Your grandfather was a minority partner who was permitted to manage the public-facing brand because our Chairwoman’s family preferred anonymity."
"When you signed your divorce papers,
you signed a standard waiver relinquishing all claims to any third-party corporate entities connected to your wife."
"You thought you were ensuring she wouldn't get your money,
but what you actually did was legally isolate your family from the very hand that feeds you."
Jessica stepped backward,
her high heels clicking frantically as she tried to distance herself from Brendan.
"Brendan,"
she whimpered,
her voice trembling as she looked at the security guards.
"You told me you were going to be promoted to Chief Executive Officer next month,
you told me we were going to move into the penthouse apartment downtown!"
"He is not moving into the penthouse,
Miss Vale,"
Arthur interjected,
not even bothering to look at her directly.
"As of 8:17 p.m.,
Mr. Morrison has been terminated from his position as Managing Director of Marketing for gross moral turpitude and conduct unbecoming of an executive officer."
"His termination is for cause,
meaning there is no severance package,
no stock option acceleration,
and no health insurance continuation."
Diane staggered backward,
clutching the edge of the sideboard to keep from collapsing onto her ruined rug.
"You can't do this,"
she breathed,
her voice reduced to a pathetic,
feeble gasp.
"My husband...
my husband’s name is on the building!"
"The name on the building can be changed by a simple majority vote of the board,
Mrs. Morrison,"
I said,
stepping forward from the protective circle of guards.
May you like
"And since I hold eighty-two percent of the voting stock,
I think tomorrow morning we will rename the global headquarters after someone who actually understands basic human decency."
