Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Execution
By Friday morning, my fever was completely gone.
The physical weakness was replaced by a surging, iron-willed energy. I sat at the head of the dark mahogany conference table on the forty-fifth floor of the Vane Holdings Tower in downtown Minneapolis.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the city stretched out under a bright, crisp autumn sky.
Sitting around the table were eight senior partners from the city’s top corporate law firms, along with two forensic accountants and the Chief of Police.
Daniel stood at the head of the room near the digital presentation board.
“At 8:00 a.m. today,” Daniel announced, sliding a set of folders across the glass table, “we served formal foreclosure and liquidation notices on all commercial assets affiliated with Ward Consulting LLC. Simultaneously, we froze the secondary offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands held under the name of Carol Ward.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the mahogany surface. “What is Carol’s current status?”
“Mrs. Ward was released on fifty thousand dollars bail late yesterday afternoon,” Daniel replied. “She attempted to enter the Highland Crest estate at 10:00 p.m. last night using a spare key she had hidden in her purse. However, as per your instructions, the master security locks had already been re-keyed to biometric recognition, and four armed private security officers were posted at the gate.”
“Did she say anything?” I asked.
Daniel smiled slightly—a rare, razor-sharp expression. “She screamed at the security guards for forty minutes, claiming she was going to have them all fired by her son. When the guards informed her that Ryan Ward’s personal vehicle had been repossessed three hours earlier by Vane Logistics, she reportedly collapsed on the pavement.”
“And Chloe Bennett?”
“Miss Bennett received a formal eviction notice for the Malibu condominium at dawn this morning,” the forensic accountant added, opening a ledger. “When she realized that the lease was non-transferable and that Ryan Ward’s credit cards were completely cancelled, she immediately packed three suitcases, left the key with the concierge, and took an Uber to LAX. Our investigators report she has officially blocked Ryan’s phone number on all platforms.”
A quiet hum of satisfaction murmured through the room.
“However, Emma,” Daniel’s tone shifted back to serious legal caution, “Ryan Ward has hired Arthur Sterling—my former mentor and one of the most aggressive divorce attorneys in the state. Sterling is planning to file a petition claiming that Vane Holdings is a marital asset, arguing that because Ryan contributed 'sweat equity' to your lifestyle during the six years of your marriage, he is entitled to fifty percent of your liquid holdings.”
I stood up from my chair.
I was wearing a tailored navy silk suit, my dark hair pulled back into a sleek, flawless chignon. The pale, helpless woman who had been shivering under a blanket three days ago was completely gone.
“Sweat equity?” I asked, a bitter smile touching my lips. “Let’s show Mr. Sterling what Ryan’s 'sweat equity' actually consisted of.”
I looked at Daniel. “Call the press conference for two o'clock.”
“What are you going to release?” the Chief of Police asked, leaning forward.
May you like
“Every single wire transfer, every dinner receipt from the Ritz-Carlton, every text message between Carol Ward and Chloe Bennett, and the complete 4K security footage from my master bedroom on Tuesday night,” I declared smoothly.
“If Ryan Ward wants to turn our marriage into a public trial,” I added, looking out over the city skyline, “I will ensure that by tomorrow morning, his name is so toxic that not even a payday loan company will hire him as a janitor.”
