Chapter 11 - The Desperate Retaliation
The rain continued to hammer against the glass,
reflecting the dark,
turbulent storm brewing inside the remnants of Mercer Urban Group.
Grant sat in his empty,
dimly lit penthouse apartment,
staring at the divorce papers resting on his glass coffee table.
His phone rang relentlessly,
flashing messages from angry board members,
distraught investors,
and relentless news reporters.
Vanessa stood near the kitchen island,
her hands shaking as she poured a fresh glass of gin.
"We can still turn this around, Grant,"
Vanessa insisted,
her voice rising with edge and panic.
"We just need to change the narrative.
If the public finds out she hid her pregnancy to manipulate the board,
they will view her as a calculating liar."
Grant looked up slowly,
his eyes hollow and bloodshot.
"She didn't lie to the board, Vanessa,"
Grant muttered bitterly.
"She presented certified signatures,
bank records,
and structural blueprints.
She destroyed us with facts."
"Then we create our own facts!"
Vanessa snapped,
slamming her glass onto the marble counter.
"I still have contacts at the Boston Herald.
We can leak a story claiming she used stolen corporate funds for her fertility treatments.
We can make her look like a thief who betrayed her husband's trust!"
Grant stared at his mistress,
feeling a sudden,
sickening wave of disgust wash over him.
For four years,
he had believed Vanessa was a brilliant strategist,
a partner who shared his vision.
Now,
seeing her desperate,
clutching at malicious lies,
he realized she was nothing more than a parasite who had fed on his ego.
"If you launch a smear campaign against Ellie,"
Grant warned,
his voice cold and lifeless,
"Victoria Sterling will tear you apart in court.
You signed those fraudulent restructuring documents,
Vanessa.
Your name is on the offshore accounts."
Vanessa’s eyes flashed with venom.
"Don't act like you're innocent, Grant!
You wanted her gone just as much as I did!
You wanted to walk away with ten million dollars while keeping the entire empire!"
Before Grant could answer,
his phone chimed with an urgent news notification.
The headline appeared across the screen:
“Vance Architectural Design Awarded Full Development License for Harborview Tower.”
Grant closed his eyes as his phone slipped from his fingers,
hitting the floor with a dull thud.
He had lost his company.
He had lost his project.
He had lost his child.
And standing right in front of him was the woman he had sacrificed everything for,
May you like
showing her true,
ugly nature in the dark.
