Chapter 5 - THE LEGAL ARCHITECT
The following morning,
I met with my attorney,
Sarah Jenkins.
Sarah was known as the "Velvet Hammer" of divorce law.
She didn't raise her voice,
but she never lost a case.
We sat in her office overlooking Wall Street.
"This is an impressive file,
Claire,"
Sarah said,
flipping through the evidence.
"The photos are good,
but the financial link to her promotion is the real weapon."
"It proves he was using company funds for personal gain."
"That invalidates several clauses in your prenuptial agreement."
I nodded,
having suspected as much.
"I want the townhouse,"
I said.
"I want the Hampton's property."
"And I want fifty percent of his shares in Carter Global."
Sarah smiled,
a sharp,
predatory look.
"Given the circumstances,
we can probably get more."
"The board wants him gone."
"They’ll settle quickly to avoid a public trial."
"Michael is already trying to claim that I hacked his phone,"
I informed her.
"It won't matter,"
Sarah dismissed.
"The photos were sent to you from Brittany’s number."
"She provided the evidence herself."
"It’s a gift-wrapped case of infidelity and corporate misconduct."
As we spoke,
my phone buzzed with an alert.
Michael Carter Resigns as CEO of Carter Global.
It was official.
He was out.
The news was already trending on Twitter.
The stock had dipped slightly,
but analysts were already calling it a "necessary cleansing."
"He’s finished,"
Sarah noted,
looking at the screen.
"Now we just have to finalize the burial."
We spent the next four hours going over the asset list.
Michael had always thought he was the one in control of the finances.
He didn't realize that I had been tracking our investments for years.
I knew about the secret account in the Caymans.
I knew about the shell company he used to buy his mistress’s gifts.
I handed Sarah a USB drive.
"Everything is on here,"
I said.
"The bank statements,
the wire transfers,
the flight records."
Sarah looked at me with newfound respect.
"You've been planning this for a while,
haven't you?"
"I’ve been prepared,"
I corrected.
"Since the first time I smelled a perfume that wasn't mine on his collar."
"I didn't want to believe it then."
"But I’m an analyst,
Sarah."
"I don't ignore data."
I left the office feeling lighter than I had in years.
The weight of the marriage was gone.
The weight of the secrets was gone.
I was no longer Claire Carter,
the CEO's wife.
I was Claire,
the woman who owned her own destiny.
I walked down to the waterfront,
watching the ferries move across the harbor.
The air was crisp and smelled of salt.
It felt like a new beginning.
But I knew the most difficult part was yet to come.
Michael was down,
but he wasn't out.
And a man like Michael wouldn't accept defeat easily.
May you like
He would look for a way to strike back.
And I had to be ready for whatever he tried.
