Chapter 2 - The Aftermath of the Splash
The silence that followed my quiet declaration was deafening. The ambient music from the string quartet stopped abruptly, and the two hundred socialites, tech executives, and hangers-on suddenly found the marble floor or the bottom of their champagne flutes exceptionally fascinating. Tiffany lowered her phone slightly, the triumphant smirk wavering on her face as she looked between me and Jason, sensing a shift in the atmospheric pressure of the room.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jason snapped, his facial muscles twitching as insecurity pierced his fragile ego. He took a step forward, towering over me while I stood dripping on the terrace. "You’re pathetic, Eleanor. You always have been. You think a little drama changes the fact that Carter Dynamics is a community property asset? The papers are gone. The witnesses saw it."
"Witnesses make wonderful depositions, Jason," I replied smoothly, ignoring the freezing water pooling at my feet. I unclasped my diamond earrings—the ones he had bought me with my own company dividends—and dropped them into my palm with a sharp clink. "Especially when they're recording their own accessory to corporate fraud."
Before Jason could lunge forward or bark another insult, the heavy wrought-iron gates of the Bel-Air estate groaned open. Headlights cut through the Los Angeles smog as three unmarked black SUVs rolled up the circular driveway, bypassing the valet stand entirely. Uniformed officers and two federal marshals stepped out, followed closely by Marcus Vance, who carried a sleek leather briefcase like a judge marching toward a gallows.
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The guests began to murmur, panic rippling through the designer gowns and expensive suits. Jason’s face drained of color, his predatory confidence evaporating into thin air as Marcus walked past the terrified crowd and stopped directly in front of me, offering a clean, dry silk handkerchief.
"Good evening, Mrs. Carter," Marcus said formally, his voice carrying clearly across the terrace. "The Federal District Court has just issued the injunction. And the asset freeze on Mr. Carter’s personal accounts is now active."
