Chapter 5 - The Fallout
The news rippled through the local business community faster than wildfire through dry brush. By Tuesday afternoon, tech blogs and local business journals were already publishing articles about the sudden, dramatic shakeup at Collins Consulting.
I spent the morning in my new corner office—the large one with the panoramic view of the harbor that Nathan had always kept for himself. The movers had already cleared out his desk, packing up his framed degrees, his signed baseball memorabilia, and his pretentious desk toys into three cardboard boxes now sitting in the hallway.
My phone rang continuously—emails, text messages, voicemail notifications from mutual friends, distant relatives who had suddenly remembered how much they loved me, and panicking suppliers wanting to know if the company was still solvent.
I ignored them all, focusing instead on the company balance sheets. The audit was moving faster than anticipated. David Vance had called an hour ago to confirm that Vanguard Capital was keeping their five-million-dollar investment intact, provided I remained sole managing partner. In fact, they were increasing our backing by another million to capitalize on the stability of female-led tech branding firms in the region.
At noon, there was a soft knock on my open office door.
I looked up to see my mother standing there, wringing her hands nervously, holding a paper bag that smelled faintly of cinnamon rolls.
"May I come in?" she asked softly, looking around the expansive office with a mixture of awe and apprehension.
"Of course, Mom. Come on in," I said, offering a welcoming smile.
She walked over and placed the paper bag on the corner of my desk before sitting down in the leather guest chair opposite me. She looked tired, the events of the past forty-eight hours clearly weighing heavily on her shoulders.
"I talked to Nathan this morning," she said quietly, staring down at her lap.
I didn't react. I leaned back in my executive chair, keeping my expression neutral. "How is he?"
"A wreck," she sighed, looking up at me. "He’s staying at a cheap motel downtown. Brittany packed her bags and left him late last night after she found out her contract was canceled and the company accounts were frozen. Apparently, she wasn't quite as interested in being a 'Future Mrs. Collins' once there wasn't a multi-million-dollar fortune attached to the name."
I let out a short, dry laugh. "Karma has a remarkably efficient turnaround time these days."
"He told me he made a terrible mistake, Mara. He said he lost his mind, that he got caught up in a mid-life delusion and never thought you would actually fight back." She reached across the desk and touched my hand. "I know what he did was unforgivable. But twelve years... is there any part of you that feels sorry for him?"
"Mom," I said gently, turning my hand over to squeeze hers. "I don't hate Nathan anymore. Hatred takes energy, and right now, I need every ounce of my energy to run this company and rebuild my life. But forgiveness doesn't mean reconciliation. He made a calculated choice to destroy me. I simply allowed him to face the architectural integrity of his own design."
May you like
She nodded slowly, a faint, proud smile touching her lips. "You always were the strongest one in our family, Mara. I just wish we had seen through his lies sooner at the reunion."
"It doesn't matter when the truth comes to light, Mom," I said, looking out the giant glass window at the bright blue sky above the city. "What matters is who is left standing when the dust settles."
