Chapter 15 - The Desperate Pleads
I didn't stand up. I didn't offer him a seat. I simply sat behind my executive desk, folding my hands neatly over the polished mahogany surface, and watched him with the clinical detachment of a scientist observing a specimen under a microscope.
“You have three minutes, Daniel,” I said evenly, my voice devoid of warmth or emotion. “And then my security team will physically throw you out the front doors of this building.”
Daniel flinched at my tone, his shoulders slumping further. He took a hesitant step forward, clutching a worn leather portfolio against his chest like a shield. “Claire, please… you have to listen to me. I know I messed up. I know I listened to Victor and Mom when I should have stood by you. But living in that house with my mother… it’s a living hell.”
“That sounds like a personal problem, Daniel,” I replied, not breaking eye contact. “You made your bed with your mother and your uncle. Now you get to sleep in it. Literally.”
“You don't understand!” Daniel stammered, his voice cracking with rising panic. “Mom’s house is about to be foreclosed on! Victor’s shell companies are under federal SEC investigation, his bank accounts are frozen, and he can’t bail her out. She’s threatening to kick me out unless I pay her back for the last three months of living expenses. I have no money, Claire! I lost my car, my credit cards are maxed out, and nobody in pharmaceutical sales will hire me because of the federal investigation surrounding Meridian Capital!”
I let out a quiet, unimpressed sigh. “So you came here to beg? You thought that because I built a successful company, I owed you a lifetime pension for being a mediocre husband and a failed co-conspirator?”
“I’m your husband!” Daniel cried out, his voice echoing off the glass walls.
“My *ex*-husband,” I corrected sharply, standing up to my full height. “Let’s be entirely clear, Daniel. You tried to forge my signature. You conspired with your corrupt family to steal fifty percent of Harlow Property Group behind my back. You treated me like a cash cow, a maid, and a convenience. The only reason you aren't currently sharing a jail cell with Evan Hayes is because Naomi agreed to let you sign away your rights in exchange for avoiding federal prosecution.”
Daniel trembled, his hands shaking as he gripped his portfolio. “We can fix this, Claire. We can remarry. We can start fresh. Just give me a small stake in the company, or even a consulting fee. Just enough to get back on my feet—”
Before he could finish his pathetic sentence, the office door swung open behind him.
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Marcus Vance stepped into the room, flanked by two burly private security guards from our building management firm. Marcus took one look at Daniel, then looked at me, a cold, predatory grin spreading across his face.
“Looks like we have an uninvited pest in the kitchen, Claire,” Marcus said smoothly. “Shall I have security take the trash out, or do you want me to call Naomi to draft a formal restraining order for corporate harassment first?”
