Chapter 2 - The Dissolution of Sterling Global
Ryan’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.
The name Sinclair was not just a name in the financial world; it was a myth. The Sinclair Sovereign Group owned forty percent of the shipping lanes Ryan’s logistics company relied on. They owned the ports, the fuel depots, and the very ground beneath his corporate headquarters in Manhattan.
"A-Arthur Sinclair?" Ryan stammered, his face turning an ash-gray color. "You... Emily is your...?"
"You never asked about her family, Ryan," I said, my voice growing stronger as Gabriel’s medic administered a fast-acting painkiller through a patch on my neck. "You wanted everyone to believe you rescued a girl from a modest background because it fed your pathetic, fragile ego. You never wondered why the bank approved your forty-million-dollar expansion loan the week after our wedding."
"I... I authorized that loan personally," Arthur Sinclair said, his cane tapping once against the marble. "I wanted to make sure my daughter lived in comfort, even if she chose to live with a pig. But tonight, that loan has been recalled. Under the material adverse change clause of the covenant, your entire company’s accounts have been frozen as of three minutes ago."
"You can't do that!" Madison screamed from behind the chaise, her voice high-pitched and hysterical. "We’re pregnant! Ryan is a brilliant businessman! You can't just take his company!"
Arthur didn't even look at her. "Gabriel, who is this woman?"
"Madison Reeves, sir," Gabriel answered. "Her father is a minor real estate developer in Queens. Her family currently owes twelve million dollars to Sinclair Trust Bank. We have already initiated foreclosure proceedings on their entire portfolio. They will be homeless by Tuesday."
Madison let out a sharp, choked gasp, her knees giving out as she slid onto the floor, her expensive champagne silk dress looking like a crumpled rag against the leather.
"Ryan," I said, stepping forward with the thermal blanket wrapped around me, my eyes locked on my husband. "You said you were tired of carrying dead weight. You said I was invisible. Well, let's see how visible you are when you have nothing left."
"Emily, please!" Ryan fell to his knees, his hands reaching out toward me, his face wet with tears of pure, unadulterated terror. "I was stressed! The board was putting pressure on me! Madison... she seduced me, she lied to me! She told me you were trying to ruin my reputation! I love you, Emily! I’ve always loved you!"
"Do not speak her name," Arthur Sinclair said, his silver cane striking the marble with a sound like a gunshot.
The tactical operators stepped forward, grabbing Ryan by his arms and dragging him backward, away from me. He kicked and screamed, his expensive suit tearing against the shattered glass on the floor.
"We are leaving," Arthur said, turning to me. "Your bags have already been packed by my staff. The divorce papers have been drafted by our legal team in New York. By the time the sun rises, Ryan Sterling will be nothing but a footnote in the history of bankrupt men."
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As Gabriel lifted me gently into his arms to carry me to the helicopter, I looked back one last time at the grand foyer of our Connecticut estate.
The crystal chandelier we had chosen together was dark. The marble floor was stained with my blood. And Ryan Sterling was on his knees, weeping into the shards of his broken glass empire.
