Chapter 9 - THE DIVORCE DECREE
SIGNATURE: Richard Cole.
SIGNATURE: Adrian Cole.
The ink dried quickly on the heavy paper.
Luca took the document, inspected both signatures with a satisfied nod, and passed it to Gabriel, who immediately scanned it into a secure tablet.
"Congratulations, Richard," Luca said, standing up and buttoning his suit jacket. "You are officially penniless. You have two hours to clear your personal items from your executive office before the locks are changed."
Richard didn't say another word. He stood up slowly, looking like a hollow shell of a man, and walked toward the private elevator without looking back at his son.
The elevator doors closed behind Richard, leaving Adrian standing alone in the massive conference room facing the three of us.
"Elena..." Adrian whispered, stepping toward the table, his hands clasped together in a desperate prayer. "Elena, please... I know I hurt you. I know I was cruel. But we were married for four years! Doesn't that mean anything to you? Can't we start over? I'll do whatever you want! I'll go to therapy! I'll publicly apologize to your family!"
I stood up slowly from my chair.
The pain in my back gave a sharp, cold throb, reminding me of the thirty hot leather lashes that had burned into my skin sixteen hours ago.
I walked around the marble table until I stood three feet in front of my husband.
"Do you remember what you said to me last night, Adrian?" I asked softly.
Adrian swallowed hard, tears welling in his eyes. "Elena... please..."
"You said, 'Do you still delude yourself into thinking you're someone important?'" I quoted, my voice dropping an octave. "You called me a charity case. A nobody from the south side."
I pulled a single sheet of blue paper from my folder and held it out toward him.
"This is our divorce decree," I said. "Signed by a state judge an hour ago. You no longer have a wife, Adrian. You no longer have a home. You no longer have a name."
Adrian looked at the paper, his hands trembling as he took it from my fingers.
"Where... where am I supposed to go?" he whimpered, looking like a frightened child lost in the dark.
"I don't care," I said flatly. "Just make sure you're out of this city before my brothers decide that thirty billion dollars wasn't enough."
May you like
I turned my back on him and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling glass window, looking out over the wide, open expanse of the harbor.
Behind me, I heard Adrian’s heavy, frantic footsteps as he ran toward the elevator, fleeing the room like a hunted animal.
