Chapter 1
"Mr. Chandler, are you sure you want to sell all your Sunrise shares right now? That's a huge amount," my personal financial advisor, Jim Grant, said, his voice tight with anxiety.
I stood on the street corner, staring at the entrance of the five-star hotel across the street, lighting a cigarette.
"I'm sure, Jim. Right now. No matter the cost, just dump everything," I said.
My voice was flat, so flat I barely recognized it as my own.
Three minutes earlier, I'd watched my wife Julia Summers—CEO of Sunrise Realty—walk into that hotel alongside another man.
I recognized him instantly.
His name was Michael Ford, the firm's EVP—the man Julia swore was her most trusted business partner.
They were walking so close, Michael's hand on Julia's lower back, both of them laughing and chatting, looking every bit like a couple madly in love.
Julia was wearing a smile I hadn't seen on her face in what felt like forever.
It was so bright, stunning, with a soft, girlish warmth I'd forgotten she was capable of.
She hadn't smiled at me like that in years.
Today was our fifth wedding anniversary.
I'd bailed on a Bayview project roadshow and ridden a four-hour express train home, still clutching the Tiffany necklace she'd lingered over three separate times.
I wanted to give her a surprise.
It turns out life had an even bigger surprise in store for me.
*****
"Mr. Chandler, this is just too sudden. Sunrise's stock has been really stable, and the Riverfront One project is about to launch. If you pull out now, the losses will be huge," Mr. Grant pleaded, his voice still full of concern.
He just wouldn't give up.
"Do it," I said flatly.
I put out my cigarette and hung up.
Then I tossed the Tiffany & Co. box into a nearby trash can and walked away, not looking back.
Sunrise Realty started out as nothing but an empty shell, and became an industry giant worth nearly three billion dollars. No one but me knew just how much cash I'd thrown into it.
Back then, to fuel Julia's ambition, I sold the tech company I'd built from the ground up, dumped all 100 million dollars into Sunrise, and became that invisible guy in the background, the one who never showed his face, just kept footing the bill.
I was the biggest individual shareholder, but everything official, including the company's name and the CEO title, was all Julia's.
I thought this was something we were building together.
But it turns out, it was just me living in my own fantasy.
My phone buzzed.
I got a text from Jim: First 10% batch is up for sale.
I flagged down a cab and gave the driver my home address.
As the car pulled away, the city lights streaked past the window.
I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes.