Chapter 5
Early the next morning, my lawyer, Richard Young, called.
"Mr. Chandler, I drafted the divorce agreement overnight. Would you like to take a look?" he asked.
"Send it to my email," I replied.
"Got it. Also, there's something else you should know," Richard said, pausing for a moment.
"This morning, Julia's lawyer got in touch. They want to sit down and talk," he said.
"So soon?" I said, genuinely surprised.
I thought she'd drag her feet. Guess I was wrong.
"They're not here to talk about the divorce. They want to discuss the shares. They're hoping you'll hold off on selling, give the company a little breathing room," Richard explained.
I let out a cold laugh.
"Tell them to take it up with Jim. My terms are dead simple: buy every last share I've got at yesterday's closing price and wire the money to me within a week. If they can't pull it off, I'll just keep dumping my shares," I said.
"Got it," Richard replied.
After hanging up with Richard, I headed downstairs for breakfast.
Just as I sat down, my phone rang again.
It was Alex Foster.
He was my old college roommate, now the big boss at Pinnacle Capital, handling a portfolio worth billions of dollars.
"Luke, you're all over the internet right now, did you know that?"
Alex said, his voice practically dripping with amusement.
"What?" I asked.
"'Sunrise Realty's biggest shareholder suddenly dumps all his shares, rumors of infighting at the top.' It's trending third right now. Damn, you really stirred things up," Alex said, still laughing.
I took a sip of my coffee.
"This doesn't concern you. Stay out of this," I said, my voice cold and dismissive.
"Come on, man, don't treat me like a stranger," Alex said, his voice turning serious. "What happened? Did something go down with Julia?"
I didn't say anything for a few seconds.
"Yeah. Divorce," I said, my tone flat and hollow.
Alex went quiet for a moment.
"So, what are you gonna do now?" he finally asked.
"First, I'm going to offload every last share. After that I'll figure things out," I said, steady, matter-of-fact.
"If you need cash, a hand, or anything at all, just say the word. I'm here for you, man," Alex said, steady and supportive.
"Got it, thanks," I replied.
I hung up and went back to my breakfast.
At ten, just as I was about to head out, the hotel front desk called to say someone was looking for me.
I went down to the lobby and saw who it was.
Michael.
He was in a deep gray tailored suit, posture perfect. As I walked over, he offered me a polite smile.
"Mr. Chandler, sorry to bother you. Mind if we talk somewhere private?" he said.
I just stared at him, didn't budge.
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice icy.
"I figured I should clear up what happened yesterday, face to face," Michael said.
He motioned to the sofas in the corner of the lobby.
I still stayed put.
"Save it. I don't care," I said, not even bothering to hide my indifference.
Michael's smile stiffened for a moment.
"Mr. Chandler..." he started.
"Mr. Ford," I cut him off. "Whatever's between me and Julia is none of your business. If you're just here to be her mouthpiece, you can go now."
His jaw twitched, all composure slipping away at once.
"Mr. Chandler, I don't mean anything else by this. But what you're doing is seriously damaging the company," Michael said, his voice tight with concern.
"That's Julia's company now, not mine. As of yesterday, I'm out," I replied, my tone detached, final.
"But you're still the biggest shareholder..." Michael started.
"Not for long," I cut him off, ice in my voice.
I turned and headed for the elevator.
"Mr. Chandler!" Michael called out behind me.
I paused, refusing to look back.
"Do you realize if you keep going like this, Sunrise might not even make it through the month? Thousands of people depending on us..." Michael's voice was tight with desperation.
"That's Julia's headache now," I replied, my voice sharp, dismissive.
I walked into the elevator and hit the close button.
Michael stood there in the lobby, looking like he'd just been slapped.