Chapter 6
That afternoon, I was in my hotel room, going over the divorce agreement, when the doorbell rang.
I opened the door to see an elegant middle-aged woman standing there.
It was Julia's mother, Mary Summers.
She was dressed head-to-toe in Chanel, a luxury shopping bag in hand, her lips curved in a carefully practiced smile.
"Luke, I came to check on you," she said, her voice warm and gentle.
I stepped aside to let her in.
She sat down on the couch and looked around the room.
"Staying in a hotel can't be comfortable. Why don't we talk things out at home? Julia cried all night. Her eyes are so swollen," she said, her voice full of concern.
I sat across from her, saying nothing.
She pulled a box of homemade chicken soup out of her bag.
"I made you some homemade chicken soup. Go on, try some..." she said, her voice warm and gentle.
"Mary," I said, cutting her off. "Julia sent you here, didn't she?"
Mary paused, her smile faltering.
"Oh, Luke, don't be like that. I just worry about you two. It's just a little spat between husband and wife..." she said, trying to smooth things over.
"It's not just an argument," I said, my voice cold and firm.
I looked at her.
"Julia and I are getting a divorce," I said, my voice quiet, absolute.
Mary's face fell.
"Luke, don't be so hasty. Julia told me it was just a misunderstanding. Surely it's not that serious," she said, her voice trembling.
"Mary, I respect you, so I won't say anything too harsh in front of you," I said, my voice even, controlled.
"But there's no room for negotiation on this," I added, my tone firm, unshakable.
Mary set the box down, her smile vanishing completely.
"Luke, aren't you overreacting over this? Julia's a big shot. She's always out there, socializing, making deals. You should understand it's just part of her job. You're a grown man. Why are you being so petty?" she said, her voice sharp and reproachful.
I looked at her, and honestly, I found it almost laughable.
"Just part of the job? So having another man's hand on her waist is considered business now?" I shot back, sarcasm dripping from my words.
"What's this talk of a hand on my waist? You must have misread the scene. Even if he was just helping her up, so what? Do you even realize how crucial Michael is to the company?
"If you offend him, who's going to help Julia keep Sunrise afloat? You? Besides writing checks, what else can you do?" she snapped, her voice sharp as a whip.
I stood up.
"Mary, you're right. All I ever did was bankroll the whole thing. So now I'm pulling my money out. Let's see who can actually stand on their own," I said, my voice cold and final.
Mary's face flushed red.
"You..." she started, but couldn't finish.
"I'll pass on the soup. You should head out," I said.
I walked to the door and opened it.
Mary sat on the couch, her face shifting between pale and flushed. Finally, she picked up the box and walked to the door.
As she passed by me, she stopped.
"Luke, you'll regret this. Without Julia, you're nothing," she said.
"Thanks for the reminder," I said.
The door closed.
I returned to the table and continued reading the agreement. My phone screen lit up with a message from Jim.
"Three firms have already picked up the second batch of 15% shares."
I replied with two words: "Keep going."