Chapter 2
The next morning, right at eight o'clock sharp, there was a loud banging on my bedroom door.
Impatient, for sure, since it was Andrew.
"Claire, open the door."
Andrew's voice came through the door, sounding so condescending, like he thought he was doing me a favor just by talking to me.
"Enough with the tantrum. I'm not gonna make a big deal about what happened yesterday. Freshen up. We're going out for some air."
No one answered from inside.
He knocked again, harder this time. "Did you hear me? You've got thirty minutes."
He was sure I was still inside. He figured I was pouting, just waiting for him to come sweet-talk me. After all, that was how it had always been for the past five years.
He'd mess up, I'd get mad, and then he'd toss me a bone, and I'd just go along with it.
But that was not gonna happen again. I was done with him.
There was a brief silence outside the door. Then came the sound of a key turning in the lock. He had a spare key.
The door swung open.
He probably expected to find me curled up in bed, crying my eyes out.
But all he saw was that no one was there.
The bed was made up. The walk-in closet was empty. The vanity was empty. Everything that belonged to me had vanished overnight.
Even the scent of my favorite perfume was gone. It was like I'd never even lived here.
Andrew stood frozen in the doorway.
I could picture the look on his face. From impatience, to shock, and finally, to panic.
Just then, his phone rang. The ringtone bounced off the empty walls, sharp and piercing in the silence.
He picked up the phone. "Mr. Warren?"
On the other end, Warren, the second-biggest shareholder, was roaring so loud that it felt like the whole room shook.
"What the hell did you do? The company's finished!" Warren shouted.
Andrew's face tightened. "Calm down. What the hell happened?"
"What happened? Seriously? Check the news!" Warren snapped. "Summit Equity Group, our biggest investor, just announced they're pulling out—unilaterally!"
Summit Equity Group was owned by my family.
Andrew's pupils contracted in shock.
"Pulling out? That's impossible! Our contract with Summit Equity Group is valid until the end of next year! If they pull out now, they'll have to pay an astronomical penalty!"
Warren let out a cold, bitter laugh, his voice thick with despair.
"Penalty? You really think that matters now?
"They pulled out every last dollar—principal and interest, 1.3 billion dollars! Do you even get what this means? Every single one of our projects was counting on that money! Now our cash flow is completely cut off!
"The bank's been blowing up my phone with collection calls! The stock price hit the daily limit down as soon as the market opened! It's over! We're finished!"
1.3 billion dollars. That number hit Andrew like a bullet to the chest. All the color drained from his face in an instant. His lips quivered, but not a single word came out.
He finally got it.
This wasn't just me throwing a tantrum. This was war.
He gripped his phone, his hand shaking so hard that it was almost out of control.
Suddenly, it hit him. He dashed out of the bedroom, heading straight for the study.
The safe in the study held all our most important documents.
He figured that as long as those papers were still there, he'd still have some leverage over me.
His hands trembled as he entered the code and pulled the safe open.
The safe was completely empty.
He dropped to the floor, utterly defeated.
*****
Meanwhile, in a coastal city, I was relaxing on the penthouse terrace, feeling totally at ease.
Sipping my morning coffee, I kicked back and enjoyed the view, without a care in the world. The sea breeze was so gentle that it felt like a soft caress against my skin.
My assistant, Jenny Chapman, slid a document over to me. "Summit Equity Group has officially pulled out. Shaw's company account? Totally wiped out."
I nodded and took a sip of my coffee.
My phone buzzed on the table. The caller ID showed "Andrew Shaw."
I stared at the name on the screen, and a slow, knowing smile spread across my face.
The real game was just getting started.
I hit the answer button. Then I set the phone aside, saying nothing.
I wanted him to listen to the sound of the waves outside my window, calm and steady, and to the sound of his own world crumbling to pieces.