Chapter 4
The door slammed shut.
At last, the world was quiet.
I leaned against the door.
My legs felt weak.
The strength that had kept me standing just drained away.
I slid down to the floor.
I buried my face in my knees.
I didn't cry.
I just felt completely drained.
It was a bone-deep tiredness, the kind that made me feel hollow inside.
The last three years were just one long nightmare.
Now, the nightmare was finally over.
I sat there on the floor for a long time, until the sky outside started to lighten, the first hint of dawn breaking through.
I pulled out my phone.
I scrolled through my contacts until I found the number I knew by heart.
I pressed dial.
It rang three times, each ring stretching on forever.
Finally, someone picked up.
A deep, steady voice with that familiar magnetic pull came through the line.
"Claire? Why are you calling so early?" he asked.
It was my father, Victor Sutton, the founder of Skybridge Capital.
My eyes instantly filled with tears.
"Dad," I choked out. "I messed up."
There was a heavy pause on the other end.
Then, my father's voice came through, calm and steady.
His voice was as gentle as ever.
Dad said softly, "Don't cry. If the sky falls, I'll be here to hold it up for you.
"Tell me, what happened?"
I took a deep breath.
I told him everything that happened last night, holding nothing back, including the fact that I pulled the plug on the investment right in front of everyone.
I told him about how Alex and his mother barged in and made a scene.
I thought he'd call me reckless.
I thought he'd say I'd misjudged Alex.
But he didn't.
He just listened quietly.
He waited until I finished.
Then, in his calm, steady voice, he finally spoke. "You did the right thing.
"My daughter doesn't have to put up with this kind of humiliation.
"Someone who can't even respect his own wife doesn't deserve a single dollar from the Sutton family.
"Don't worry about what comes next.
"Wyatt and his team have already taken over, working through the night.
"Legal and PR are already running damage control at the highest level.
"By the time the market opens today, Alex's shell company will be history.
"Right now, you only have one job.
"Just rest up, take care of yourself, and look after my grandson.
"Everything else, leave it to me."
I hung up.
I watched the sunrise outside my window.
Golden light poured into the room.
A new day was finally here.
My dad moved even faster than I could have imagined.
*****
By nine in the morning, my phone was getting bombarded with financial news alerts.
One headline after another popped up: [Skybridge Capital Pulls Out Overnight—Rising Sun Tech's IPO Dreams Crushed.]
[Breaking! Rising Sun Tech CEO Alex Carter Accused of Major Misconduct—Blacklisted by Investors.]
[Rising Sun Tech's Stock Plummets 90% in Pre-Market Trading—Circuit Breakers Triggered.]
Each one more shocking than the last.
It was like a grand public spectacle, a trial for all to see.
Alex was the one getting roasted.
And his so-called business empire, now falling apart.
I tapped on one of the articles.
Skybridge Capital's official statement was front and center, spelled out in full detail.
Every word was sharp, every sentence firm, no room for negotiation.
Skybridge Capital didn't just pull out the entire 7 billion dollars.
They went after every penny they'd ever put in, demanding it all back.
They demanded Rising Sun Tech pay back every cent they'd ever invested, plus a 30% penalty on top.
That was basically a death sentence for Rising Sun Tech.
The comments section was blowing up.
[Holy crap! 7 billion dollars, gone just like that! Skybridge Capital is a total badass.]
[What did Alex do to piss off the investors this badly?]
[I heard he cheated, and at the dinner, he publicly humiliated his real wife just to please his side chick. Turns out, his wife was the one holding the purse strings.]
[Dude, that's wilder than any soap opera.]
[For real! My friend was there! It was absolutely nuts.]
The news was spreading like wildfire online.
In just one hour, Alex's name was already sitting at the very top of the trending searches.
Right next to it was a blazing red "Explosive" tag.
Photos of him, Lily, and even some of our old couple pics were all plastered everywhere online.
The "young entrepreneur" and "devoted husband" image he'd worked so hard to build shattered to pieces in a heartbeat.
Now, he was the "scumbag of the century," the "modern-day villain" everyone wanted to tear apart.
I scrolled through the comments, watching the drama unfold.
I didn't feel a thing.
Honestly, I was just bored.
I shut off my phone, not interested in watching the circus any longer.
I called my private doctor.
I scheduled a prenatal checkup for the afternoon.
Honestly, I was way more worried about my baby than whatever was happening to Alex.
That afternoon, I went to the hospital by myself.
I ended up in the same old exam room.
Dr. Penny Porter looked a little surprised to see me.
"Claire, why are you here alone today?" she asked. "Where's Mr. Carter?"
Alex used to show up for every prenatal checkup.
He always played the role of the picture-perfect husband.
I said flatly, "We're separated."
Penny froze for a second, clearly surprised.
But she stayed professional and didn't pry.
She helped me lie down and spread some chilly gel on my belly.
Then she glided the ultrasound probe across my stomach.
On the screen, my baby's image appeared.
He was tiny, curled up in there.
He looked like a tiny shrimp.
"Your baby is healthy," Penny said. "The heartbeat is strong. Look, he's moving."
I watched the screen closely, fixated on that tiny life inside me.
My heart just melted right then and there.
This was my baby.
He was mine, and mine alone.
He had nothing to do with Alex Carter.
Penny wiped the gel off my belly.
And she helped me sit up.
She gave me a worried look and said, "Claire, you look a bit pale. Have you been under a lot of stress lately?
"A pregnant woman's mood can really affect the baby. So try to keep your spirits up, okay?"
I nodded. "Got it. Thanks, Penny."
After leaving the hospital, I stepped into the bright sunshine.
I sat in the car, soaking up the sunlight.
I felt all warm and cozy inside.
Just then, my phone rang. It was Wyatt.
"Claire, I need to bring you up to speed on a few things," he said.
His voice was crisp and businesslike. "First, we sent the divorce papers to Alex, but he refused to accept them.
"No worries, though. We've already started the legal process, and the court summons will be arriving soon.
"Second, we've filed for enforcement on the villa under your name. Alex and his family have to move out by the end of today.
"Third, we've found out that Alex has embezzled over thirty million dollars from the company in the past year, using it to buy properties and luxury goods for Lily.
"That's already a case of embezzlement, and we can file criminal charges against him at any time.
"Fourth, Lily handed in her resignation this morning, and now she's completely unreachable."
I listened quietly.