Chapter 4 - The Tides Turn
"Delete it!" Ryan shrieked into the phone, ignoring my question entirely. His eyes were wide, bulging with a mixture of corporate panic and utter shock. "Delete that post right now, Emily! My PR team is getting slammed by every major news outlet in North America! Wall Street Journal just called our board of directors!"
"I don't think I will, Ryan," I replied calmly, leaning back in my chair while Arthur Pendelton sat beside me, meticulously reviewing our counter-petition. "You told me this morning that I didn't fit your brand anymore. I'm simply giving the public a clear, honest look at what your brand actually represents."
"You ruined my company's reputation over a personal disagreement!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the private terminal in Colorado so loudly that several bystanders turned to stare at him. "Do you have any idea what you've done to Vance-Carter Dynamics?! Our stock is down seven percent in pre-market trading!"
"A personal disagreement?" I let out a low, cold laugh that cut through his screaming like a blade. "You walked into my nursery six weeks after I underwent major surgery to give birth to three of your children. You tossed a predatory divorce document at me, called me a scarecrow, and brought your twenty-two-year-old assistant into my home to mock my appearance. That wasn't a disagreement, Ryan. That was a declaration of war."
Madison stepped into the camera frame behind Ryan, her voice high-pitched and hysterical. "Emily, you're being so dramatic! Ryan offered you a huge house in Connecticut! You're ruining my reputation, too! My social media accounts are getting thousands of death threats because of your article!"
"Then I suggest you turn your phone off, Madison," I said plainly. "Or better yet, ask Ryan if his five-hundred-thousand-dollar settlement offer covers the legal fees you’re both about to face."
Ryan grabbed the phone, bringing his furious face close to the lens. "I am going to destroy you in court, Emily! I have the best corporate lawyers in Chicago! I will strip you of every dime! I will take full custody of those babies, and you will never see them again!"
Arthur Pendelton leaned smoothly into the camera frame, his sharp grey eyes locking onto Ryan through the screen.
"Mr. Carter," Arthur spoke with authority. "My name is Arthur Pendelton, senior partner at Pendelton, Ross & Vance. I am representing your wife in her divorce proceedings."
Ryan’s tirade froze mid-sentence. His jaw dropped. "Pendelton? Why the hell are you representing her?!"
"Because your co-founder, Harrison Vance, retained me on her behalf two hours ago," Arthur replied with a cold smile. "Furthermore, Mr. Carter, while you were flying to Aspen, we filed an emergency petition with the Cook County Circuit Court. Due to your public abandonment of your newborn children and the financial irregularities documented in Mrs. Carter's published evidence, Judge Rebecca Thorne has just issued a temporary restraining order."
Ryan went completely rigid. "A restraining order?!"
"Correct," Arthur continued. "Your domestic accounts have been temporarily frozen pending a forensic audit. You are barred from entering this penthouse property, and an emergency custody order has granted Mrs. Carter exclusive physical and legal care of Leo, Maya, and Lucas. If you step foot within five hundred feet of your wife or children when your plane lands back in Chicago, you will be arrested immediately."
"You... you can't do this!" Ryan stuttered, his arrogant bravado crumbling into absolute panic. "That penthouse is in my name!"
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"It was in your name," I interrupted gently, looking him dead in the eyes. "Just like your reputation was under your control. Until you handed both of them to a writer."
I tapped the screen, disconnecting the call.
