Chapter 7 - The Unraveling
The door to the study slammed open, and Camille stepped into the room, her hair wrapped in a silk scarf, her face pale with fury.
"Father! What is going on?" Camille demanded, looking between her father and Julian. "Security is locking down the front gates! No one is being allowed to leave the grounds!"
"Julian has lost his senses, Camille," Arthur said coldly. "He is attempting to breach our corporate agreement based on the lies of a housekeeper."
"She isn't a housekeeper, Camille," Julian said, his voice echoing through the study. "She is my wife. And Ivy is my legal heir."
Camille gasped, her hand flying to her chest as she stared at Mara. "That's impossible! You were in Zurich! We were together!"
"We were never together in Zurich, Camille," Julian said, his gray eyes pinning her in place. "You were paid by your father's holding company to play the role of a devoted fiancée while I was being treated for memory loss. It was a corporate acquisition disguised as a romance."
Camille turned to her father, her eyes wild with panic. "Father, do something! Tell him he can't do this!"
Arthur reached into his robe pocket, pulling out his encrypted smartphone. "I am calling our legal counsel and the executive board immediately. We will lock down Hartwell Global's accounts before sunrise."
"You can try, Arthur," Vance said, stepping forward with a tablet display showing live legal filings. "Five minutes ago, Mr. Hartwell executed an emergency injunction through the Federal District Court. All transfer authorizations for Rourke Enterprises within the Hartwell network have been suspended pending a fraud investigation."
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Arthur’s phone slipped slightly in his grip. His face turned a dangerous, mottled red. "You wouldn't dare ruin both our firms over this woman!"
"I would burn every ship I own to the waterline to keep her safe from you," Julian said softly. "Now, get out of my house."
