Chapter 4 - The War Begins
The fallout was immediate and spectacular.
Daniel didn’t sleep that night. Neither did I.
By the time the sun rose over the hills, my phone had unceasingly vibrated with frantic calls from Reed Tech board members, financial journalists, and Daniel’s army of lawyers.
I ignored them all.
I was sitting at the kitchen island of the house I now unconditionally owned, drinking coffee, watching the rain continue to fall.
The front door unlocked, and Daniel stormed in.
He looked disheveled. The tailored suit was wrinkled, his tie was missing, and his eyes were bloodshot.
He didn't look like a visionary anymore. He looked like a cornered animal.
"We need to talk," he demanded, slamming his briefcase onto the marble counter.
"Knock next time," I replied, taking a slow sip of my coffee. "This is my house."
"Cut the crap, Ava," he snarled, stepping closer. "My mother was not of sound mind. You manipulated a dying woman. I am filing an injunction this morning to freeze the transfer of those shares."
"Do what you have to do," I said calmly. "Mr. Sterling has medical records proving her competency up until her final hour."
Daniel dragged a hand down his face, the frustration leaking out of him.
His tone suddenly shifted. He tried to soften his voice, trying to play the master manipulator.
"Ava... look at us. Ten years. We loved each other once. You don't want to run a multi-billion dollar tech firm. You don't know the first thing about algorithms, server farms, or shareholder meetings."
"I know how to hire people who do," I countered.
"I built that company!" he yelled, the facade dropping instantly.
"No, Daniel. You marketed it. Your engineers built it. Your mother funded it. And I kept you sane enough to not burn it down."
He grabbed my wrist.
Not hard enough to bruise, but hard enough to intimidate.
"You are going to sign a proxy agreement, giving me voting rights over those shares, or I swear to God, Ava, I will drag your name through so much mud you won't be able to show your face in public."
I stared down at his hand gripping my wrist.
Then I looked up into his eyes.
"Let go of me."
He hesitated.
"I said, let go."
He slowly released his grip, stepping back.
"Three days ago," I whispered, my voice trembling slightly, not from fear, but from a rage that was finally waking up. "You told me to take a pathetic settlement and disappear. You flaunted your mistress in my home."
I stood up, closing the distance between us.
"I spent a decade making myself small so you could look big. I smiled for the cameras. I hid your flaws. I mourned our unborn children alone while you were busy sleeping with a glorified assistant."
Daniel flinched.
"You thought I was weak because I was quiet," I said, my voice hardening into steel. "You are about to find out exactly what kind of woman your mother chose to inherit her legacy."
I walked past him and opened the front door.
"Get out, Daniel. And tell your lawyers to direct all correspondence to Arthur Pendelton."
Daniel’s face went chalk-white.
Arthur Pendelton wasn't just a lawyer. He was a corporate shark, a man famous for dismantling billionaire empires and leaving CEOs in ruins.
"You hired Pendelton?" Daniel whispered.
"I didn't have to," I smiled. "Eleanor put him on retainer for me six months ago. Goodbye, Daniel."
He walked out into the rain, the door clicking shut behind him.
May you like
The war hadn't just begun.
I had already fired the first shot.
