Chapter 4 - The Signature
The dining room went completely silent. Lucas stared at her, his smile freezing on his face. David shifted uncomfortably in his chair, while the notary, a bored-looking woman in a grey suit, simply checked her watch. “Read them?” Lucas asked, a sharp edge suddenly appearing in his voice. “Margot, darling, there are over a hundred pages here.” Margot calmly pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’m aware. But it’s our future, isn’t it? I should understand our financial security.”
She picked up the first stack of papers. Lucas’s hands tightened into fists on the table. “We don’t have time for this, Margot. David has a flight to catch.” “Then David should leave,” she replied without looking up. “I won’t sign away my life without reading the fine print.” David and Lucas exchanged a panicked glance. This was not in the script. The obedient, silent wife was suddenly asking questions.
“Margot, this is ridiculous,” Lucas snapped, abandoning his gentle tone. “You don’t understand finance. You never have. Just sign the damn papers.” Margot slowly turned a page. “Section four, paragraph two,” she read aloud. “Transfer of primary residential equity to the Caymans holding company.” She looked up, meeting Lucas’s eyes directly. “Why are we moving the house into a shell company, Lucas?” All the color drained from his face. “It’s… it’s a tax strategy,” he stammered.
“Is it?” she asked, picking up another page. “And the waiver of spousal claim to all future business dividends?” David cleared his throat nervously. “Lucas, maybe we should—” “Shut up, David,” Lucas hissed. He slammed his hand on the table, leaning over Margot. The mask was finally off. His eyes were dark, furious, and filled with contempt. “You don’t know what you’re looking at, Margot. Stop playing games. Sign the papers, or I will cut off your credit cards today.”
May you like
Margot looked at the clock. 12:15 PM. Right on time. She calmly put the papers down and picked up the expensive fountain pen. Lucas let out a breath, a victorious smirk returning to his face. He thought he had won, that fear had forced her back into submission. Margot uncapped the pen. But instead of signing her name on his documents, she reached into her blazer, pulled out a folded piece of paper, and laid it on top of his stack. She signed her own document with a bold, beautiful flourish, then slid it across the table to him.
Lucas frowned, picking it up. “What is this?” he demanded. “That,” Margot said smoothly, “is a legal notice.” Lucas stared at the paper, his eyes scanning the words, moving faster and faster as his hands began to shake violently. “You’ve been served, Lucas,” Margot said, standing up. “As of two minutes ago, a judge has frozen every single one of your accounts. Your domestic banks. Your offshore holdings. Your secret investments.” She leaned forward, resting her hands on the table. “Even the money you stole from my book royalties.”
