Chapter 7 - Execution of Clause 4
"You bitch," Nathaniel whispered venomously, all pretenses dropped. The handsome face I had loved for five years looked contorted, ugly, and pathetic. "You think you can just strip me of everything? I built my firm! I put up with your cold, domineering family for years!"
I finally stood up from my chair. I walked over to the table and looked down at him. I did not feel rage. I did not feel sorrow. I felt the profound, crystal-clear peace of a surgeon successfully removing a malignant tumor.
"You built your firm on my mother's credit lines, Nathaniel," I said, my voice steady and completely devoid of emotion. "You wore suits paid for by her dividends. You drank wine from her cellars, and you tried to leverage her legacy to feed your insatiable ego. But you forgot one crucial thing."
"What's that?" he spat.
"I am her daughter." I turned to Elias. "Elias, please explain the current status of Mr. Pierce's assets."
Elias adjusted his glasses. "Pursuant to Clause 4 of the Ames Family Trust—which you signed, Mr. Pierce, waiving all rights to contest in the event of fraudulent collateralization—all marital assets derived from trust funding are currently being frozen. This includes the Manhattan penthouse, the Hamptons estate, and the operating capital of your firm, which was guaranteed by the trust. Furthermore, a civil suit for corporate espionage and unauthorized access to maritime property has been filed this morning."
Nathaniel's lawyer stood up, looking pale. "We will fight this in court. You can't leave him with nothing."
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"He came into this marriage with nothing," I replied softly. "It is only fitting he leaves the exact same way."
I turned my back on Nathaniel Pierce for the last time. As I walked out of the marina office, I could hear him shouting, then pleading, his voice echoing off the wood-paneled walls. I didn't look back. I stepped out into the damp, salty air of Newport Harbor. The rain had stopped, and the gray clouds were beginning to break, letting slivers of pale afternoon sunlight hit the dark water.
