Chapter 6 - The Intervention
The mandatory mediation session was scheduled for a Tuesday. It was the first time I would see Adrian face-to-face since the night he nearly killed me.
I wore a sharply tailored navy suit. I left my neck bare, allowing the fading yellow and green bruises to be clearly visible. I wanted him to look at what he had done. I wanted the mediator to see it, too.
When I walked into the conference room with Mara, Adrian was already there, flanked by two expensive, exhausted-looking lawyers.
When his eyes met mine, he tried to smile—that familiar, condescending smirk that had controlled me for six years.
“Evelyn,” he said softly. “You look… well.”
I didn't answer. I sat down, opened my leather portfolio, and placed my hands neatly on the table. They didn't shake.
The mediator, a stern woman in her fifties, began the proceedings. “We are here to discuss the unfreezing of the corporate assets and the temporary spousal support—”
“My client will not be unfreezing the assets,” Mara interrupted smoothly. “Furthermore, we are filing a motion to permanently dissolve the corporation and liquidate the assets to pay off creditors.”
Adrian let out a short, harsh laugh. “You can't do that. You own a minority stake. I am the CEO.”
“You were the CEO,” Mara corrected.
She slid a thick, bound document across the table. Adrian’s lawyers frowned, opening it cautiously.
As they flipped through the pages, the color drained from their faces. It was the IRS dossier. Copies of the offshore wire transfers. The fake invoices. The double-billed state contracts.
“What is this?” Adrian demanded, looking at his lawyers. “What did she give you?”
“Mr. Sterling,” his lead attorney stammered, closing the folder abruptly. “We need to step outside. Now.”
“No!” Adrian slammed his hand on the table, leaning toward me, his mask completely shattering. “You stupid, ungrateful bitch! I made you! You were nothing before me! I gave you a life, and you think you can take my company?”
“Your company?” I finally spoke, my voice chillingly steady. The room went dead silent. “You never owned it, Adrian. You were just the salesman. I built the infrastructure. I managed the capital. I was the one who kept it alive. And now, I’m the one killing it.”
“I’ll kill you!” he roared, lunging across the heavy oak table.
Before his hands could even graze my suit, Vance, who had been standing quietly in the corner, grabbed Adrian by the collar and slammed him backward into his chair.
The mediator was already on the phone with building security.
Adrian was hyperventilating, struggling against Vance's grip, his face purple with rage. He looked pathetic. He looked weak.
I stood up, buttoning my suit jacket.
May you like
“Check your email, Adrian,” I said, looking down at him. “The IRS served the warrants this morning. Your office is currently being raided by federal agents. Have a nice life.”
I walked out of the room without looking back.
