Chapter 8 - THE TURNING OF THE TABLES
While Zachary was signing away his empire on the forty-second floor, Rachel sat across town in the sleek, glass-walled conference room of Vance & Sterling Family Law, located in the heart of the Upper East Side.
Across from her sat Victoria Sterling, one of New York’s most formidable matrimonial attorneys—a woman known for eating hostile corporate raiders and cheating spouses for breakfast.
Victoria finished reviewing the asset freeze order and looked up at Rachel with genuine admiration in her eyes.
“Mrs. Patterson, I must commend you,” Victoria said, tapping her fountain pen against the legal pad. “Most women in your position—shocked, pregnant, blindsided—would either fall apart or accept a quiet, humiliating settlement just to make the pain stop. You’ve mobilized faster than a Fortune 500 merger.”
“When you realize the foundation of your entire life was built on sand, you stop wasting time trying to save the furniture,” Rachel replied calmly, her hand resting gently on her belly. “I want full custody of our child, I want the Greenwich estate transferred solely into my name as pre-settlement collateral, and I want an immediate forensic audit of every personal and corporate account Zachary touched over the last three years.”
“Done,” Victoria said with a sharp smile. “And regarding the public relations fallout? Page Six is trying to secure an exclusive interview with you. They’re offering a six-figure syndication fee.”
“Tell them no interviews,” Rachel instructed firmly. “Dignity is worth more than tabloid cash. Let Zachary drown in his own noise. I want our separation finalized quietly, swiftly, and permanently.”
As Victoria stood to draft the emergency injunctions, her secretary poked her head through the doorway with an urgent look.
“Ms. Sterling, Mr. Zachary Patterson is downstairs in the lobby. Security says he’s demanding to see Mrs. Patterson immediately, and he’s causing a scene.”
Rachel did not flinch. She simply picked up her designer handbag, adjusted her blazer, and stood up with absolute poise.
May you like
“Tell building security to escort him off the premises,” Rachel said coolly. “And if he tries to approach me again, file an immediate restraining order for harassment.”
Victoria grinned approvingly. “Consider it done, Rachel. Welcome to the rest of your life.”
