Chapter 14
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Meanwhile, across the city, Richard Vance was sitting in a brutal, unforgiving board meeting. The executive directors of his logistics company stared at him with undisguised contempt.
"You brought the wrath of the Sterling empire down upon our heads, Richard," the chairman of the board said, his voice echoing in the tense room. "Our stock is completely worthless. Our suppliers are terminating contracts, and our primary lenders are seizing our assets. You and your wife have destroyed decades of work in a single evening."
"I can fix this," Richard pleaded, sweating profusely. "I just need time to negotiate with Sterling. I will divorce Cassandra. I will publicly disown her actions."
"It's too late for damage control," the chairman replied coldly. "Alexander Sterling made it very clear that as long as you are associated with this company, he will continue to bleed us dry. The board has voted unanimously. You are terminated as CEO, effective immediately. And we are filing a massive civil lawsuit against you for breaching your fiduciary duty by leveraging the company's assets without full board approval."
Richard sat completely still, the world collapsing around him. He was being ousted from his own company, stripped of his severance package, and buried in legal fees. He had married Cassandra for her old money and her social connections, tolerating her vile personality because it offered him a golden ticket to the elite circles. Now, her arrogance had destroyed him entirely.
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He walked out of the corporate building with nothing but a cardboard box holding his personal belongings. He pulled out his phone and dialed his lawyer.
"Draft the divorce papers immediately," Richard commanded, his voice trembling with rage. "I want to be completely severed from Cassandra by the end of the week. Take whatever is left of our joint accounts to cover your fees. Just get me away from that woman before Sterling decides to put me in prison."
