Chapter 9 - The Phone Call in the Rain
|
Sitting in the quiet luxury of the sedan, I watched my phone screen light up with Adrian's name again and again. He called me eleven times in a span of twenty minutes, each missed call a testament to his escalating panic. He was losing control of the narrative, losing the money, and losing the submissive victim he thought he had trapped.
On the twelfth ring, I finally swiped the screen to answer. I placed the phone on the center console and activated the speakerphone. Beside me on the digital conference line was Naomi Chen, my ruthless lead attorney, silently recording every word.
"You made me look completely ridiculous!" Adrian shouted into the receiver, the background noise of the hotel lobby echoing behind him. The mask of the sophisticated gentleman was entirely gone, replaced by the furious entitlement of a man denied his prize.
"You slapped me across the face in the middle of a church, Adrian," I replied, my tone icy and detached.
"You challenged me in public!" he barked back, attempting to justify his violence. "You embarrassed my mother. Now listen to me, Elena. Come back to the hotel right now. Apologize to Celeste, explain that you panicked, and sign the asset transfer. If you do exactly as I say, we can still fix this."
I looked out the window at the heavy rain, feeling the dull ache in my jaw. He truly believed he still held the power. He believed my silence was a negotiation tactic rather than a death sentence for his ambitions.
"There is absolutely no marriage to fix, Adrian," I said, leaning closer to the microphone.
May you like
"What are you talking about? We stood at the altar!"
"We spoke words," I corrected him. "But the license was never filed."
