Chapter 2 - The Discovery in the PenthouseAt 1:30 A.M., two hours after Emma’s jet departed for Europe, Andrew Weston arrived at his luxury Midtown penthouse.
He wore his sharp tuxedo, his collar unbuttoned, his dark hair slightly disheveled. Beside him walked Lila Summers, her arm wrapped snugly around his waist, her crimson dress rustling against the marble floorboards as she giggled softly.
"Andrew, darling," Lila cooed, kicking off her heels near the foyer, pouring two glasses of expensive scotch from the crystal decanter. "Did you see the look on the reporters' faces tonight? The morning papers are going to feature us on the front page of every gossip column in Manhattan!"
Andrew offered a smug, arrogant smirk, taking the scotch glass from her hand. "Let them print whatever they want, Lila. My firm just finalized the secondary harbor lease for the West Side development project. A little personal drama won't touch my Wall Street standing."
He walked through the darkened living room toward his private executive study to review the late-night market futures.
"Emma is probably in the bedroom crying into her pillow," Andrew scoffed, shaking his head with dismissive disdain as he pushed open his study door. "She thinks because she's carrying my child, she has leverage. She'll realize by tomorrow morning that if she wants to keep living in this penthouse, she stays quiet and accepts the way things are."
He switched on the study lamp.
The warm golden light illuminated his polished mahogany desk.
Resting directly in the center of his leather blotter, bound by a simple white paperclip, was a neat stack of legal documents.
Andrew frowned, setting his scotch glass down. "What the hell is this?"
He walked over, picking up the top document.
Printed in bold, black legal typography across the header was an irrevocable notice from the Supreme Court of the State of New York:
PETITIONER: Emma Vance (formerly Weston)
RESPONDENT: Andrew Weston
ACTION: Absolute Dissolution of Marriage (Uncontested / Zero Financial Claims)
STATUS: FILED & EXECUTED
Andrew’s smug smile vanished instantly. His brow furrowed in sudden, sharp irritation. "Divorce papers...? Is she insane?!"
Lila walked into the study, holding her drink, leaning her hip against his desk with a light laugh. "Oh, please, Andrew. It's a dramatic bluff. She wants you to chase her and apologize. Where could a penniless, quiet girl like Emma possibly go at one in the morning?"
Andrew turned to the final page.
There was no note. No emotional plea. No complaint about Lila Summers.
Just Emma's signature in bold, clean black ink beneath the sentence that legally ended their marriage forever.
Beside the document lay her platinum wedding band and the keys to the penthouse.
Andrew reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his smartphone, dialing Emma’s number with a tight, furious grip.
"The number you have dialed is permanently disconnected or no longer in service."
A sudden, strange chill—a quiet, unsettling flicker of anxiety—touched the back of Andrew’s neck.
Before he could dial her father's home in Pennsylvania, his phone vibrated violently with an incoming priority call from his chief legal officer, Marcus.
May you like
Andrew answered sharply. "Marcus! Emma left some absurd divorce papers on my desk. Have our team contact her family in Lancaster immediately and tell her—"
"Andrew! Shut up and listen to me!" Marcus interrupted, his voice cracking into raw, panicked shrieks over the speaker. "Turn on the financial news right now!"
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