Chapter 2 - The Service at Nine A.M.At 9:00 AM the following morning, the grand glass-and-marble conference room on the fortieth floor of Cartwright & Bell was filled with twenty equity partners, senior associates, and prominent corporate clients.
Nathan Cartwright stood at the head of the long mahogany table, wearing a five-thousand-dollar bespoke suit, displaying a high-definition slideshow for a twenty-million-dollar corporate merger.
Sitting near his right hand, wearing a cream maternity dress and holding his hand under the table, was Victoria—his pregnant mistress, whom he had introduced to the entire firm as his "fiancée and soulmate."
"As you can see from our projected Q3 yields," Nathan announced smoothly, flashing his polished, million-dollar smile, "Cartwright & Bell is positioned to dominate the Midwestern legal sector—"
BOOM!
The heavy double glass doors of the executive conference room swung open with a sharp, echoing thud.
Stepping into the room, flanked by two uniformed Cook County Sheriff's deputies, was a senior process server carrying a thick legal pouch bound by bright red judicial seals.
The entire conference room went dead silent.
Nathan’s smile faltered instantly. He straightened his silk tie, his face contorting into an annoyed, arrogant frown. "What is the meaning of this?! We are in the middle of a private executive board meeting!"
The process server didn't flinch. He walked straight up the length of the mahogany table, stopping directly beside Nathan.
"Nathaniel James Cartwright?" the server asked deadpan.
"Yes," Nathan snapped impatiently. "Whatever minor civil summons this is, hand it to my receptionist—"
"You have been officially served with a Summons for Absolute Divorce, Emergency Asset Seizure, and Master Financial Audit," the server announced cleanly, his voice booming through the quiet room, "filed by your legal wife of three years, Claire Whitmore Cartwright."
A collective, horrified gasp swept through the twenty equity partners and corporate clients.
Victoria’s jaw sagged open in total, speech-bound horror. She dropped her water glass, splashing ice water across her cream dress, her eyes bulging as she stared at Nathan.
"Wife...?!" Victoria shrieked frantically, her voice cracking into high, pathetic squeaks. "NATHAN! WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT?! YOU SAID YOU WERE SINGLE! YOU SAID CLAIRE WAS JUST YOUR ASSISTANT!"
Nathan’s blood drained so completely from his face that he looked like a corpse standing in a gray suit. His hands trembled violently as he ripped open the thick envelope, his eyes scanning the red typography on the front page:
PETITION FOR ABSOLUTE DIVORCE: Filed by Claire Whitmore.
EMERGENCY RESTRAINT DECREE: Freezing all personal bank accounts, trust funds, and luxury vehicles registered under Nathaniel Cartwright.
SUBPOENA FOR FINANCIAL AUDIT: Demanding immediate surrender of Cartwright & Bell's offshore escrow ledgers.
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"No... no... this is a mistake!" Nathan stammered, sweat bursting across his forehead as he looked at the staring faces of his senior partners. "Claire is... she's delusional! We were never legally—"
"The certified marriage license from Cook County Municipal Court is attached on page three, Mr. Cartwright," the deputy officer noted coldly. "Have a good day."
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