Chapter 5 - The ConfrontationRaymond stopped two paces away from Spencer. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. The quiet authority radiating from him made the ruined CEO look like a scolded child.
"Look at you," Raymond said softly, his voice carrying an immense, crushing weight. "Sitting at the top of a glass tower built entirely on borrowed money and breathtaking arrogance."
"Raymond..." Spencer began, his voice cracking, trying desperately to salvage a shred of dignity. "There's been a misunderstanding. Phoebe and I... we had a disagreement, a private marital dispute—"
"A marital dispute?" Raymond interrupted, his eyes flashing with a sudden, razor-sharp intensity. "You left my daughter alone in an old dress, told her she would embarrass you, and humiliated her in front of your servants while you paraded your mistress through the city. You called her a burden."
Spencer opened his mouth, but no words came out. His chest heaved.
"For three years," Raymond continued, stepping closer until Spencer was forced to step back, "she begged me to stay out of her life. She wanted to prove that a man could love her for who she was, not for her last name. She endured your coldness, your neglect, and your cruelty, believing that humility would eventually reach your heart." Raymond let out a cold, humorless breath. "She was too good for you, Spencer. And now, you will pay the price for failing to recognize what was standing right in front of you."
"What do you want?" Spencer whispered, defeat total and absolute. "You've frozen my accounts, you've destroyed my company... what more is left?"
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"Nothing," Raymond said flatly. "Conway Enterprises is being dissolved into asset liquidation by morning. Every property, every vehicle, every corporate asset you own is now collateral under Harrell Holdings. By sunrise, you will be legally bankrupt, stripped of every title you ever boasted about."
Raymond turned his back on him without another word, signaling his security detail to move. As the older man walked away, Spencer collapsed onto the edge of the stage, burying his face in his trembling hands as the reality of his utter ruin set in.
