Chapter 5 - The Closing NetBy the second week of the legal battle, David’s world had shrunk to a dingy, extended-stay motel off the Kennedy Expressway. His car—leased under a corporate program—had been repossessed after the agency canceled his employment contract, and his personal credit cards were maxed out or frozen by Victor Vance’s emergency injunctions.
Desperate and isolated, David tried a new tactic: intimidation.
On a rainy Monday evening, Natalie walked out of her office building toward her parked Audi SUV. As she approached the vehicle, a figure stepped out from the shadows of the concrete pillar. It was David. He looked terrible—his hair unwashed, his designer suit wrinkled and smelling of cheap cigarette smoke, his eyes bloodshot and frantic.
"Natalie, stop," he said, stepping into her path.
Natalie didn't flinch. She pressed her key fob, unlocking the doors, but kept her hand resting on her pepper spray inside her coat pocket.
"David. Violating the temporary restraining order before the ink is even dry on the magistrate’s desk is a very poor career move—though I suppose your career options are somewhat limited these days," Natalie said, her voice entirely calm.
"Cut the corporate jargon, Natalie!" David hissed, stepping closer, his face contorted with anger. "You’ve ruined me! The agency fired me yesterday morning. They’re threatening criminal charges over the municipal contracts. My mother is beside herself, and I’m living in a roach-infested motel room while you drive around in this luxury SUV! Have you no human decency at all?"
"Decency?" Natalie repeated, a sharp, humorless smile touching her lips. "You talk to me about decency while standing in the parking garage where I work, threatening me after you betrayed every vow we made? You thought you could use my money to fund your comfortable lifestyle while playing the big shot with Chloe Mercer behind my back. You thought I was too passive, too invested in the marriage to fight back."
"I made a mistake!" David shouted, his voice echoing off the concrete walls. "People make mistakes! We can go to mediation! We can settle quietly! If you drop the financial fraud allegations, I’ll agree to an uncontested divorce!"
"An uncontested divorce where you walk away with nothing is the only kind of divorce you’re going to get, David," Natalie said firmly. "And as for the fraud allegations? Those aren't mine to drop. The state’s attorney general’s office picked up the procurement file three days ago. When you traded public contracts for your girlfriend's favors, you crossed the line from a civil family dispute into criminal territory. That’s out of my hands."
David’s face turned purple with rage. For a split second, a dark, dangerous look flashed in his eyes, and he took a threatening step forward, raising his hand as if to strike her.
"You unfeeling bitch—"
Before he could finish the sentence, two private security guards hired by Natalie’s legal team emerged from the adjacent stairwell, tackling David to the concrete floor with practiced efficiency.
"Stay down, sir," one guard instructed coldly, pinning David’s arm behind his back.
May you like
Natalie adjusted her coat, stepped around her struggling husband, and opened her car door. She looked down at him one last time, her expression as cold and clear as winter ice.
"See you in court, David. Bring your new shoes."
