Chapter 5 - Shadows of Desperation
Three months later, the federal prosecution against Daniel Carter and Vanessa Brooks was moving swiftly toward a closed-plea arrangement.
Stripped of his wealth, his prestige, and his high-powered defense attorneys, Daniel had quickly discovered the true loyalty of the people he had surrounded himself with. His so-called friends in high society had completely vanished, blocking his numbers and erasing any association with his name. Vanessa, facing up to fifteen years in federal prison for her role in the embezzlement scheme, had turned on him entirely, providing prosecutors with every signed document and text message that proved Daniel had orchestrated the financial cover-ups.
Living in a cramped, temporary apartment while out on bail awaiting sentencing, Daniel sat at a cheap wooden kitchen table, staring numbly at his phone.
His bank accounts were completely empty. His credit cards were maxed out and cancelled. He was facing a minimum of eight to ten years behind bars with no possibility of early parole.
In a moment of desperate, pathetic impulse, he dialed Emily’s old personal number—the one he hadn't used in months, assuming it was long blocked.
To his absolute shock, after three long rings, someone picked up.
“Emily…?” Daniel breathed out, his voice cracked and trembling, sounding pathetic even to his own ears. “Emily, please… you have to answer me. I know you’re listening.”
On the other end of the line, sitting in her corner office on the fiftieth floor of Carter Global Tower, Emily paused her review of a multi-million-dollar international shipping contract. She pressed the speakerphone button so Marcus Vance could hear as well.
“Daniel,” Emily’s voice came through clear, cold, and entirely devoid of emotion. “How is the transition to federal holding life treating you?”
“Emily, I’m begging you,” Daniel wept openly, his pride completely shattered. “Drop the rest of the civil claims. Tell the judge you want leniency. I have nothing left! Vanessa is testifying against me, my lawyers dropped me because I can't pay their retainer, and I’m going to lose everything!”
“You already lost everything, Daniel,” Emily reminded him calmly. “The day you let Vanessa humiliate me, the day you laughed while she destroyed my hair, you proved that you had no respect, no loyalty, and no honor. You built your entire life on sand, and now the tide has come in.”
“I’m your husband!” Daniel cried out in desperation.
“You were my employee,” Emily corrected sharply. “And you were fired for gross misconduct.”
“Emily, wait! Please! Just give me five minutes of your time in person! Let me explain—let me tell you how sorry I am—!”
Emily didn't let him finish. She reached out and pressed the red end-call button, cutting off his pathetic sobs entirely. She picked up her phone, blocked his number permanently, and tossed the device back onto her desk.
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Marcus watched her with a mixture of profound respect and admiration. “Do you think he’ll try to contact you again?”
“He won't have the chance,” Emily replied, looking back down at her contracts. “His sentencing hearing is next week. The judge is going to throw the book at him.”
