Chapter 5 - The Erasure
"The deal is dead," the lead investor announced sharply, tossing his napkin onto the table. "Richard, you lied to us about securing the land. We're pulling our funding."
"No, wait!" Miranda shrieked, her elegant composure completely shattered as the investors began heading for the door. She grabbed Ethan's arm. "Ethan, do something! My father leveraged his entire company on this!"
"I can't!" Ethan yelled back, finally breaking. He looked at me, his eyes filled with a pathetic mixture of rage and sheer terror. He was bankrupt. He had leveraged all his personal assets for this deal. He had thrown me away for a future that had just evaporated into thin air.
I picked up Evelyn's folder, stood up, and smoothed my blazer.
"You thought you were erasing me from your future, Ethan," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, but carrying enough weight to crush him completely. "But you were right about one thing. Ten years is long enough to realize when someone is holding you back."
I pulled a pen from my purse, signed his divorce papers right there on the table, and slid them toward him.
May you like
"Enjoy the rest of your dinner," I smiled.
I walked out of the penthouse, the Charleston skyline glittering through the floor-to-ceiling windows, completely secure in the knowledge that I now owned the ground they were all standing on.
