Chapter 2 - The Empty House
At 7:15 p.m., Damian Sterling stood in the foyer of the Greenwich estate, his bespoke tuxedo slightly wrinkled from the flight back from Malibu. Irene paced the marble floor, checking her diamond-encrusted watch.
"Where is she?" Irene snapped. "I told her seven o'clock. We need her to sign the non-disclosure agreements tonight before the press catches wind that your divorce wasn't finalized before the ceremony."
Damian rubbed his temples, a flicker of irritation crossing his handsome face. "She's probably just throwing a tantrum, Mother. I'll go upstairs and handle it."
He climbed the grand staircase, fully expecting to find Anna weeping on the edge of the bed, waiting to be scolded and paid off. He pushed open the bedroom door.
"Anna, enough of this—"
The room was immaculately clean. The closet doors were open, revealing a glaring emptiness where Anna's clothes had hung. Her perfumes were gone from the vanity.
A cold spike of dread pierced Damian's chest. He ran back downstairs, bursting into the kitchen.
"She's not here," Damian said, his voice rising in panic. He walked toward the kitchen island and saw the Manila envelope.
He ripped it open. The unsigned divorce papers fluttered to the floor. But what caught his eye was the small, glossy black-and-white photograph resting beneath them.
Damian picked it up. He stared at the two distinct shapes, reading the printed text at the top: Walker, Anna. Gestational Age: 20 Weeks. TWINS.
The air rushed out of his lungs. He stumbled backward, hitting the granite counter.
"Damian, what is it?" Irene demanded, walking into the kitchen. She looked at the ultrasound photo in his trembling hand and turned the color of ash.
Before either of them could speak, Damian’s phone buzzed violently. It was his Chief Financial Officer.
"Damian," the CFO gasped, "forty-two million dollars just vanished from the joint liquidity reserves. And the legal department just got a notification. Anna's attorney filed a motion to freeze all remaining corporate assets."
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"Freeze them?" Damian choked out. "On what grounds?"
"On the grounds of felony bigamy and marital fraud, sir. The press just broke the story."
