Chapter 3 - The Frozen Empire
The Vale Estate in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, sat on forty acres of jagged Atlantic coastline, its granite towers rising against the gray morning mist. For six years, Damon had convinced Sienna that the estate was an unnecessary burden, persuading her to live in a sleek, glass-and-steel penthouse in Boston where he controlled every bill, every security code, and every maid.
Now, as the iron gates swung open to welcome the matte-black SUV carrying Sienna and Lila, forty estate staff members stood lined up along the cobblestone driveway.
At the front of the line stood Mrs. Gable, the estate’s housekeeper who had served Harrison Vale for thirty years.
When the SUV pulled up, Mrs. Gable opened the door herself. Tears filled the older woman’s eyes as she saw Sienna step out, carrying Lila wrapped in the yellow blanket.
"Welcome home, Little Miss," Mrs. Gable whispered, wrapping a warm wool coat around Sienna’s shoulders. "We’ve kept the nursery ready for ten years."
"Thank you, Mary," Sienna choked out, allowing herself to be led into the towering stone foyer where a grand fireplace roared with maple logs.
Within minutes, Lila was fed, bathed in warm chamomile water, and resting peacefully in an heirloom cedar crib. Sienna sat in a high-backed armchair by the fire, drinking warm broth while Arthur Pendelton laid out three thick leather-bound dossiers on the table before her.
"Damon hasn't stopped calling," Arthur reported, opening his laptop. "He called your mother’s house seventeen times last night, expecting you to be there crying on her sofa. When your mother told him she hadn't seen you, he panicked."
"What about the Coral Gables meeting?" Sienna asked, leaning her head back against the velvet cushion.
"A disaster for him," Arthur smiled grimly. "Without the G650, Damon and Vivienne were forced to fly commercial standby out of Logan. They didn't land in Miami until 11:00 AM today. By the time they arrived at the investment firm, the board of directors had already received a formal notice from Vale Legal regarding Cross Meridian’s insolvency."
Sienna looked down at her hands. Her ring finger still bore the faint pale mark where her wedding band had sat for six years. "He thought I was weak because I chose to be gentle with him."
"Gentleness is not weakness, Miss Vale," Arthur said sternly. "Your father knew that better than anyone. Now, let’s talk about his financial structure."
Arthur pulled up a complex organizational chart on his screen.
"Damon built Cross Meridian using a method called leveraged cross-collateralization," Arthur explained. "He borrowed against the Vale Trust’s stock portfolio to fund his company's expansion. He believed that as long as you remained married to him, the trust would never exercise its right to recall the debt."
"How much does he owe the trust?"
"Sixty-four million dollars in short-term notes, due in thirty days," Arthur said. "And eighty-five million in long-range logistics leases. In addition, when he frozen your credit cards yesterday morning, he committed a direct violation of your prenuptial agreement’s spousal support mandate."
"Did he think I wouldn't notice?"
"He thought you were a twelve-day postpartum mother who would panic, go to your mother’s house, and wait for him to dictate terms," Arthur replied. "He planned to offer you a miserable divorce settlement—a small house in the suburbs and nominal child support—in exchange for you signing away your trust voting rights."
Sienna stood up, walking toward the grand floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over the crashing waves of the Atlantic.
"He took my self-respect for six years, Arthur," Sienna said, her voice dropping into a quiet, icy register. "He made me feel like an intruder in my own life while he bought diamond bracelets for his assistant with my father's money."
"What are your orders, Miss Vale?"
"Issue the recall notice on the sixty-four million dollar note," Sienna said without turning around. "Give him seventy-two hours to pay in full."
Arthur’s eyes gleamed behind his spectacles. "And if he cannot pay?"
"Then Cross Meridian goes into receivership," Sienna said. "And I want Vivienne Hart fired from her corporate position by noon tomorrow."
May you like
"Under what grounds?"
"Misappropriation of corporate funds," Sienna turned, her dark eyes flashing. "I noticed the diamond bracelet she was wearing on the plane. Cross Meridian filed that purchase as a 'fleet operational expense.' Let's see how much she likes Damon when he can't pay her legal fees."
