Chapter 2 - The Fall of the CEO
Julian’s face drained of color as he scrambled to scan the legal document pressed against his tailored suit jacket. The official corporate seal of the Carlyle Group stared back at him—bold, crimson, and terrifyingly absolute.
"This... this is an illegal takeover!" Julian roared, pulling out his personal smartphone to call his head of legal. "I’ll have the board sued by lunch! I’m the primary trustee!"
"You were the primary trustee," Khloe corrected calmly, checking her diamond watch. "Until four hours ago, when we submitted proof of your embezzlement to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Buying a twelve-million-dollar Soho apartment for your mistress using Vance Holdings' R&D funds isn't just an affair, Julian. It's felony wire fraud."
Before Julian could dial a single number, his phone lit up with a barrage of violent notifications.
ALERT: Your American Express Centurion card has been frozen. ALERT: Your access to the Vance Corporate Portal has been revoked. ALERT: Emergency Board Meeting convened at 08:30 AM – Motion to Terminate CEO passed 11-0.
Julian dropped his phone onto the carpet, his chest heaving as sweat broke out across his forehead. The smooth, invincible CEO who had walked into my delivery room twelve hours prior was fracturing right before Khloe’s eyes.
"Where is she?" Julian rasped, his cold eyes wide with a mixture of rage and burgeoning panic. "Where did Clare take my daughter?"
"She is no longer your concern," Khloe said, signaling to the two federal marshals standing at the exit. "You have thirty minutes to clear your personal belongings out of the executive suite at Vance Tower before security escorts you from the building. And as for your mistress... I suggest you check the morning news."
Julian snatched his phone off the floor and opened the top financial news app.
The banner headline was flashing in bright, bold red:
VANCE HOLDINGS CEO EMBEZZLEMENT SCANDAL: MISTRESS MIA SUN SUBPOENAED IN $12M CORPORATE FRAUD INVESTIGATION.
Below the headline was a crystal-clear photograph taken just two hours ago: federal officers executing a search warrant on Mia’s luxury Soho penthouse, carrying out armfuls of designer bags, luxury watches, and confiscated hard drives while Mia covered her face in tears, her fifteen-month-old son crying in the background.
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Julian’s knees buckled. He clutched the back of a hospital chair to keep from falling.
"She didn't just leave you, Julian," Khloe whispered as she packed her leather briefcase and walked toward the door. "She dismantled your entire life while resting in her hospital bed. Welcome to the real world."
