Chapter 7 - The Corporate Severance
Ruined, humiliated, and forced to unpack their expensive luggage into a cramped, two-bedroom extended-stay motel near the highway, the Morelli family collapsed into mutual recrimination. Diane was hysterical, blaming Brent for not forcing Tessa to put his name on the deed years ago. Karen was crying over her ruined frames, and Brent sat on the edge of a cheap polyester bed, staring at the legal paperwork.
"It doesn't matter," Brent muttered, his eyes bloodshot as he tried to find a silver lining. "She sold the house for forty-two million. My lawyers will claim half of that cash injection as a marital asset because the sale occurred during the active marriage. I’ll still walk away with twenty million dollars. I’ll ruin her in the corporate courts."
He stood up, adjusting his suit jacket. "I’m going to the office. I need to rally my team at Vanguard Logistics. I’m the Chief Operating Officer; I still control the distribution network. I can freeze her supply chain if she doesn't settle."
Brent drove to the high-rise glass headquarters of Vanguard Logistics in downtown Denver, determined to use his corporate leverage as a weapon. He marched through the marble lobby, ignoring the receptionists, and headed straight for the executive elevator.
When he reached the top floor, he walked toward his corner office, but stopped dead in his tracks. Two IT technicians were currently dismantling his desktop computer, packing his personal belongings into small plastic crates.
"What the hell is going on here?" Brent roared. "Get away from my desk!"
The door to the adjacent boardroom opened, and Jennifer stepped out, followed by three members of Vanguard’s Board of Directors. Conspicuously absent was Tessa, who was safely resting at an undisclosed location with her baby.
"Mr. Morelli," Jennifer said, her voice dripping with sharp, corporate malice. "You are no longer the Chief Operating Officer of this company. The board has just concluded an emergency meeting."
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"You can't fire me!" Brent laughed hysterically. "I have an executive contract! I’m the co-founder’s husband!"
"Your contract contains a strict morality clause, Brent," one of the board members, an elderly billionaire named Arthur, said sternly. "Abandoning the CEO three days after childbirth, committing financial sabotage by attempting to hijack her pre-marital real estate, and using corporate credit cards for unauthorized luxury expenditures in Miami constitutes a material breach of fiduciary duty. You are terminated effective immediately, for cause. Your stock options are voided, and your corporate access has been revoked."
