Chapter 5 - The Motel Reality
Across town, Diane Morrison was sitting on a stained mattress in a cheap, roadside motel.
She was shivering, wearing the same damp clothes from the night before.
The wallpaper was peeling, and the faint smell of stale cigarette smoke filled the tiny room.
Brendan burst through the motel door, throwing his useless company ID badge against the wall in a fit of rage.
"It's real," Brendan gasped, running his hands through his hair. "She actually owns the whole damn thing. Vanguard Holdings. It's all hers."
Diane let out a dramatic wail, burying her face in her hands.
"How could you not know?!" Diane screamed at her son. "You were married to her for three years! How do you not know your own wife is a billionaire?!"
"Because she drove a used Honda and wore cheap clothes!" Brendan yelled back, kicking a trash can across the room.
He paced back and forth, his mind racing.
"I tried to use my credit cards this morning," Brendan muttered, pulling out his wallet. "Declined. All of them. Arthur froze everything."
Diane looked up, her eyes filled with sudden, desperate greed.
"Call Jessica," Diane commanded. "Her family has money. She loves you. Ask her for a loan."
Brendan pulled out his phone and dialed Jessica's number.
It rang three times before going to voicemail.
He tried again. Blocked.
He opened his social media and saw a new post from Jessica, uploaded just ten minutes ago.
It was a photo of her drinking champagne on a yacht, with the caption: "Taking out the trash. Single and thriving!"
Brendan threw his phone onto the bed, letting out a scream of pure frustration.
"She dumped me," he whispered, collapsing into a rickety plastic chair.
Diane’s face hardened, the panic slowly turning into a cold, calculating malice.
"Listen to me, Brendan," Diane said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "She is pregnant with your child."
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Brendan looked up, confused. "So?"
"So," Diane smiled wickedly. "That baby is the sole heir to the Vanguard empire. We don't need her. We just need the child."
