Chapter 7 - Chloe’s True Colors
The fallout from the gala was catastrophic. The next morning, Sterling Enterprise's stock plummeted by 20%. The board held an emergency closed-door meeting, suspending Julian pending the SEC investigation.
Chloe was locked in Julian’s penthouse, watching the news coverage in a state of manic panic. The anchors weren't just tearing Julian apart; they were dragging her name through the mud, branding her the "Billion-Dollar Mistress."
She needed a way out. She needed leverage.
Desperation makes people sloppy. Chloe, convinced she could still win the PR war, decided she needed to destroy Elena’s credibility permanently. She drove to Mount Sinai Hospital, wearing a large coat and sunglasses, intending to bribe a hospital administrator to fabricate a psychiatric hold record for Elena.
She met an overnight clerk in a deserted hospital parking garage.
“I need a document,” Chloe said, pulling a stack of hundred-dollar bills from her designer purse. “A retroactive evaluation saying Elena Vance exhibited signs of severe postpartum psychosis. I need it stamped and signed.”
The clerk looked at the money, then at Chloe. “Lady, that’s a federal crime.”
“I don't care what it is. I’ll give you fifty thousand now, and fifty thousand when it’s filed.”
Suddenly, the harsh glare of headlights blinded Chloe. A black SUV pulled up, and the doors opened. It wasn't the police. It was Clara, Elena’s sister, holding her cell phone up, the red recording light blinking steadily.
“Smile for the camera, Chloe,” Clara said, leaning against the SUV. “I’ve been having a private investigator tail you since the gala. I figured you'd do something incredibly stupid.”
Chloe froze, the cash spilling from her trembling hands onto the concrete.
“You set me up!” Chloe screamed, rushing toward Clara, her claws bared.
Before she could reach her, the private investigator—a large, intimidating man in a leather jacket—stepped out of the SUV and easily blocked Chloe’s path.
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“I didn't set you up,” Clara smiled coldly. “You dug your own grave. And now, I have a video of you attempting to bribe a medical official to forge documents in a custody battle. Arthur is going to have a field day with this.”
Chloe fell to her knees on the cold concrete. The glamorous, sharp-tongued executive assistant who had stolen a billionaire husband was gone. In her place was a broken, terrified woman who realized she had just lost everything.
