Chapter 2 - The Severance
At 9:00 AM sharp, the door opened.
Julian walked in, looking immaculate in a charcoal suit. Trailing behind him were his parents, Richard and Eleanor. Eleanor carried a lavish, absurdly large bouquet of white orchids—the kind you bring to a funeral, not a birth. Richard carried a slim leather briefcase.
"Clara, darling," Eleanor cooed, her eyes darting around the sterile room, pointedly ignoring Hazel’s bassinet. "You look... resilient."
"Let’s keep this brief," Julian said, checking his platinum watch. He didn't even glance at his daughter. "I have a board meeting at noon. Valerie and I are preparing to announce our new corporate merger."
He snapped his fingers, and Richard stepped forward, laying a thick stack of legal documents on the foot of my bed.
"This is a non-disclosure agreement and a severance of marital assets," Julian dictated, sliding a gold pen toward me. "I am setting up a five-million-dollar trust for you and the child. It will pay out a generous monthly stipend. In exchange, you will sign full custody of your life over to silence. You will not contest the divorce. You will not speak to the press. And you will not lay claim to the Sterling name."
Maya shifted in the corner of the room, her knuckles turning white, but I gave her a sharp look. Hold.
"Five million," I said softly, picking up the heavy gold pen. "For my silence."
"It’s more than fair, Clara," Richard said, his voice dripping with condescension. "You come from a modest background. This money secures your future. Julian has an heir to raise. We need to tie up these loose ends efficiently."
I looked at Julian. "You really won't even hold her? Just once?"
Julian sighed, an exhausted, patronizing sound. "Clara, don't make this emotional. It’s business. Sign the paper."
I uncapped the pen. I pulled the document toward me. Julian’s shoulders relaxed. Eleanor offered a smug, victorious smile.
Instead of signing my name on the signature line, I drew a massive, jagged "X" across the entire front page. Then, I wrote five words in large, bold letters across the text:
SEE YOU IN THE BOARDROOM.
I tossed the ruined contract back at Julian.
Julian’s face darkened. "What is this? Are you throwing a tantrum, Clara? If you don't sign this, I will tie you up in court for a decade. You will leave this marriage with absolutely nothing."
"Get out of my room," I said, my voice dropping to a freezing whisper.
"Clara—" Richard warned.
"I said get out!" I snapped, my eyes locking onto Richard’s. "Before I start digging into the debts you owed my Aunt Beatrice."
All the color instantly drained from Richard Sterling’s face. He looked as though I had just shot him.
"Let's go," Richard choked out, grabbing Julian’s arm. "Julian, now."
May you like
Julian looked confused, but his father physically pulled him out of the room. When the door clicked shut, I looked at Marcus, who stepped out from the en-suite bathroom where he had been listening to every word.
"File the paperwork, Marcus," I said. "We go to war."
