Chapter 6 - The Fall of the Mistress
The rain outside the gate of the Whitmore estate felt like needle pricks.
Vanessa’s high heels sank into the mud by the side of the road as the heavy iron gates slammed shut behind them with a definitive, metallic clang.
Beside her, Grant sat on his two leather suitcases, his head in his hands, staring at the wet pavement. His sports car had been repossessed by the bank twenty minutes prior; they were waiting for an Uber that Vanessa had to pay for using her personal checking account—which contained less than $4,000.
"Get up, Grant!" Vanessa spat, kicking his suitcase with her muddy shoe. "Get up and figure something out! We can't stay on the side of the road!"
Grant slowly raised his head, his eyes empty. "Figure what out, Vanessa? I have no money. My stock options are frozen. I have a $120 million liability hanging over my head. I’m finished."
"You have contacts! You’re Grant Whitmore!"
"I was Grant Whitmore," he snapped, his voice cracking with bitter rage. "Without Sterling Trust, I’m just a middle-aged man with a mountain of debt and a ruined reputation! And you... you sacrificed thirteen years of friendship with the most powerful woman in Seattle for a sinkhole!"
Vanessa recoiled as if struck. "I did this for us! You told me you loved me! You told me she was an anchor dragging you down!"
"I said a lot of things when I thought I was untouchable," Grant sneered, turning his back on her. "Now look at us. Sitting in the rain like garbage."
Vanessa’s phone buzzed sharply in her purse. She snatched it out, hoping it was her talent manager or a corporate sponsor.
Instead, it was a notification from her bank:
ALERT: Your account ending in 4092 has been frozen per court order #KV-8921 (Vance & Sterling Litigation).
Vanessa gasped, dropping her phone onto the wet grass. "No... no, no, no!"
She scrambled to pick it up, wiping the screen frantically. Another notification popped up—an email from the board of the Bellevue Arts Council, where she served as Vice Chairwoman:
Dear Miss Cole, In light of recent legal developments and pending civil litigation regarding trust property conversion, the Board has voted to terminate your position immediately.
"She’s taking everything..." Vanessa whimpered, falling to her knees in the mud. Her silk pants were ruined, black grime soaking through the expensive fabric. "She's stripping me bare..."
A sleek black Lincoln Town Car pulled up to the curb, its tinted window sliding down smoothly.
Julian Sterling leaned out from the back seat, looking down at the two disgraced figures shivering in the rain.
"Miss Cole," Julian said smoothly, holding out a crisp white envelope. "A summons from the King County Superior Court. Mrs. Whitmore is suing you for fraud, tortious interference, and conversion of assets totaling $2.4 million. Preliminary hearing is Monday morning."
Vanessa stared at the envelope, her lips trembling, unable to make a sound.
"And Mr. Whitmore," Julian added, turning his gaze to Grant. "Mrs. Whitmore’s divorce petition has been officially filed. She is requesting full legal and physical custody of the unborn child, zero spousal support, and a complete forfeiture of your marital assets to cover corporate indemnification."
Grant didn't even look up. He just stared at his muddy shoes. "Tell her... tell her she won."
May you like
"She knows," Julian said quietly.
The window rolled up, and the Lincoln accelerated smoothly into the dark Seattle rain, leaving Grant and Vanessa alone in the mud outside the gates of the paradise they had stolen—and lost.
