10
401words
"How much?"
"Twelve million. That's fifteen percent of our liquidity."
Michael looked at me with concern. "And they're contacting our other limited partners."
"Call an emergency board meeting," Nathan ordered. "Within the hour."
Michael nodded and left.
Nathan turned to me. I saw the worry in his eyes, though he tried to hide it.
"It's going to be fine," he said, more to convince himself.
"Nathan, if this is too hard..." I started, but he cut me off.
"No. You are worth it, Emily. Worth any trouble that comes with this."
He touched my cheek gently, then headed for the door.
"I have to handle this. Stay at the house, okay? Do not meet with Brandon or anyone from his family alone."
After he left, I stood alone in the study, looking at the wall of photos. This man had loved me for six years, never asking for anything in return, and now he was paying the price for our marriage.
My phone rang. It was Brandon.
"Emily, I heard my parents pulled the funding," his voice dripped with fake concern.
"I'm so sorry. Maybe we can meet and talk? Find a solution?"
I knew it was a trap. But maybe it was also an opportunity.
I agreed to meet Brandon at the coffee shop in Stanford Shopping Center.
A public place. I felt safe.
But when I arrived, I found he had booked a private room.
"Why the secrecy?" I asked, hesitating at the door.
"Because we need to talk privately," he said, his eyes shifting strangely.
"Please, Emily. For the sake of our past."
I walked in cautiously, and he immediately shut the door.
"First," he said, voice suddenly cold.
"You are going to annul the marriage with Black."
My eyes widened. "What? You can't order me—"
"Oh, but I can," he interrupted, pulling out a folder. "Look at these."
I opened the folder and gasped. Photos of Nathan's business dealings—meetings with shady characters, records of offshore transfers, even a meeting with a known money launderer.
"What is this?" I whispered.
"This is who your dear husband really is," Brandon said coldly.
"Now, you can leave him voluntarily, or I leak these to the press and watch him go to prison."
Panic seized me. What if some of this was true?
Did I really know Nathan?
Just then, the door slammed open.
