Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The call came at nine AM Tuesday. Richard Lewis. Marco’s biggest investor. Three billion tied up in the expansion project.

“Marco. We need to talk.”

Marco gripped the phone. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m pulling out. All of it.”

The office tilted. “What? Why?”

“Board voted last night. Unanimously. We’re divesting from Hart Industries.” Richard’s voice was flat. Professional. Final.

“But we signed contracts.”

“With exit clauses. Which we’re exercising. You’ll have our formal notice by end of day.”

“Richard. We’ve worked together for eight years. What happened?”

Silence. Then. “Questions came up. About your financials. About irregularities. My board doesn’t like what they found.”

“What irregularities?”

“You tell me, Marco. Your CFO should have the details. Goodbye.”

The line went dead.

Marco set down the phone. His hand shook.

Three billion. Gone.

His office door opened. David walked in. Face grim. Holding a folder.

“We need to talk.”

“Lewis just pulled out.”

“I know. He called me first. Wanted to verify numbers.” David dropped the folder on Marco’s desk. “Numbers that don’t add up.”

Marco opened it. Spreadsheets. Bank statements. Wire transfers.

His stomach dropped.

“This is from two years ago. Ancient history.”

“Ancient history that’s surfacing now.” David sat. Leaned forward. “The board hired an external auditor. Without telling us. They’ve been digging for three weeks.”

“They can’t do that.”

“They can when shareholders demand it. Because someone told them exactly where to look.”

“Who?”

“Anonymous tip apparently. But whoever it was knew precisely what to find.” David tapped the folder. “These transfers. Moving company funds through your personal accounts. Then offshore. Care to explain?” Marco’s mouth went dry. “Legitimate business expense.”

“For what?”

“Legal fees. Divorce planning.”

“You used company money for your divorce?”

“I paid it back.”

“Did you?” David pulled out another sheet. “The auditors can’t find repayment. And even company funds for personal matters is breach of fiduciary duty.”

if

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did. Using

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Chapter 21

The words hung heavy. Breach. Duty. Legal terms meaning lawsuits. Investigations. Destruction.

“How bad?” Marco asked.

“Bad. Board meets Friday. Emergency session. They’re going to ask questions. Hard ones. And if they don’t like your answers.” David stood. “They can remove you. As CEO. As chairman. Strip your voting rights.” “They wouldn’t.”

“They would. Lewis wasn’t the only investor who pulled out today. Two others called this morning. Smaller amounts. But the pattern is clear. People are running.”

After David left, Marco sat alone. Staring at the folder.

Numbers he’d hoped would stay buried. Transfers made when planning his exit from Lucia. Money moved to hide assets. To reduce the divorce settlement.

All legal. Technically.

But it looked bad. Smelled worse.

And now everyone was examining it.

His phone buzzed. Text from the board secretary.

“Emergency board meeting scheduled Friday 9 AM. Your attendance required. Bring counsel.”

Bring counsel. They were building a case.

Marco poured whiskey from the bottle in his desk. Ten AM. Too early. He drank anyway.

The office felt smaller. Walls pressing in.

His phone rang. Margaret.

He almost didn’t answer.

“Yes?”

“Where are you? I thought we had lunch today.”

“I can’t. Work crisis.”

“What kind of crisis?”

“Financial. Big.”

“Well how long will it take? I made reservations at Laurent’s. Already invited the girls.”

“Cancel it.”

“I can’t just cancel. That’s rude.”

“Margaret. I have meetings. Calls. The board is. Things are complicated.”

“Things are always complicated with you.” Her voice sharpened. “You promised you’d make time for my social life. For building our network.”

“Our network isn’t important right now.”

“Not important? You’re the one who said we needed to be seen together. To show everyone we’re a power couple.”

“That was before.”

“Before what?”

“Before everything started falling apart.”

Silence. Then. “What do you mean?”

Marco shouldn’t tell her. Shouldn’t burden her.

But maybe she’d understand.

“Investors are pulling out. The board is investigating financial irregularities. Friday they might remove me.”

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Chapter 21

“Remove you from what?”

“From the company. My position. Everything.”

More silence. Her breathing sharp. Quick.

“How bad?” she asked.

“Could be very bad. Could lose voting rights. Salary. Everything.”

“But you’d still have your money. Right? Your personal wealth.”

“Some of it. If the board doesn’t sue. If shareholders don’t demand restitution.”

“So you don’t know.”

“No.”

Margaret was quiet. Then. “What does this mean for us?”

“For us?”

“For our lifestyle. The house. The trips. The things we planned.”

Marco felt something cold settle in his chest. “It means we might need to scale back. For a while.”

“Scale back how much?”

“I don’t know. Maybe significantly.”

“Define significantly.”

“Margaret. I might be fighting for my company. For my reputation. Scaling back expenses is the least of my worries.”

“But it’s not the least of mine.” Her voice had gone flat. Cold. “You promised me a life, Marco. A specific life. With specific things. That was the deal.”

“The deal?”

“Yes. I marry you. Support you. Build this perfect family. And you give me the lifestyle I deserve.”

The words hit like punches. Deal. Deserve. Transaction.

“I’m not a bank, Margaret.”

“No. You’re my husband. Who promised things. Who said I’d never worry about money. Who said I’d have everything I wanted.”

“And you will. Just maybe not right now.”

“So when? When you lose the company? When we’re living on scraps?”

“We won’t be living on scraps. Even worst case. We’re still wealthy.”

“Wealthy.” She spat the word. “I didn’t marry you for wealthy. I married you for extraordinary.”

Marco’s hand tightened on the phone. “You married me because you love me. Right?”

Silence.

“Right?” he repeated.

“Of course,” Margaret said. But her voice was wrong. Hollow. “I just need to process this.”

“Margaret.”

“I have to go. The lunch. I’ll make excuses. We’ll talk tonight.”

She hung up.

Marco stared at his phone.

We’ll talk tonight.

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