Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Marco stared at the screen. Numbers in red. Everywhere. Bleeding across the graphs, across the charts, across everything he had built.

Thirty percent. Gone. In one day. Just like that.

His phone vibrated. Buzzed. Nonstop. Calls from investors. Emails from analysts. Messages from the board. Panic in every word. Fear. Anger. Blame.

He could not answer. Could not speak. Could not think..

How had this happened?

Yesterday everything was normal. Smooth. Controlled. Revenue flowing. Stone Maritime was working. Contracts intact. Business as usual.

Today nothing existed the same way. Today the empire was cracking.

He opened the email from Richard Stone. Seven A.M.

“Effective immediately, Stone Maritime is terminating all contracts with Hart Industries. Our partnership is concluded. Do not contact us regarding renewal or negotiation. This decision is final.”

No warning. No negotiation. No excuses. Just gone. Fifteen years of partnership. Billions of revenue. Terminated. Finished.

Marco tried calling. Leaving messages. Sending emails. Begging for answers. Nothing. Silence.

Stone Maritime was gone. And the market reacted. Investors sold. Stock fell. Reputation shattered. Wealth evaporating.

David burst into the office, sweating.

“The board is calling an emergency meeting,” he said. “They are furious.”

“I need time,” Marco said. His voice tight, shaking. “Time to figure this out.”

“There is no time. They are already here. Waiting.”

Marco felt his legs shake. Hands trembling. He walked to the conference room like a man walking to execution.

Eight board members sat there. Faces hard. Eyes cold. All rich, all powerful, all angry.

“Sit,” Charles said. Chair of the board. Voice sharp. “Explain how you lost thirty percent of revenue in one day. Explain the stock collapse. Explain billions vanishing.”

Marco swallowed. “Stone Maritime terminated our partnership this morning. Without warning. Without negotiation. I do not know why. Richard Stone will not respond. I… I cannot reach him.”

“You do not know why?” Charles leaned forward. “You squeezed them. Late payments. Contract changes without discussion. Threats. You treated them like they were replaceable. Did you think loyalty had no value?”

“I was negotiating better terms,” Marco said. Weak. Desperate. “For us. For the company. For the shareholders.”

“You were bullying,” said Thomas, older board member. “You burned bridges. Destroyed relationships. Acted like they needed you more than you needed them. And now it has all blown up in our faces.”

Marco gritted his teeth. “I can fix this. I can replace them. Find new partners. Rebuild the revenue.”

“Three months?” Charles’s voice was ice. “Three months and the company is finished. Investors are gone. Employees will leave. Partners will not wait. Three months is a death sentence.”

Marco’s hands curled into fists. “Then tell me what you want.”

“We want results,” Charles said. “Not excuses. Not promises. Results. A real plan. One week. You deliver or we vote. And Marco, we already have the votes. One week.”

One week. Seven days to save fifteen yea

t of revenue, the empire he built.

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Chapter 42

He sat alone after the meeting, head in hands, breathing fast. His phone buzzed. Margaret calling. He ignored it. Could not face her. Could not face their spending, their demands, their weight. Could not deal with anyone

now.

Another buzz. Ria this time. Ignored again. He could not explain failure. Could not admit weakness. Could not show anything.

David appeared in the doorway. “There is more.”

“More what?”

“Three investors pulled out. Anderson. Thompson. Chen. Sold everything. Another billion gone.”

Marco closed his eyes. Empty. Hollow. Rats fleeing a sinking ship.

“The analysts,” David continued. “Downgrades everywhere. Price targets cut. They say this is the beginning of the end.”

The beginning of the end.

Six months ago he had everything. Power. Wealth. Respect. A thriving company. A beautiful wife.

Now everything was upside down.

Lucia. She had nothing. Or so he thought. Destroyed. Broken. Gone.

And now she was alive in his mind. Somewhere with Alexander Kane. Thriving. Powerful. Rich. Untouchable. While he… he was drowning. Losing. Falling apart.

He remembered the gala. Her transformation. How she moved. How she looked. Confidence. Power. Beauty. Fire. The way she had stared at him. Not fear. Not awe. Not love. But judgment. Control. Strength.

Was it possible? Could she be behind this? Could she and Alexander Kane have bought Stone Maritime? Could they be destroying him?

No. No, impossible. Paranoia. Fear talking. But then he remembered every detail. The gala. Her calm. Her eyes. Her subtle hints. He had underestimated her.

Could it be revenge? Could the woman he discarded, the woman he called nothing, be the one orchestrating this?

He could not ignore the thought.

The city stretched out below his office window. Lights flickering. People walking. Living normal lives. Unaware of the war raging high above.

Richard Stone was free. Eight hundred million richer. Away from Marco. Away from fifteen years of partnership. Away from him.

Marco sat at his desk. Surrounded by symbols of success. Awards. Photos. Contracts. Everything meaningless now. Hollow. Fragile.

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