Chapter 4

The morning sun blasted through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Valdez Corp headquarters in Manhattan.

The light hit Ervin right in his bloodshot eyes.

He sat behind his massive ebony desk. His tie hung loose around his neck. The glass ashtray was overflowing with crushed cigarette butts. He had not slept a single second.

Alex Dunn knocked softly and pushed the glass door open. The executive assistant looked terrified.

Alex held a thick, brown FedEx envelope in both hands. He placed it gently on the edge of the desk.

Ervin glared at the package. "What is that?" His voice was a rough gravel.

Alex swallowed hard. "It is the divorce agreement from Mrs. Valdez's private attorney, sir."

Ervin's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. He snatched the envelope off the desk.

He ripped the cardboard flap open. He pulled out the stack of legal documents. They smelled like fresh ink.

His eyes scanned the dense paragraphs. His jaw clenched tighter with every line.

He stopped at page four.

"Waives all rights to trust fund yields and real estate. Leaves with zero assets."

Ervin let out a dark, booming laugh.

He slammed the thick stack of papers onto the desk. The bone china coffee cup rattled. Hot black coffee sloshed over the rim.

"She is playing a high-level game of hard to get just to make me compromise," Ervin growled.

He looked up at Alex. "A woman used to endless luxury will not last three days before she comes crying back to me."

Alex stood perfectly still. He nodded quickly, too afraid to speak.

Ervin grabbed the desk phone. He punched the direct line to the Chief Counsel of the legal department.

"Use every legal loophole in the Bankruptcy Code and family law to stall this agreement indefinitely," Ervin ordered.

He slammed the phone down. His chest still felt tight. He yanked at his collar, popping the top button off his shirt.

He grabbed his personal cell phone. The screen was blank. No missed calls. No begging texts from Kelsey.

The blood rushed to his head. He opened his contacts. He found Kelsey's name.

He pressed the block and delete buttons.

He threw the phone across the desk. It slid across the wood and smashed into his pen holder.

"Cancel all board meetings this morning," Ervin barked at Alex.

"And call the bank. Freeze every single Centurion Card and account under her name. Cut her off completely."

Alex scribbled furiously on his notepad. He turned to run out of the suffocating room.

Alex's hand touched the door handle.

"Wait," Ervin's voice dropped an octave.

He stared at his computer screen, pretending to read an email. "What did the penthouse security footage show from last night?"

Alex cleared his throat. "The footage shows she left alone, carrying only one old suitcase. She took a cab."

Ervin's jawline turned to granite. A cold spike of dread pierced his stomach. He ignored it.

He waved his hand, dismissing Alex.

The massive office fell into a dead silence.

Ervin's eyes drifted back to the last page of the divorce agreement.

Kelsey Head. Her signature was neat and steady.

He grabbed his heavy metal fountain pen. He pressed the nib against the paper right next to her name.

He slashed a thick, violent black line across the page.

The sharp metal tore right through the thick paper, leaving a deep, permanent scratch in the expensive wood of his desk.