He Gave Me a Bankrupt Shell, Then I Bought His Life

"Sign it. This bankrupt shell company called Apex is the last bit of charity I will give you."

The thick stack of divorce papers slapped against the black walnut desk, sliding until the edge hit my knuckles.

I stared down at the crisp white pages. The terms sat right at the top, mocking me. Apex Industries. A firm buried under millions in debt. Next to the contract lay a single, neatly torn check for five hundred thousand dollars.

A severance package for three years of marriage.

"Julian," I said, keeping my voice entirely flat. "Five hundred thousand. And a corporate corpse."

Julian Thorne adjusted his cuffs, not bothering to look me in the eye. He shifted his weight, pulling the blonde woman beside him closer to his side.

Chloe Mercer leaned into his chest, tracing the lapel of his tailored gray suit. "It is more than fair, Victoria. Julian does not owe you anything after the way you embarrassed him this past year."

I kept my eyes on Julian. "Embarrassed him? By catching him in our guest bed with his administrative assistant?"

"Watch your mouth," Julian snapped. His jaw tightened. "Chloe is going to be my wife. You are just a mistake I am finally correcting."

The corners of my mouth stretched upward. I forced the facial muscles to hold a wide, hollow smile.

"A mistake," I repeated. "Right."

"Apex is completely underwater," I said, tapping the paper with one fingernail. "It owes suppliers three million. The warehouse roof collapsed last month. You are not giving me an asset, Julian. You are handing me a liability to sink me."

"Business is tough," Julian said, offering a careless shrug. "You always said you wanted to run your own company. Here is your chance."

Chloe let out a high, thin laugh. "She would not know the first thing about running a business. She is just a housewife. You are too generous, babe."

Julian kissed the top of her head. "I am a fair man. Fifty grand would have been enough to get her out of my house. Five hundred thousand gives her time to find a cheap apartment before the creditors tear her apart."

I picked up the check. The paper felt heavy between my fingers. "You planned this. You drained the joint accounts, funneled the liquid cash into Chloe's name, and left me with a sinking ship."

"Prove it," Julian challenged, stepping closer to the desk. He planted both hands on the walnut surface, leaning over me. "My lawyers are the best in the city. You fight this, you walk away with zero. You sign today, you get the check and Apex. Take the deal, Victoria."

"Three years," I said softly. "I built the client roster you use today. I charmed the investors when your startup was bleeding money."

"You hosted a few dinner parties," Julian scoffed, pushing off the desk. "Do not overstate your value."

Chloe picked up a gold-plated pen from the holder. She twirled it, then tossed it onto the papers. "Just sign, Victoria. We have a flight to Paris in three hours. We are celebrating our engagement."

I stared at the pen. Then at Chloe's left hand. A massive diamond caught the overhead lights.

"My grandmother's ring," I noted.

Julian did not flinch. "It needed a better setting. And a better woman to wear it."

The fake smile on my face hardened. My chest felt hollowed out, scraped clean of whatever affection I once held for the man standing across from me.

"You reset my grandmother's diamond for your mistress."

"Fiancée," Chloe corrected, her tone laced with artificial sweetness.

"Give it back," I demanded, standing up. My chair scraped loudly against the hardwood floor.

Julian stepped in front of Chloe. "It is family property. My family. You are no longer part of it. Sign the papers."

"Or what?" I challenged.

"Or I drag this out in court for five years," Julian threatened, his voice dropping into a dangerous register. "I will freeze your bank accounts. I will make sure you cannot afford a cup of coffee, let alone a lawyer. You will crawl back here begging for ten thousand."

"You always played the victim," Julian continued, pacing a short line across the Persian rug. "Even now, you act like I am the villain. I gave you a luxurious life. You never had to work. You spent your days shopping and attending charity galas."

"I attended those galas to network for you," I shot back. "I secured the Anderson account because I played tennis with Mrs. Anderson every Tuesday for six months. I got the zoning permits for your downtown project because I spent weeks organizing the mayor's reelection fundraiser."

"Stop rewriting history," Julian commanded. "My team secured those deals. You just smiled and wore expensive dresses."

"Dresses you picked out," I reminded him. "Dresses you told me to wear so I would look like the perfect, compliant wife on your arm."

Chloe rolled her eyes, stepping closer to the desk. "God, you are so dramatic. No wonder Julian got bored. You treat every conversation like a board meeting."

"And you treat every board meeting like a speed-dating event," I replied evenly.

Chloe's mouth fell open. She turned to Julian, her eyes welling with fake tears. "Julian, are you going to let her speak to me like that?"

Julian pointed a finger at my face. "One more insult, Victoria, and I call the lawyers. I will tear up that check right now."

"Tear it up," I challenged, holding his gaze. "Call them. Let us go to court. Let us open up the financial records during discovery. I am sure the judge will love seeing the offshore accounts you opened in the Cayman Islands last year."

Julian froze. His finger slowly lowered.

"What are you talking about?" he muttered, his voice losing its confident edge.

"I am talking about the three million dollars that suddenly vanished from the research and development budget," I said. "The money you claimed was lost in a bad investment. I know where it went, Julian."

Chloe looked between us, confused. "Babe? What is she talking about?"

"Nothing," Julian said quickly. He cleared his throat. "She is bluffing. She does not know anything about the company finances."

"Try me," I offered, leaning forward. "Rip up the check. Call the lawyers. Let us see who bluffs."

The silence in the room stretched out, thick and heavy. Julian stared at me, his jaw working as he ground his teeth together. He was trying to figure out how much I actually knew. He was trying to calculate the risk.

Finally, he stepped back.

"You are crazy," he muttered. "I am not wasting years in court with a crazy woman. Take the five hundred thousand. Take Apex. We are done."

Chloe checked her phone, sighing loudly. "Julian, the driver is waiting downstairs. Make her hurry up."

I uncapped the pen. The metal felt cold against my skin.

"You are sure about this?" I asked, looking dead into Julian's eyes. "You are sure you want to give me Apex?"

Julian rolled his eyes. "It is a garbage company, Victoria. It fits you perfectly. Just sign."

I did not argue. I did not scream.

I pressed the nib to the signature line. The ink flowed smoothly as I wrote my name. Victoria Sterling.

I flipped to the second page. Signed again.

Third page. Signed.

Julian did not know about the blue folder hidden inside my leather purse. The original patent deed for the micro-routing software Thorne Enterprises relied on to function, legally registered to Apex Industries.

By giving me Apex, he had just handed me the master key to his entire empire.

"Good girl," Julian mocked, crossing his arms. "Now pack your bags. I want you out of the penthouse by tonight. Chloe is moving her things in tomorrow."

"I already packed," I replied, finishing the final signature. "I do not want anything from this house. It reeks of cheap perfume and betrayal."

Chloe gasped, her face flushing red. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," I said, capping the pen. "Enjoy the penthouse, Chloe. I hope you do not mind sleeping on the mattress where Julian brought his last three secretaries."

Julian slammed his hand on the desk. "Shut up, Victoria. You got your money. Now get out."

"Gladly."

I picked up the stack of papers and shoved them across the desk. They slid off the edge and scattered across the floor at Julian's feet.

"Hey!" Chloe yelped, jumping back to avoid the falling documents.

I grabbed the gold pen. I did not place it back in the holder. I tossed it straight into the metal trash can beside the desk. It hit the bottom with a sharp, hollow clatter.

I picked up the check, folded it once, and slipped it into my pocket.

"You will pay for your generosity today," I said.