Luxury for Her Mother, Lectures for Mine

Feeling hungry, I ordered takeout. It wasn't until I went to pay that I realized Lucy had linked my digital wallet to a family card. Any charge over 15 dollars triggered an alert to her.

On my phone screen was a message she'd just sent.

"Toast and coffee are enough for breakfast. A croissant combo costs way more, and both the calories and the price are over the limit."

I deleted the message. On the drive to the firm, I called my best friend, Evan Thorne.

Evan was a no-nonsense divorce lawyer. After hearing my story, he blew up on the other end of the line.

"Caleb Hatcher, are you out of your damn mind? You're a top-tier corporate lawyer, and you let a mid-level lawyer box you in like this? What were you thinking when you signed that bullshit agreement?

"Did you lose your damn mind? If this gets out, how are you supposed to survive in this profession?"

I gave a bitter laugh. "I'd just made partner back then. I was drowning in work. She said she'd handle everything so I could focus on my career. That's why I didn't think twice before signing."

"That's bullshit. This is legally theft!"

Evan swore, then his tone shifted. "You didn't leave yourself any leverage?"

"My equity and stock options are under my name, but for tax optimization, they're all parked in that fund too."

"Then take the gloves off! Sue her! File for an asset freeze!"

I shook my head. "She's smart. She had the star lawyer from Whitmore & Co. notarize it. The clauses are airtight. If I file for divorce, the case will drag on for at least two years.

"During that time, all assets will be frozen. Two years, Evan. My partner status, my equity payouts, and the cases I'm handling would take a hit."

"So you're just supposed to sit there while she uses your money to buy her mother a bag costing over 200 grand, yet your own mother can't even afford 800 dollars in rent? Fine. If we can't go through the front door, we'll take the back one."

Evan paused. "I know someone. Teresa Sweeney. She used to do financial crime investigations. Now she runs her own consulting firm. She specializes in people like Lucy."

"What can she do?" I asked.

Evan's voice carried a hint of amusement. "She has a line she lives by. You can balance the books, but you can't fill a person's appetite. What she does best is follow the trail of greed until she finds the weak spot."

…

That night, when I got home, the living room was filled with the rare smell of home-cooked food.

Lucy, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of soup.

"Caleb, you're back? Go wash your hands. I made chicken broth with porcini. It's good for you."

She smiled gently, as if none of yesterday's tension had ever happened.

The small bit of warmth I had left inside me rose again, despite myself.

Maybe she was just strict about her principles, and it didn't mean she didn't love me. Maybe the rough patches were just part of being married.

I was about to say something to ease the mood when she pulled a document out from behind her and placed it in front of me.

"Caleb, sign this first."

The document read, "Equity Pledge Agreement and Joint and Several Guaranty."

I widened my eyes at the sight.

Lucy pointed at the agreement. "A friend of mine has a renewable energy project. The outlook is strong, but it requires a large upfront investment. I want to put 50 million dollars from our fund into it.

"So, I need you, in your capacity as a law firm partner, to provide a credit endorsement and joint liability guarantee."

I flipped straight to the last page and saw the company name.

I looked up at her. "Vertex Renewables? That company received a risk warning letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission just last month. And the founder, Jean Zeller, was convicted of illegal fundraising three years ago."

Lucy's smile faded. "Caleb, don't be so narrow-minded. The higher the risk, the higher the return. Jean has a record, sure. You could also say she has experience."

"So you want to gamble all our money on a con artist's project?"