Chapter 3 - The Offer at the Plaza
While Carter Global burned, Claire sat in the quiet, sunlit corner of the Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel, sipping a second cup of Earl Grey tea.
Her phone buzzed continuously on the white tablecloth.
Calls from Michael. Calls from his mother, Margaret. Calls from three different PR crisis management firms in Manhattan trying to figure out how to spin a scandal that had already crossed over from corporate intranet into financial news blogs.
She ignored every single one.
At 11:15 a.m., a tall, impeccably tailored man approached her table. It was Richard Vance—no relation to Miriam, but rather the senior managing partner of Vance & Sterling Law, and the most feared divorce litigator on the Eastern Seaboard.
"Mind if I join you, Claire?" Richard asked politely.
"Please do, Richard," Claire said, gesturing to the empty chair opposite her. "I assume you represent the sinking ship currently docked on Madison Avenue?"
Richard chuckled softly, sitting down and folding his hands on the table. "You always were too sharp for your own good, Claire. Michael is currently staring at a termination for cause, a federal inquiry into corporate expense abuse, and an asset freeze on all personal holdings tied to company stock options."
"That sounds like a busy Tuesday morning for him," Claire replied smoothly, stirring her tea.
"It is," Richard agreed. "Which is why he sent me here. The board wants this contained before it hits the Wall Street Journal tomorrow morning. If Carter Global takes a public relations hit of this magnitude, the stock will drop fifteen points by closing bell."
"And what does Michael want?"
"He wants to negotiate a quiet exit," Richard said, sliding a thick legal folder across the table. "He’s willing to sign over his shares of the townhouse, transfer his personal investment portfolio into your sole name, and grant an uncontested divorce on the grounds of adultery, provided you agree to sign a non-disparagement clause regarding the corporate governance violations."
Claire opened the folder, her eyes scanning the itemized assets. The townhouse, the stock transfers, the offshore accounts, the real estate holdings in the Hamptons. It was an empire.
She closed the folder slowly, looking straight into the lawyer's experienced eyes.
"Tell Michael three things, Richard."
"I'm listening."
"First, the non-disparagement clause is rejected. The email is already out; 127 people have it, and corporate compliance has already locked his terminal. You can't put toothpaste back in the tube."
Richard nodded slowly. "And second?"
"The divorce will not be quietly filed. It will list every single corporate asset he misused to fund his lifestyle, including the exact dates, receipts, and invoices associated with Miss Adams."
"And third?"
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A cool, confident smile touched the corners of Claire’s mouth.
"Tell him I accept the townhouse and the portfolio. Not because it’s a generous offer, but because it’s the bare minimum of what he owes me for three years of building his reputation while he was busy playing office romance."
