Chapter 3 - The Cold Reality
The news of Dominic’s public eviction from Saint Aurelia Medical Center traveled through the city's business circles like wildfire. By the next morning, my grandfather’s legal team had already moved into high gear.
I was moved from the standard recovery room to the hospital's private penthouse suite, a luxurious space that felt more like a five-star hotel than a medical facility. But my heart remained three floors below, in the NICU, with Liam and Chloe.
My grandfather sat in an armchair across from my bed, sipping black coffee while reading through a thick leather-bound folder.
"Your ex-husband is a remarkably foolish man, Audrey," Arthur said without looking up. "He truly believed that by emptying your joint accounts, he could force you into submission. He forgot that the trust fund you inherited from your mother wasn't a cash account. It was a holding company that owns forty percent of the real estate his business operates out of."
I leaned back against the pillows, feeling the first real wave of physical exhaustion since giving birth. "He was so blinded by Natalie’s supposed wealth. Her father owns a commercial printing business. Dominic thought that by aligning with her, he was moving up in the world. He thought I was a burden."
"Well, the burden is about to become an anvil," Arthur said calmly, closing the folder. "He has already attempted to call my office seventeen times this morning. His company's stock value dropped by thirty percent at the opening bell because word got out that Vance Medical canceled its procurement contract. His suppliers are already panicking."
Right then, my phone buzzed on the bedside table. It was an unknown number, but I knew exactly who it was. I clicked answer and put it on speaker.
"Audrey! Thank God you picked up," Dominic’s voice cracked with desperation. He sounded like he hadn't slept a wink. "Audrey, listen to me. The banks have frozen my business credit lines. They said there’s an 'irregularity flag' on my accounts. Did your grandfather do this? You need to tell him to call them off! This is illegal!"
"It’s completely legal, Dominic," I said, my voice devoid of any warmth. "When a major corporation terminates a contract due to suspected fraudulent billing, banks tend to protect their own interests. You should have thought about that before you canceled my medical insurance while I was unconscious in the ICU."
"I was angry! You lied to me for three years!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the quiet room. "You let me think we were living month-to-month while your family controls billions! How is that fair?"
"I never lied to you, Dominic. I told you I wanted a simple life. I wanted to build something real with a man who loved me for who I was, not what my family owned. And you proved my grandfather right. The moment you thought I had nothing, you threw me and our premature children into the trash."
"Audrey, please," he whimpered, changing his tone instantly, trying to sound like the charming man I had married. "We can start over. Natalie... Natalie was a mistake. She tricked me. She told me she was pregnant so I would leave you. I don't love her. I love you. I want to be there for Liam and Chloe. I want to be a father."
Across the room, my grandfather’s eyes hardened into flint.
"Chloe’s name is spelled with a 'Ch', Dominic," I said coldly. "On the divorce papers you dropped in my lap, you spelled it 'Kloee'. You don't even know your own daughter's name. Don't ever use my children as a bargaining chip again."
"If you don't help me, I'll fight you for custody!" Dominic threatened, his desperation turning back into ugly rage. "I'll tell the courts you're an unfit mother who hid assets! I'll take those kids away from you!"
Before I could reply, Arthur Vance leaned forward and spoke into the phone. "Try it, young man. I have a team of forty corporate lawyers who haven't had a good litigation fight in six months. By the time they are done with you, you won't even have the legal right to adopt a hamster, let alone claim custody of a Vance heir. Good day."
I pressed the red button, cutting off Dominic’s screaming voice.
Ten minutes later, Nurse Sarah came up to the suite, her face pale. "Miss Vance? I’m sorry to bother you, but there is a woman downstairs in the lobby. It’s... it’s Natalie. She’s demanding to see you. Security is holding her back, but she’s causing a massive scene, crying and screaming that you’re trying to kill her unborn baby by destroying Dominic’s business."
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I looked at my grandfather. He gave me a slight nod, letting me make the choice.
"Bring her up," I told the nurse. "But keep two security guards inside the room. It’s time to settle the bill for that cashmere coat."
