Chapter 5 - The Collapse of Brooks Capital
The courtyard erupted into absolute chaos.
Arthur Ward instructed his private security team to shut down the event immediately, forcing hundreds of confused high-society guests to clear the premises. Caterers stopped serving, the string quartet hastily packed their instruments, and whisper networks across Chicago began buzzing with news of the scandal.
Ryan stood in the center of the abandoned foyer, looking around frantically as his mother wept against a marble pillar and Lauren threw her bridal bouquet onto the floor, screaming insults at her father as he marched toward his limousine.
I turned calmly toward the exit, my arm resting comfortably in Caleb's.
"Mia! Stop! Please!" Ryan shouted, running down the marble steps behind me, his tie completely undone, his polished appearance completely destroyed.
I stopped at the bottom of the steps, turning to face him one last time.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ryan begged, his eyes wide with a desperate, pathetic pleading. "Mia, I... I wanted a child more than anything! If I knew you were carrying my baby, I would have never signed those papers! I would have stayed!"
"That's exactly why I didn't tell you, Ryan," I said softly, looking at him with deep pity. "You would have stayed for a child, but you would have continued to destroy me. You didn't want a family. You wanted an trophy to validate your ego."
"Please, let me see her," Ryan sobbed, taking a step toward me, reaching out with trembling hands. "Just tell me where she is. Let me see my daughter."
"Her name is Clara," I said quietly. "And the next time you see her, it will be across a courtroom table while you explain to a judge why you stole her mother's inheritance."
Caleb opened the door of our car. I stepped inside, sitting back against the leather seat as the vehicle pulled away from the Drake Estate.
Through the rear window, I watched Ryan Brooks fall to his knees on the stone driveway, completely alone in his wedding tuxedo as the autumn wind scattered the white rose petals across the ground.
Two hours later, the local news broke the story: Brooks Capital under federal investigation for multi-million dollar wire fraud; Apex merger terminated amid corporate scandal.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand of my hotel suite. It was a text message from an unknown number, but I knew who it was immediately.
RYAN: I'm sorry, Mia. Please. Don't take my daughter away from me.
May you like
I looked down at Clara, who was sleeping peacefully in her crib beside my bed, her tiny hand curled around her soft blanket.
I didn't reply. I simply blocked the number, turned off the phone, and held my daughter close to my heart.
