Unaware His Wife Was The Heiress Of A Secret Trillionaire, He Signed The Divorce Papers Mocking…….
The sound of the pen scratching against the paper was louder than a gunshot. Liam didn’t just sign the divorce papers. He scribbled his name with a smirk, pushed the document across the sticky diner table, and wiped his hands as if he had just touched something filthy. He looked at his wife, a woman who had scrubbed floors and weighted tables to pay off his student loans, and laughed.
You were just a stepping stone, Natalie. I need a queen, not a servant. He thought he had won. He thought he was free. He had no idea that the woman he just discarded was the sole heirs to the Blackwood trillion dollar empire, and his signature just cost him everything. The fluorescent lights of the rusty spoon hummed with an irritating buzz, a sound Natalie had grown used to after 3 years of double shifts.
The diner smelled of stale coffee and grease, a sharp contrast to the crisp, expensive scent of cologne that currently assaulted her senses. Liam sat across from her in booth 4. He wasn’t wearing the fraying sweaters she used to patch up for him. [clears throat] Today he wore a tailored charcoal suit, a silk tie, and a watch that cost more than what Natalie made in a year.
He looked like the man she always knew he could be. the man she had sacrificed everything to build. “Are you going to stare at it all day, or are you going to sign?” Liam asked, his voice devoid of the warmth it once held. He tapped a manicured fingernail against the divorce settlement. Natalie looked down at the papers. The terms were brutal.
Zero alimony. No division of assets. Not that they had many, or rather, not that he thought they had many. He was keeping the apartment she had paid the deposit for. He was keeping the car she had bought him so he could drive to interviews. “Liam,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, not from fear, but from a deep, aching disappointment.
“It’s our anniversary,” Liam let out a short, cruel laugh. He glanced over his shoulder toward the entrance of the diner where a woman with platinum blonde hair and a red dress was waiting impatiently by a brand new Mercedes. Vanessa, the boss’s daughter at the firm, Liam had just joined. Anniversaries are for people with a future, Natalie.
Liam sneered, leaning in. Look at you. You smell like French fries and despair. I’m a junior partner now. I’m closing deals in Manhattan. Do you really think I can bring you to a gala? You’re a waitress. I was a waitress so you could study, Natalie reminded him, her eyes hardening. I worked two jobs so you didn’t have to work one.
And I appreciate the charity, Liam said dismissively, checking his reflection in the napkin dispenser. But that was a transaction, Nat. You invested in a stock, but you don’t have the portfolio to keep it. I’ve outgrown you, Vanessa. She fits the life I’m living now. She has class connections. When I walk into a room with her, people respect me.
When I walk in with you, they ask for a refill on their water. The cruelty of the statement hung in the air. The other patrons in the diner, mostly truckers and locals who knew Natalie as the kindest soul in town, were glaring at Liam. But he didn’t care. He was above them now. Natalie picked up the cheap blue ballpoint pen. She didn’t cry.
That was the thing Liam failed to notice. A broken woman cries. A determined woman goes quiet. You’re sure about this, Liam? She asked one last time. Once I sign this, there is no going back. You are walking away from everything we built and everything we could be. I’m counting on it, he scoffed. Just sign the papers, Natalie. Don’t make this pathetic.
She looked him in the eye. For a second, Liam felt a shiver of unease. Her eyes weren’t the eyes of a defeated waitress. They were cold, calculating, and frighteningly deep. It was a look he had never seen on her before. With a steady hand, she signed Natalie Blackwood. She usually signed as Natalie Davis, his last name. He frowned at the signature.
“Blackwood? Who is Blackwood?” Liam asked, confused. “You can’t even sign your name, right? You’re so incompetent.” “It’s my maiden name,” Natalie said softly, sliding the papers back to him. I thought you might want your name back, considering you think it’s too valuable for me. Liam snatched the papers, not bothering to think about why he had never heard that name before.
He stood up, buttoning his jacket. Keep the change, Natalie. Buy yourself a new apron. He threw a $100 bill onto the table. A final stinging insult. Natalie didn’t touch the money. She watched as Liam stroed out of the diner, the bell chiming cheerfully as he left. She watched him walk to the Mercedes where Vanessa wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, looking back at the diner window with a triumphant smirk.
They drove off, leaving a cloud of exhaust in the humid air. Jenny, the diner’s manager and Natalie’s only friend in town, rushed over with a pot of coffee. Honey, I am so sorry. I should have thrown that scumbag out the moment he walked in. Doyou want to go home? Take the rest of the shift off. Natalie remained seated. The silence around her was heavy.
Then slowly she reached for the $100 bill Liam had thrown at her. She folded it neatly. “No, Jenny,” Natalie said. Her voice had changed. The submissive, tired tone of the waitress was gone. In its place was a voice textured with steel and authority. “I don’t need to go home. I need to make a phone call.” “A phone call?” Jenny asked, confused by the sudden shift in Natalie’s demeanor.
“Yes,” Natalie stood up. She untied her grease stained apron and let it drop to the floor. Underneath the exhaustion, her posture straightened. She grew 2 in taller just by the way she held her shoulders. I need to call my father. It seems the experiment is over. Liam laughed as he merged onto the highway, the Mercedes purring beneath him.
He felt lighter, unbburdened. The divorce papers sat in the glove compartment like a trophy. She didn’t make a scene, Vanessa asked, examining her nails. She wouldn’t dare. Liam bragged, one hand on the steering wheel. She knows her place. God, I don’t know how I tolerated that smell for 3 years.
She actually thought I’d stay. I’m destined for the seauite, Vanessa. Not a trailer park. You made the right choice, baby. Vanessa purred. My father is already talking about putting you on the Henderson account. That’s a multi-million dollar portfolio. You need a partner who understands that world. Liam grinned. He had it all mapped out.
The job, the girl, the money. Natalie [clears throat] was just a blurry memory in the rear view mirror. Meanwhile, back at the rusty spoon, the atmosphere had shifted. Natalie walked to the back of the diner, past the sizzling grill and the stacks of dirty dishes. She pulled a burner phone from her locker, a cheap flip phone she used for her Natalie Davis life. She tossed it into the trash can.
From the very bottom of her bag, hidden inside an old sock, she pulled out a sleek black satellite phone. [clears throat] It was a device worth more than the entire diner. She dialed a single number. Status! A deep voice answered immediately. No greeting, just professional readiness. It’s done, Charles.
Natalie said he signed. I am sorry to hear that, Miss Blackwood. Or should I say, congratulations. He mocked me, Charles. He threw $100 at me, Natalie said, a dry amusement in her voice. He said I smelled like French fries and despair. Shall I initiate the acquisition of his firm? Charles asked calmly. Not yet, Natalie replied, walking out the back door of the diner into the alleyway.
I want him to climb a little higher. It hurts more when you fall from the penthouse than from the basement. But Charles, yes, Miss Blackwood, send the car. I’m done waiting tables. 10 minutes later, the few pedestrians on Main Street stopped and stared. A convoy of three black SUVs flanking a custom Rolls-Royce Phantom rolled slowly down the cracked pavement of the small town.
The vehicles looked like spaceships compared to the rusted pickups and sedans parked nearby. The convoy stopped in front of the alleyway behind the diner. A chauffeur in a pristine uniform stepped out of the Rolls-Royce. He didn’t look at the garbage bins or the stray cats. He walked straight to Natalie, who was standing there in her jeans and worn out sneakers.
Miss Blackwood, the chauffeur bowed deeply. Your father is waiting for you in Zurich. The jet is fueled. Natalie nodded. She looked back at the diner one last time. 3 years. She had spent 3 years living in poverty, working gruelling hours, all to prove a point to herself. She wanted to know if someone could love her for her, not for the Blackwood name.
Her father, Harrison Blackwood, the man who quietly owned half the shipping lanes in the Atlantic and major stakes in the tech sector, had warned her. Men are greedy, Natalie. Without the money, they show their true colors. She had argued with him. She had believed in Liam. She had paid his tuition anonymously.
She had arranged for his job interview through shell companies, so he would think he earned it on merit. She had built the very pedestal he was now standing on to look down on her. “Burn the apron,” Natalie said to the chauffeur as she slid into the leather interior of the Rolls-Royce. “Excuse me, miss. The apron inside. Burn it.
And by the building,” she added casually, as if ordering a sandwich. Give the deed to Jenny, the manager. Tell her it’s a severance package. Consider it done. As the heavy door clicked shut, silencing the noise of the outside world, Natalie leaned back. She reached for the crystal glass of sparkling water waiting for her.
She caught her reflection in the glass partition. The waitress was dead. The airs had returned. 3 months passed. Liam’s life was accelerating. With Vanessa on his arm, he was navigating the social circles of the elite, or at least the circles he thought were elite. He was spending money he didn’t quite have yet, leveraging credit cards on the promiseof his upcoming bonus.
“We have a massive opportunity,” his boss, Mr. Sterling, announced during the Monday morning partner meeting. Liam sat up straighter. The Blackwood group is looking for legal representation for their North American expansion, Sterling said, his voice dropping to a reverent whisper.
This is a trillion dollar conglomerate. They are elusive, private. Harrison Blackwood is a ghost, but his daughter. Rumor has it she has taken an active role in the company recently. Liam nodded eagerly. I can handle it, sir. I’ve been crushing the Henderson files. This isn’t Henderson, Liam. Sterling [clears throat] warned. The Blackwoods eat companies for breakfast.
But if we land this, you’re looking at a sevenf figure bonus. The daughter, Natalie Blackwood, is holding a preliminary gala in New York next week to scout firms. I’m sending you and Vanessa. Liam’s heart pounded. This was it. The big league. Natalie Blackwood. Liam mused, testing the name.
Funny, my ex-wife’s name was Natalie. Common name, Sterling [clears throat] shrugged. But I assure you, this woman is nothing like your ex-wife. This woman is royalty. Liam smirked. Don’t worry, sir. I know how to handle women. I’ll have the contract signed before the appetizers are served. He went home that night and celebrated with a bottle of champagne that cost $400.
He toasted to himself. To the Blackwood account, he said, clinking glasses with Vanessa. To being rich, Vanessa corrected him. Little did Liam know, the invitation to the gala wasn’t a random selection. It had been personally approved by the CEO, and she was preparing a reception he would never forget. 3 months was not a long time in the grand scheme of things, but for Natalie Blackwood, it was enough time to shed a skin.
[clears throat] The penthouse occupied the entire top three floors of one of Manhattan’s thinnest, tallest needle towers, overlooking Central Park. It was a fortress of quiet luxury, upholstered in creams, cashmere, and polished Italian marble. The air here was different, rarified, filtered, and smelling faintly of jasmine and old money.
Natalie sat in a minimalist office that felt more like the bridge of a spaceship than a room. The ergonomic chair she sat in cost more than the car Liam currently drove. She was no longer the woman who smelled of frier grease. That woman had been scrubbed away in marble steam rooms.
Her calloused hands softened with rare La Mer creams. Her faded messy bun replaced by a sleek architectural cut designed by a stylist who charged five figures just to pick up scissors. She wore an oatmeal colored powers suit by the row. understated, unstructured, yet screaming absolute authority. “Charles,” Natalie said, her voice crisp, lacking the hesitant softness she had cultivated for 3 years.
She didn’t look up from the holographic tablet projected on her desk surface. Charles, her everpresent fixer and head of security, stepped forward from the shadows. “Yes, Miss Blackwood. the acquisition of the shipping yards in Hamburg. Stall them. The Union leaders are getting greedy. Let them sweat for 48 hours, then offer 70% of their asking price. They’ll take it. Very good.
And the dossier on Sterling and Associates. Natalie finally looked up. Her eyes, once warm pools of support for a struggling student, were now Arctic. Liam’s firm, the very same. They are desperate for the North American expansion contract. Mr. Sterling seems to believe sending his bright young star to the gala will seal the deal.
Charles placed a glossy Manila folder on her desk. Natalie opened it. The first page was a highresolution candid photo taken by one of Charles’s operatives just yesterday. It showed Liam leaving a high-end jeweler with Vanessa hanging off his arm, giggling. They looked like the picture perfect corporate power couple.
Liam looked smug. Natalie studded his face. It was incredible, really. She had slept next to that man for 3 years. She had darned his socks. She had listened to his anxieties about exams. She knew he was allergic to shellfish and terrified of spiders. Yet looking at the photo, she felt nothing but clinical detachment.
He was an asset intended for liquidation. He bought her a bracelet. Charles noted dryly. Cartier put it on three different credit cards. He’s already leveraged his anticipated bonus. He always did spend money before he earned it. Natalie said, closing the file. He thinks he’s bought a ticket to the high life. He doesn’t realize he’s just purchased rope.
She stood up and walked to the floor to ceiling window. Central Park looked like a small rectangular garden far below. The preparation for the gala? She asked. Finalized. The guest list is tight. Only the top tier of global finance, old media, and industrial titans. Sterling and Associates made the cut only because you explicitly ordered it.
Good, Miss Blackwood. Charles paused, choosing his words carefully. Are you certain about this approach? Your father, were hehere, might suggest a swift corporate crushing, bankrupting the firm, blacklisting Liam. This theatrical approach, it requires you to be in close proximity to him. Natalie turned from the window.
The afternoon sun caught the subtle diamond studs in her ears. My father understood money, Charles. He didn’t understand people like Liam. [clears throat] Liam thrives on perception. If I just bankrupt him, he’ll play the victim. He’ll blame the economy. Bad luck. He needs to be dismantled from the inside out.
He needs to realize that the queen he was searching for was the woman he treated like a peasant. I want him to see the summit. Let him taste the air up here. And then I want to be the one to push him off. She walked back to her desk and pressed an intercom button. Sloan, have the emeralds arrived from the vault? A terrified sounding assistant replied instantly.
Yes, Miss Blackwood. Security just delivered them. The tiara and the necklace. Bring them in. The gala was in two days. Natalie wasn’t just attending an event. She was curating a grand stage. Liam wanted a world of glamour and exclusivity. She was going to give it to him wrapped in barbed wire. The Metropolitan Museum of Art had been closed to the public for the evening.
A red carpet, thick as a mattress, ran up the iconic stone steps, flanked by private security guards who looked more like mercenaries than ushers. Liam stepped out of the black limousine, adjusting the cuffs of his rented tuxedo. He inhaled deeply. The air smelled of expensive perfume and exhaust fumes from a 100 idling luxury cars.
This was it. This was where he belonged. Vanessa slinkedked out beside him. She wore a red sequined dress that was perhaps a little too tight, a little too loud for this crowd of understated old money. But Liam thought she looked stunning. She was a trophy that shined. “Look at this place,” Liam, Vanessa whispered, her eyes wide as she took in the towering banners announcing the Blackwood Foundation gala.
“Everyone who is anyone is here. Is that the CEO of JP Morgan over there? Probably, Liam said, trying to sound bored by it all. Just remember, Ness, act like you’ve been here before. Don’t gawk. They ascended the stairs. Liam felt a surge of adrenaline. He had spent the last 3 years feeling held back by Natalie and her poverty mentality.
Now he was unshackled. He was about to land the biggest client in his firm’s history. He was invincible. Inside the great hall was transformed. Thousands of white orchids cascaded from towering centerpieces. A live orchestra played debuty subtly in the corner. The lighting was dim, golden, and flattering.
The champagne flowed freely, carried by servers who [clears throat] moved like ghosts. Liam navigated the room, nodding at people he recognized from Forbes covers, desperately trying to make eye contact. He felt a slight prickle of insecurity. His suit didn’t fit quite as perfectly as the men around him.
His watch was a good replica, not the real thing, but he pushed it down. Where is she? Vanessa asked impatiently, scanning the room. Theirs? What’s her name again? Natalie Blackwood. No one knows what she looks like lately. She’s been off the grid for years. Sterling said she’s elusive. Well, she better be worth this uncomfortable shoes.
Vanessa complained. Suddenly, the ambient noise in the massive hall dropped. The orchestra stopped mid-phrase. A hush fell over the hundreds of guests. It wasn’t a polite quiet. It was the silence of a jungle when a predator enters the clearing. All eyes turned toward the grand staircase leading down from the second floor balcony.
At the top of the stairs stood a woman who seemed made of moonlight and shadows. It was Natalie. But it wasn’t the Natalie Liam knew. The woman on the stairs was wearing a custom Alexander McQueen gown made of midnight blue silk that appeared almost black. It was structured yet fluid, culminating in a train that flowed behind her like dark water.
Around her neck was the Blackwood emerald, a stone of such historical significance and size that it was usually kept in a museum vault. It rested against her clavicle, a green fire that put every other piece of jewelry in the room to shame. Her hair was darker now, a rich espresso pulled back in a severe, intricate shinor that highlighted the sharp aristocratic bone structure of her face.
Her makeup was flawless, emphasizing eyes that scanned the room with an almost terrifying intelligence. She didn’t walk down the stairs. She descended. Every movement was deliberate, graceful, and radiating immense power. Liam stared. His mouth actually fell open slightly. He was struck by a profound sense of familiarity, a nagging itch in the back of his brain.
“Have I seen her in a magazine?” he wondered. He looked at her eyes. For a split second, he thought of his ex-wife sitting across from him at the diner, pleading for their marriage. But he immediately shook the thought away. It was laughable. Hisex-wife wore faded jeans and smelled of burgers.
This woman smelled of power and ozone. This woman was a goddess. There was absolutely no connection in his mind between the servant he had discarded and the queen descending the stairs. “Wow,” Vanessa breathed, for once subdued. “That’s the dress that was on the cover of Vogue last month. It’s one of a kind. Liam felt a pull, a magnetic attraction to the sheer status this woman radiated.
That has to be her. That’s Natalie Blackwood. The crowd parted as Natalie reached the bottom step. She didn’t smile. She merely nodded to a few key individuals, a senator, an oil tycoon, acknowledging them as equals. “Come on,” Liam said, grabbing Vanessa’s hand, his heart pounding against his ribs. It’s now or never.
Sterling said to make contact early. He maneuvered through the crowd, using his shoulders to create a path, pulling Vanessa along. He approached the circle forming around Natalie, waiting for an opening. He watched her interact. Her voice was low, melodic, but razor sharp. She switched seamlessly between English, French, and Mandarin as she greeted different guests.
Finally, she turned slightly, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, landing momentarily on Liam. [clears throat] Liam felt a jolt. Her eyes were cold, dead. Yet they held him pinned for a second before moving on. He saw his chance. He stepped forward, putting on his best winning smile, the one he used to charm waitresses into free refills, the one he used on Vanessa.
Miss Blackwood, Liam said, his voice smooth, projecting confidence he didn’t fully feel. An absolutely stunning evening. I’m Liam Davis, junior partner at Sterling and Associates. We’re terribly excited about the potential expansion possibilities. The circle quieted. Liam Davis had just interrupted a conversation between Natalie Blackwood and the mayor of New York. Natalie turned slowly.
She looked at Vanessa, taking in the cheap fabric of her dress in a single glance, then dismissed her. She fixed her gaze on Liam. Up close, the familiarity was stronger, but Liam’s arrogance blinded him. He was too busy looking at the emeralds, too busy congratulating himself on talking to a trillionaire to truly see the woman.
Natalie let the silence stretch. She looked him up and down, an exact mirror of the way he had inspected her at the diner 3 months ago. She let him sweat. Then the corner of her mouth twitched upward in an imperceptible smirk. “Mr. Davis,” she said. Her voice was ice. “Serling and Associates, yes, I’ve reviewed your firm’s portfolio.
We are huge admirers of the Blackwood group’s trajectory,” Liam gushed, feeling relief wash over him. She [clears throat] knew who he was. “We believe we have the aggressive edge you need for the North American market.” “Aggressive?” Natalie repeated the word, tasting it. “Tell me, Mr.
Davis, do you believe aggression is always the best strategy? Or do you think sometimes undervaluation is a deadlier weapon? Liam blinked, confused by the philosophical turn. Well, in the courtroom, aggression wins. You have to dominate the opposition. Dominate? Natalie nodded slowly. Interesting choice of words. I find that people who feel the need to dominate are often compensating for a deep-seated fear of inadequacy.
Vanessa bristled slightly beside him, sensing the insult, but Liam laughed it off. a nervous laugh. A fascinating perspective, Ms. Blackwood. Perhaps we could discuss it further. My firm has prepared a preliminary proposal. I’m sure you have. Natalie cut him off. She held his gaze, and for a moment she let the mask slip just a fraction.
She let the waitress peek through the ays’s eyes. You know, Mr. Davis, you remind me of someone I used to know. Someone who always ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, but never had the wallet to back it up. Liam froze. The color drained slightly from his face. What did that mean? Before he could process it, Natalie signaled to Charles, who materialized at her elbow.
Charles, schedule a private meeting with Mr. Davis for tomorrow morning at my offices. 10:00 a.m. sharp. She looked back at Liam. Don’t be late, Mr. Davis. I despise people who waste my time. I’ve wasted enough of it in the past. Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel, her silk train swirling around her ankles like oil, and walked away into the crowd.
Liam stood there, stunned, clutching his champagne glass. He had done it. He had secured the meeting. She likes you. Vanessa squealled, squeezing his arm. Did you see the way she was looking at you? Intense. Liam nodded slowly, a strange unease settling in his stomach despite his success. Yeah, he murmured, watching the back of the woman who used to scrub his floors. She definitely liked me.
The headquarters of the Blackwood Group was a monolithic structure of steel and blue glass that seemed to pierce the sky above Manhattan’s financial district. It was a building that whispered power. To enter, one had to pass through threelayers of security that made the TSA look like mall cops. Liam
Davis arrived at 9:45 a.m. He was sweating despite the cool autumn breeze. He had spent the morning rehearsing his pitch in the mirror, reciting buzzwords like synergy, vertical integration, and aggressive litigation. He wore his best suit again, though he noticed a small stain on the lapel he couldn’t quite scrub out, a reminder of the sloppy celebratory drinks he’d had the night before.
Vanessa had insisted on coming, waiting in the marble lobby downstairs. I want to see the office, she had demanded. I want to see where we’re going to be rich. Charles met Liam at the elevator on the 90th floor. The air up here was thin and silent. “Mr. Davis,” Charles said, his face a mask of professional indifference. “Follow me.
” They walked down a long corridor lined with modern art that Liam pretended to understand. They stopped before double doors made of heavy polished mahogany. “She is waiting,” Charles said, opening the door. Liam walked in. The boardroom was cavernous. A table long enough to seat 50 people dominated the center, made of a single slab of black obsidian.
At the far end of the room, standing before a window that offered a panoramic view of the city he so desperately wanted to conquer, stood Natalie. She was wearing a white suit today, sharp, pristine, clinical. It was the color of a blank sheet of paper or perhaps a shroud. She didn’t turn around when he entered. “Sit,” she commanded.
Her voice was amplified slightly by the room’s acoustics. Liam sat at the opposite end of the long table, feeling incredibly small. He opened his leather briefcase and pulled out his files. Miss Blackwood,” he began, his voice cracking slightly before he found his rhythm. “I want to thank you again for this opportunity.
I’ve outlined a strategy for your hostile takeover of the Henderson group. It involves leveraging their debt against.” “I’m not interested in Henderson,” Natalie interrupted. She still hadn’t turned around. “I’m interested in risk, Mr. Davis. specifically the risk of investing in people who lack integrity. Liam paused.
Integrity is the cornerstone of my practice. He lied smoothly. Is it? Natalie turned slowly. She walked toward the table, her heels clicking rhythmically on the hardwood floor. Click, click, click. Like a ticking clock. She stopped 10 ft away from him. >> [clears throat] >> She placed her hands on the table and leaned in.
The sunlight hit her face, illuminating her features clearly. “Tell me about your wife, Liam,” she said softly. Liam blinked. The question threw him off balance. “My ex-wife?” “I’m currently going through a divorce. It’s finalized, actually.” “Why did you leave her?” Natalie asked, her eyes boring into him. Liam chuckled nervously, adjusting his tie.
With all due respect, Miss Blackwood, that’s personal. But if you must know, she wasn’t suitable. She was a waitress, ambitionless. She held me back. I needed a partner who could stand beside me in rooms like this. Someone with class, someone who didn’t smell like grease. I see. Natalie nodded slowly.
So, you discarded her because she was poor? I discarded her because she was a weight, Liam corrected, feeling bolder now that he was justifying his ego. In business, you cut your losses. She was a bad investment. I outgrew her. A bad investment? Natalie repeated. She reached into a slim white folder lying on the table in front of her.
She pulled out a document. It wasn’t a business contract. It was a photocopy of a divorce settlement. His divorce settlement. She slid it down the obsidian table. It glided smoothly, stopping right in front of Liam. Look at the signature, Liam, she commanded. Liam looked down. He saw his own angry scroll.
And then he saw the signature next to it. Natalie Blackwood. He frowned. Yeah. She signed it with your last name for some reason. She was delusional. Thought she could. She didn’t sign it with my last name, Natalie said, her voice dropping an octave, becoming the voice he had heard every morning for 3 years. I signed it with my name. Liam’s head snapped up.
He looked at the woman in the white suit. Really looked at her. He stripped away the expensive makeup, the designer clothes, the power, the context. He looked at the shape of her nose, the curve of her jaw, the tiny scar above her left eyebrow, where she had hit her head on a cupboard in their cramped apartment 2 years ago.
The world stopped spinning. The air left the room. “Nat, Natalie,” he whispered. It was a sound of pure unadulterated horror. “Hello, Liam,” she said coldly. “Did you enjoy the coffee?” I made sure it wasn’t stale this time. Liam stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. He backed away, his hands trembling.
“No, no, this is impossible. You’re a waitress. You’re broke. I paid the rent. I bought the groceries. You paid the rent with money I put in your account. Natalie stepped forward, her voice rising with the fury she had suppressed for months.I paid your tuition, Liam. I paid for your car.
I worked double shifts at the Rusty Spoon, not because I had to, but because my father cut me off until I proved I could make it on my own. He wanted to see if I could find a man who loved me, not the Blackwood fortune. She laughed, a dry, humorless sound. And I found you, a leech, a narcissist who took everything I gave him and then mocked me for having calloused hands.
You’re a trillionaire, Liam stammered, his brain shortcircuiting. The realization hit him like a physical blow. The money, the power, the status. He had been married to it. He had it in his hands and he had thrown it away for a woman named Vanessa and a least Mercedes. And you, Natalie pointed a manicured finger at him.
Are trespassing. Wait, Nat Natalie, baby, please. Liam lunged forward, his survival instinct kicking in. He tried to grab her hand. I didn’t know. If I had known. This is all a misunderstanding. I was stressed. the job. It got to me. I still love you. We can fix this. Tear up the papers. He reached for the divorce papers on the table, trying to rip them.
Charles intercepted him. [clears throat] The older man moved with surprising speed, twisting Liam’s arm behind his back and slamming him face first onto the obsidian table. “Mr. Davis,” Charles whispered into his ear. I would strongly advise against touching the CEO. “Let him up, Charles,” Natalie said calmly. She walked back to her chair and sat down, crossing her legs.
She looked like a queen passing judgment on a peasant. “I’m not going to tear up the papers, Liam. Those papers are my liberation. But I did bring you here for a business transaction.” Liam rubbed his shoulder, panting. What transaction? I own your debt,” Natalie said simply. “What?” Liam gasped.
Natalie tapped the tablet on her desk, a hologram projected into the air, displaying a complex web of financial data. “You have three credit cards maxed out. You have a car lease you can’t afford.” And most interestingly, Natalie swiped her finger, zooming in on a specific transaction. You borrowed $50,000 from a lone shark in New Jersey to pay for Vanessa’s engagement ring and your new wardrobe, intending to pay it back with your bonus.
Liam went pale. How do you know that? I know everything, Liam. I bought the debt this morning. You now owe the Blackwood Group $50,000 plus interest. Immediate repayment is required. I can’t pay that, Liam stammered. Not until the bonus comes in. [clears throat] Sterling promised. Ah, yes, Sterling.
Natalie smiled. It was a shark’s smile. Let’s get Mr. Sterling in here. She pressed the intercom. Send him in. The double doors opened again. Mr. Sterling, the senior partner of Liam’s firm, walked in. But he didn’t look like the confident boss Liam knew. He looked terrified. He was sweating profusely, holding a handkerchief to his forehead.
“Mr. Sterling,” Liam cried out, relieved. “Tell her. Tell her about the bonus. Tell her I’m your top earner.” Sterling didn’t look at Liam. He looked at Natalie and bowed his head. “Miss Blackwood, I am terribly sorry for the intrusion.” “Mr. Sterling?” Natalie said pleasantly. Please inform your former employee of the recent changes in your company’s structure.
Sterling turned to Liam, his eyes full of pity and anger. Liam, at 8:02 a.m. this morning, Blackwood Global acquired a controlling interest in Sterling and Associates. They bought the firm. Liam’s knees gave out. He grabbed the back of a chair to stay upright. She’s the boss, Liam whispered.
She owns us, Liam, Sterling hissed. She owns the building. She owns the client list. She owns the chairs we sit in. Natalie stood up. And as the new owner, I have been reviewing the personnel files. It seems, Mr. Davis, that your performance is lacking. You are leveraged, unstable, and prone to making poor personal judgments.
You can’t fire me, Liam screamed, his facade cracking completely. I’m the best you have. You are fired, Natalie said, her voice echoing with finality. Effective immediately, security will escort you out. Oh, and Liam, since you are now unemployed, I’m calling in that debt. You have 24 hours to pay the $50,000 or I will seize your assets.
the car, the apartment, everything. You can’t do this. Liam was crying now. Ugly, desperate tears. We were married. I loved you. You loved my potential utility. Natalie corrected. Now get out of my sight. Charles grabbed Liam by the collar of his expensive suit and dragged him towards the door. Liam kicked and screamed at tantrums of a child who had lost his toy.
They dragged him all the way down to the lobby. The elevator ride was silent, save for Liam’s sobbing. When the doors opened in the lobby, Charles shoved him out onto the marble floor. Liam scrambled up, looking around wildly. He saw Vanessa sitting on a velvet bench, looking at her phone. Vanessa. Liam ran to her. Vanessa, we have to go. She’s crazy.
She’s ruined everything. Vanessa stood up, looking confused. What happened? Did you get thecontract? No, she bought the firm. She fired me. Liam grabbed Vanessa’s arm. We need to sell the ring. I need the cash. She’s calling in my debts. Vanessa pulled her arm away sharply. She looked at Liam, sweaty, crying, with a torn suit jacket and snot running down his nose.
Then she looked at the security guard standing behind him. “You got fired?” Vanessa asked, her voice flat. “Yes, but I’ll find another job. I’m a lawyer.” “You’re a broke lawyer who owes money,” Vanessa clarified. She looked down at the diamond ring on her finger. “Give me the ring, Ness,” Liam pleaded. “Please,” Vanessa laughed.
It was a cruel sound, eerily similar to the laugh Liam had used on Natalie at the diner. I don’t think so, Vanessa said. I think this is severance pay for wasting 3 months of my life. Vanessa, I love you. You loved that I looked good on your arm. Vanessa sneered. But you don’t look good on mine anymore.
You look like a loser. She turned to the security guard. Can you call me a taxi? I don’t want to be seen with him. [clears throat] Right away, miss. The guard nodded. Liam watched as Vanessa walked out the revolving doors, taking the last of his credit with her. He was alone. He stood in the lobby of the empire his wife owned, wearing a suit he couldn’t pay for, with no job, no wife, and no future.
He fell to his knees on the cold marble. Above him, on the 90th floor, Natalie watched on a security monitor. She watched him crumble. “Is it enough?” Charles asked quietly from beside her. Natalie watched Liam sobbing on the floor. He broke my heart, Charles. He humiliated me. He made me feel small so he could feel big.
She turned off the monitor. No, she said. It’s not enough. He still has his law license, and as long as he has that, he’ll think he can scam his way back to the top. I want him to understand what it’s really like to have to work for a living. What are your instructions? Contact the bar association, Natalie said, picking up her pen, the same cheap blue pen she had kept from the diner, the one she used to sign the divorce papers. She twirled it in her fingers.
Send them the evidence of his embezzlement from the client trust funds at Sterling and Associates. the discrepancies we found in the audit this morning. Charles raised an eyebrow. He embezzled. He borrowed from client accounts to pay for that Mercedes. Natalie said he intended to put it back. But intent doesn’t matter in a felony.
That will mean prison, Charles noted. Natalie looked out the window at the city skyline. Then he better hope the prison has a good cafeteria. I hear the service is terrible. The marble floor of the Blackwood Tower lobby was cold, but the handcuffs biting into Liam’s wrists were colder. The sirens outside were deafening.
Two detectives stroed through the revolving doors flanked by uniformed officers. They didn’t look lost. They looked like men with a target. “Liam Davis?” Detective Miller asked, flashing a badge. “We have a warrant for your arrest. Grand larseny, embezzlement, and securities fraud. I can explain, Liam [clears throat] stammered as they hauled him to his feet.
Tell it to the judge, Miller snapped. As they marched him out, flashbulbs erupted. Charles had leaked the tip. The paparazzi captured every second of Liam’s humiliation. The tear stained face, the wrinkled suit, the shiny steel cuffs. up on the 90th floor. Natalie watched the scene from her window, sipping herbal tea. “The district attorney has the full audit,” she told Charles calmly.
“We will not accept leniency.” The trial was swift and brutal. The prosecution had an avalanche of evidence, bank transfers, receipts for the Mercedes, and the Cartier bracelet bought with stolen client funds. But the final nail in the coffin was the character witness. The people call Vanessa Rayburn. Liam sat up. Vanessa.
She had come. Maybe she would explain. He did it all for love. Vanessa took the stand, looking modest in pearls. She didn’t look at Liam once. He lied to me constantly. She sobbed. A masterclass in fake emotion. He told me he was a millionaire. He bought me things to buy my affection.
I had no idea the money was stolen. I feel manipulated. That’s a lie, Liam shouted, jumping up. You asked for the ring. Sit down, the judge bellowed. Vanessa walked off the stand, having thrown Liam to the wolves to save her own reputation. The jury took less than an hour. Guilty on all counts. The judge looked over her spectacles. Mr.
Davis, you represent the worst kind of entitlement. You are sentenced to 8 years in state prison. You are permanently disbarred. 8 years. Liam felt the blood drain from his body. His life was over. 5 years later, the New Horizon’s Foundation charity gala was the event of the season held in a refurbished Brooklyn warehouse.
Natalie Blackwood stood at the podium, radiant in a simple white dress. She spoke of resilience and second chances to a room full of adoring donors. She was no longer just an aires.She was an icon. In the shadows of the room, a gaunt man with graying hair and a permanent stoop was clearing champagne flutes.
He moved with a nervous energy, terrified of being seen. It was Liam. He had been released early on parole, but the felony conviction followed him like a curse. No law firm would touch him. He was working for a catering company under a false name, earning minimum wage to pay for a basement room in Queens. Lee, get that tray to the VIP section.
His manager hissed. Liam froze. The VIP section was right next to the stage. He had no choice. He grabbed a tray of smoked salmon canopes and lowered his head, navigating the sea of expensive shoes. He reached the front just as Natalie stepped down from the podium. [clears throat] She was surrounded by admirers.
Liam tried to slide past to drop the tray and run. But fate had one last twist. A guest turned abruptly, bumping Liam’s arm. The tray tipped. A piece of smoked salmon slid off, landing with a wet splat right onto the hem of Natalie’s pristine white dress. The room went silent. Liam gasped, terror seizing his throat.
He fell to his knees, a habit he seemed to have acquired in her presence. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Miss Blackwood.” Liam stammered, frantically, grabbing a napkin to dab at the stain. “It was an accident. Please, I need this job. He looked up at her, tears welling in his eyes. Natalie, it’s me. It’s Liam. He waited for the recognition.
He waited for the anger, the gloating, the vindication. He expected her to say, “Look at you now, serving me.” Natalie looked down. Her expression was perfectly calm. She looked at his graying hair, his trembling hands, his cheap catering uniform. Then she looked at the stain. [clears throat] “It’s all right,” she said kindly.
Her voice was gentle, the way one speaks to a stranger. “Accidents happen. Please stand up.” Liam stood shaking. “Natalie, I’ve paid for what I did. I’m suffering.” He wanted her to hate him. If she hated him, he still mattered. Natalie tilted her head slightly, as if trying to recall a distant memory. She looked him right in the eye and Liam saw the absolute worst thing he could possibly see.
He saw nothing, no hate, no love, no recognition. I’m afraid you have me mistaken for someone else, Natalie said politely. She turned to Charles. Charles, could you ensure this gentleman gets a fresh towel and perhaps a tip? He looks like he’s having a hard night. Of course, Ms. Blackwood, Charles said.
Liam stood there, [clears throat] stunned. But we were married. I’m Liam. Natalie didn’t even blink. She brushed a crumb off her sleeve. The past is a foreign country, sir, she said, her voice breezy and detached. I don’t live there anymore. She walked away, disappearing into a circle of light and laughter. She didn’t look back. She didn’t gloat.
She simply erased him. Liam stood alone in the crowd. Charles walked up and pressed a single bill into his hand. “For your trouble,” Charles said. Liam looked down. It was a crisp green $100 bill, just like the one he had thrown at her in the diner so many years ago. He looked up to scream, to make her remember him, but she was already gone.
Liam realized he wasn’t the villain of her story anymore. He was nothing, just a clumsy waiter holding a tip he hadn’t earned. He gripped the money, lowered his head, and went back to the kitchen to scrub the dishes. The story of Liam and Natalie serves as a brutal reminder that the wheel of fortune is always turning.
Liam believed that value was determined by the price of a suit, failing to recognize that true worth lies in character. He signed away a diamond because he thought it was a rock, blinded by his own arrogance. In the end, Natalie’s revenge wasn’t in ruining Liam. He [clears throat] did that to himself, but in outgrowing him so completely that he became unrecognizable to her.
