Chapter 18 - The Surrender
The boardroom was freezing, the air conditioning cranked high just the way my father liked it. I sat at the head of the long mahogany table, flanked by three of the most vicious corporate litigators in the country.
The double doors opened, and Julian walked in. He looked like a ghost. He was wearing the same wrinkled trousers from the night he was evicted, his face unshaven, his eyes hollow and dark.
He didn't look at me. He couldn't.
He sat down at the far end of the table. My lead lawyer slid the settlement agreement across the polished wood.
"By signing this, Mr. Vance, you waive all rights to alimony, contestation of the divorce, and any claim to the Elysium brand. You also agree to a lifetime gag order regarding the Sterling family," the lawyer stated mechanically.
Julian picked up the heavy silver pen. His hand was trembling so violently he could barely grip it. He looked up at me, his eyes pleading for a single drop of mercy.
May you like
I just stared back, my face a mask of stone.
He lowered his head and signed his name. It was over.
