Chapter 2 - The Fall of the House of Mitchell
Bradley stormed out of the ultrasound room, his face a bright, furious red.
"Bradley! Wait!" Tiffany cried, stumbling after him in her clinic gown, her tears smudging her expensive makeup.
Evelyn and Brittany stood up excitedly, holding up a pair of miniature silver spoons. "Oh, Bradley! Is it a boy? Tell us—"
"Get away from me!" Bradley roared, shoving past his mother so hard the gift boxes slipped from her hands, scattering baby clothes and silver rattles across the polished clinic floor.
"Bradley, what on earth is wrong with you?!" Brittany shrieked, kneeling to pick up the gifts. "You’ve just divorced that anchor of a wife! You should be celebrating!"
"She lied to me!" Bradley screamed, pointing a shaking finger back at the ultrasound room where Tiffany was cowering. "The baby isn't mine! It's Victor’s! She’s been sleeping with my boss!"
Evelyn’s jaw dropped. Brittany froze, a blue velvet baby blanket dangling from her fingers.
Before any of them could process the betrayal, Bradley’s phone began to vibrate violently in his pocket. It wasn't a call. It was a barrage of news alerts, work emails, and text messages.
He pulled the phone out, his thumbs shaking as he opened the first notification.
BREAKING NEWS: VANCE & MITCHELL ASSOCIATES UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION FOR EMbezzlement AND SHELL-COMPANY FRAUD.
An email from the corporate HR department followed immediately:
“Bradley Mitchell, your employment with Vance & Mitchell Associates has been terminated effective immediately due to gross misconduct and violation of fiduciary duties. Security has been instructed to deny you access to the building.”
"No..." Bradley whispered, his knees buckling. "No, this is impossible. The papers... the accounts were hidden. Nobody knew."
Then, a final text message arrived from an unknown international number.
It was a photo.
The image showed me, Connor, and Madison sitting in the spacious, luxurious first-class cabin of a British Airways flight. Connor was smiling, holding a soccer ball, and Madison was looking out the window at the runway.
May you like
Beneath the photo was a simple text:
“Eight minutes was all it took to sign your life away, Bradley. I hope the penthouse is worth the quiet. - Sarah.”
