Chapter 3 - The Price of a Slap
"Vivienne... what is this?" Daniel stammered, the aggressive, domineering husband instantly evaporating, replaced by a terrified boy. "You... you own Vale Meridian? That's a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund!"
"And it owns every single asset your family uses to pretend you're royalty," I replied, stepping forward until I was inches away from him. The security guards shifted, their hands resting firmly on their holsters. "The Cole Hospitality Group? The restaurants your family brags about at charity galas? They operate entirely on commercial leases owned by my secondary trust. And as of sixty seconds ago, those leases have been terminated for immediate violation of the corporate character clause."
"You can't do that!" Margaret screamed, rushing forward, her face twisted in a frenzy of rage and panic. "We built those restaurants! My daughter Vanessa is the chief marketing director! You're destroying our family!"
"Your daughter Vanessa can look for a job at a diner," I said, turning a chilling gaze onto my sister-in-law.
Vanessa was frozen against the marble island, the smug smile completely wiped from her face. She looked at the spilled coffee on the floor, then up at me, her lower lip trembling.
"Evelyn, did the cloud servers preserve the kitchen recording?" I asked.
"Crystal clear, Ms. Vale," Evelyn replied, holding up her tablet. The screen played the exact loop of Daniel striking me across the face, followed by Vanessa throwing her coffee onto the floor. "The local police department has already received the unedited footage along with an expedited warrant request for domestic felony assault."
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Daniel’s face went completely white. He looked at his raised hand, the gold wedding band suddenly looking like a pair of handcuffs. "Vivienne, please! It was a misunderstanding! I was stressed about the wedding expenses! I didn't mean to hit you, I swear!"
"You meant every bit of it, Daniel," I said, picking up my wedding ring from the wet countertop and tossing it into the puddle of coffee Vanessa had made. "You wanted to teach me my place. Now, let me teach you yours."
