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\u201cMr. Sterling,\u201d the lawyer interjected, his eyes darting between the estranged couple. \u201cPerhaps we should focus on the asset division clauses and the non-disclosure agreements\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, let her hear it,\u201d Mark interrupted, his eyes gleaming with malice. He wanted her to hurt. He wanted to see a crack in that stoic beige facade. \u201cShe needs to understand why this is happening. She needs to know that this isn\u2019t just business; it\u2019s biological necessity. Chloe is pregnant, Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena\u2019s eyes shifted to his, but they remained dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is giving me the son you never could,\u201d Mark continued, savoring the blow. \u201cThat\u2019s why I need this done today. Right now. My son will be born legitimate. He will carry the Sterling name from his first breath. I won\u2019t have him born a bastard because you dragged your feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena looked down at the divorce decree. It was a thick document, nearly fifty pages of dense legal jargon, clauses, sub-clauses, and stipulations. In the past, Elena read everything. She was the one who caught the errors in Mark\u2019s acquisition contracts. She was the one who noticed the tax loopholes that saved the company millions during the audit of 2018. She was the one who whispered the names of board members\u2019 wives into his ear at parties.<\/p>\n
But today, she didn\u2019t turn a single page. She didn\u2019t check the math. She didn\u2019t review the property lines.<\/p>\n
She simply flipped to the very last page.<\/p>\n