The Price Of His Mistake Chapter 05
Andrew had never imagined these words coming out of my mouth. Confusion and fury warred in his eyes.
“Catherine, you’re divorcing me and kicking me out over a title page?”
“I helped build this firm. My sweat is in it too. What gives you the right to throw me out?”
I didn’t answer. I just found it funny.
This firm. The seed capital. The core algorithms. The initial client network. I brought all of it. Alone.
Once it was on solid ground, I felt bad for him. I figured, let him be Portfolio Manager. Let him call the shots.
I even transferred 30% of my equity into his name.
Looking back, it was laughable. Naive.
The standoff was thick in the air when Emily decided to play her part again. The understanding martyr. She tugged at Andrew’s sleeve.
“Andrew, don’t be angry. Catherine’s just upset right now…”
“Maybe I should just leave. Don’t let me ruin what you two have built for so many years.”
She sold it hard. Tears shimmered right on the edge of her lashes.
Andrew already thought I was being unreasonable. This tipped him over. His protective instincts flared.
He wheeled on me. His voice was hard and cold.
“Half this firm is mine. I’m not leaving. Emily’s definitely not leaving. I’d like to see who shows up tomorrow to take over.”
Watching him defend her. Watching him turn that rage on me. It settled something inside me. Made it quieter.
The corner of my mouth lifted. I took the nameplate off my office door. I turned and walked.
Andrew froze for one second. Then his Italian leather shoes were clicking fast behind me.
“Stop right there.” There was a new edge in his voice. Panic. “That retirement fund is barely stabilized. The follow-up proposal isn’t done.”
“You walk out now, who handles this mess? You want to watch the firm implode?”
I brushed his hand off. “I’ve already made arrangements. The person taking over tomorrow will bring a team to manage it.”
“If you don’t trust my hire, feel free to let Emily handle it instead. You clearly don’t care about the firm’s reputation.”
Andrew’s face went purple. His jaw clenched.
“Forget work. This divorce talk—I’m treating it as anger. I absolutely refuse to agree to it.”