Chapter 4 - The Downfall of Hayes
Z
The private suite beneath the ocean surface was breathtakingly quiet. Schools of exotic fish swam past the reinforced glass walls, completely oblivious to the war that had just erupted above the waves. I sat at the plush leather desk, sipping chilled water, watching the live video feed on my tablet sent directly from my home security system in New York.
On the screen, two uniformed police officers stood in my grand foyer back home. Beside them was Marcus, holding a stack of legal documents. Teresa was hysterically screaming, her hair unkempt, her expensive silk pajamas crumpled after spending thirty-six hours trapped in a room with a malfunctioning lock and no heating. Arthur stood behind her, pale and utterly defeated.
"She locked us in!" Teresa shrieked at the officers, pointing a trembling finger at the camera. "She abandoned us! She's a monster! Arrest her!"
Marcus calmly handed the lead officer a document. "Officer, Mrs. Eleanor Hayes is the sole owner of this property. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes Senior were residing here without a formal lease. Furthermore, we have security footage showing them packing stolen personal luxury goods into shipping boxes meant for an unregistered address in Manhattan."
The officer looked at the open cardboard box sitting on the entryway table—the one containing my $12,000 Birkin—and shook his head. "Ma'am, you need to step outside the residence immediately. We are serving an emergency eviction and order of protection."
Watching Teresa get physically escorted down her own daughter-in-law's driveway in handcuffs for refusing to comply was a sight I would cherish for the rest of my life.
I closed the tablet and turned my attention to the press release Marcus had drafted.
Within two hours, major financial news outlets in New York began breaking the story: Hayes Architectural Group Executive Under Investigation for Multi-Million Dollar Embezzlement and Wire Fraud.
David's name was instantly dragged through the dirt. The board of directors held an emergency meeting, voting unanimously to strip him of his executive position and launch a full corporate audit.
My phone rang. It was David calling from a local Maldivian number. I answered, putting it on speaker.
"Eleanor..." His voice was barely a whisper, completely broken. He was clearly sitting somewhere noisy near the public ferry terminal. "Please... you've destroyed me. The board fired me. My accounts are frozen. The police in New York were at my mother's house..."
"Your mother tried to steal my property to give to your mistress, David," I replied coldly. "She got off easy."
"Chloe left me," David choked out, sounding on the verge of tears. "She took her bags and caught a flight back to the states with some guy she met at the airport bar. She took the ring, Eleanor. She took everything."
"Karma has a funny way of working quickly, doesn't it?"
"I have nothing left!" David screamed into the phone, his composure finally snapping into pathetic desperation. "I'm stranded on an island halfway across the world with two hundred dollars in cash and a ruined reputation! Is this what you wanted?! To destroy my life?!"
I leaned back against the plush armchair, listening to the soft hum of the ocean water surrounding me.
"No, David," I said softly. "I didn't destroy your life. You did that the moment you decided my pain was your opportunity. You took our future, our savings, and my trust, and you traded it for a cheap lie. I’m simply making sure you pay the full price for the invoice you created."
"Please..." he sobbed. "Just buy me a ticket home. I'll sign the divorce papers. I'll give you the house, the firm shares, everything. Just don't leave me here."
I paused for a moment, letting the silence stretch between us until his ragged breathing was the only sound on the line.
"You told me four years would fly by, David," I said, my voice as sharp as glass. "Let's see how fast four years feel when you're starting from absolute rock bottom."
I hung up the phone and blocked the number permanently.
May you like
I stood up and walked to the glass wall, looking out into the deep blue depths of the sea. For the first time in three years, the crushing weight in my chest was gone. The betrayal had burned away every last trace of hesitation, leaving behind a woman who would never again let anyone make her feel small, helpless, or replaceable.
I picked up my glass, raised it toward the open ocean, and took a slow, satisfying sip. My new life was just beginning, and I was going to enjoy every single second of it.
