Chapter 2 - Stripped Bare
By 2:00 PM, the story had sent shockwaves through Seattle's financial district.
Although the inner details of the marriage remained private, the sudden, brutal ousted-in-a-day firing of Ryan Collins from Vertex Dynamics hit the Wall Street Journal wire. The company stock, far from plummeting, jumped 12% following the announcement that the secretive primary founder had stepped out of the shadows to assume direct control as Executive Chairwoman.
Ryan stood on the rain-slicked sidewalk outside the Vertex headquarters building, holding a small cardboard box containing a few personal desk items. His phone was dead—the corporate network had disconnected his line mid-shout half an hour ago.
He hailed a cab, his chest tight with panic, and gave the driver the address to their sprawling, five-million-dollar modern home in Mercer Island.
"That'll be forty-two dollars, buddy," the driver said as they pulled up to the security gate twenty minutes later.
Ryan pulled out his black Amex card and swiped it through the terminal.
DECLINED.
"Try it again," Ryan snapped, sweat dripping down his neck. "It's an unlimited corporate card."
"Declined, man," the driver grunted. "You got cash?"
Ryan frantically searched his wallet. He found two crushed twenty-dollar bills and a five, thrusting them at the driver before grabbing his cardboard box and stumbling out into the rain.
He ran up the long, paved driveway toward the glass-and-steel entryway of his dream home. He slammed his thumb against the biometric scanner next to the front door.
ACCESS DENIED.
"No, no, no!" Ryan screamed, hammering his fists against the reinforced glass door. "Elle! Open the door! Let me in!"
The small speaker beside the intercom chimed to life. It wasn't Elle's voice that came through; it was a firm, professional male voice.
"Mr. Collins. My name is Marcus Vance, legal counsel for Mrs. Vance-Collins. You are currently trespassing on property held exclusively under the Vance Family Revocable Trust."
"This is my home!" Ryan yelled into the camera lens. "My name is on the deed!"
"Your name was on a revocable residency agreement contingent upon your employment at Vertex," Mr. Vance corrected smoothly. "As of 9:00 AM today, that lease has been terminated. Your personal belongings have been packed by a bonded moving team and delivered to a storage unit in Tacoma. The key and location details have been sent to your personal email address."
"My clothes! My watches! My car!" Ryan wept, the rain soaking through his crisp white shirt, flattening his hair against his forehead.
"The Tesla was leased under Vertex Corporate. It has been repossessed," Vance replied. "The watches and luxury items purchased using the corporate executive allowance have been frozen pending a forensic audit of your expense accounts over the last three years. Good day, Mr. Collins."
The speaker clicked off.
Ryan dropped his cardboard box onto the wet gravel. He looked up at the massive glass windows of the master bedroom—the room where he had lay beside Elle just two days ago, complaining about the babies crying and telling her she needed to start hitting the gym.
May you like
He had thought he held all the cards. He had thought he was the sun around which her quiet, dull life revolved.
Now, standing in the pouring rain with sixty-five dollars in his wallet and a dead phone, he realized he hadn't even owned the ground beneath his feet.
