Chapter 95
Chapter 95:
Vance explained the SEC freeze to June in measured, professional terms, outlining the legal obstacles that made dividing their assets impossible for now.
Cole allowed himself a slow smirk. “Looks like your little plan to fund Dr. Vance’s life is on hold, June. You are stuck with me p>
June did not look at him. She looked down at her hands.
She ran the calculations silently. She needed her personal assets liquid to fund the Phase II trials for Apex Bio. If she forced the divorce through now, the SEC would freeze her accounts alongside Cole’s. She could not risk the cancer drug.
June lifted her head. Her face was completely devoid of emotion.
She looked directly at the lawyer.
“Fine,” she said, her tone crisp and professional. “Draft an addendum to the freeze. For the next three months, we operate under a strict B2B protocol p>
Vance blinked. “B2B, ma’am p>
“Business to business,” June clarified, her voice glacial. “Complete separation of physical assets. He does not enter my residence. He does not interfere with my schedule. And from this moment forward, all communication regarding this marriage goes directly through my legal proxy p>
She reached into her pocket, produced the same independent lawyer’s card she had given Declan, and placed it in Vance’s hand.
Then she picked up her briefcase, turned her back on Cole, and walked out through the front doors of the mansion without a second glance.
T𝘩𝘦 𝗺𝘰𝘀𝘵 p𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝗮r ոо𝗏𝖾𝗹s 𝗼𝗻
Cole stood motionless against the doorframe.
The smug victory curdled in his mouth. He had used the weight of the federal government to keep her legally bound to him — and she had responded by turning their marriage into a corporate contract. He had won the time. He had lost the woman entirely.
Alycia slipped out from the hallway and reached for his arm.
Cole shoved her away with a sharp, violent motion. He spun around, walked back into his study, and closed his hand around a heavy crystal ashtray sitting on the edge of his desk.
With a roar of pure, helpless rage, he hurled it against the stone fireplace. The crystal exploded into a thousand fragments — a sound that echoed, with precise and devastating accuracy, the exact state of his marriage.
Three days later. Manhattan.
The top-floor panoramic conference room of Apex Bio was dead silent, the tension in the air almost suffocating.
Declan Hayes sat at the head of the long glass table. Behind him stood five elite Wall Street M&A analysts in aggressive power suits. He tossed a thick, glossy binder onto the center of the table.
“Hayes Pharmaceuticals is offering three times your current market valuation,” Declan said, his blue eyes locked onto Silas Vance across the table. “Take the money before I crush this little lab into dust p>
Silas leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Apex Bio is not for sale, Mr. Hayes. At any price p>
Declan let out a harsh, mocking laugh. His gaze drifted to the corner of the room.