Chapter 8 - The Downward Spiral
Trevor didn't sleep that night. He spent six frantic hours pacing the empty house, redialing Candace’s number over two hundred times.
*“The number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service.”*
He called Rachel. Straight to voicemail.
He drove to Rachel’s townhouse at two in the morning, banging his fists on the front door until the porch light flicked on and Rachel’s husband, a towering former college linebacker, opened the door holding a baseball bat.
“Get off my property before I have you arrested for trespassing, Trevor,” his brother-in-law said, his voice deadly quiet. “Candace isn't here. And even if she were, she wouldn't look at you.”
Trevor stumbled backward into the rain, soaked, shivering, and completely unmoored.
By Monday morning at eight o’clock, Trevor was sitting in his executive office on the thirty-second floor, chugging black coffee to stop his hands from shaking. He needed to get ahead of this. He needed to pull money from his personal portfolio, hire a ruthless defense attorney, and squash Candace before Marcus Vance filed the exhibits publicly.
He reached for his phone to call his broker, but the door to his office swung open without a knock.
Standing in the doorway were two men in dark suits and the head of human resources, Evelyn Cross.
Evelyn didn't offer a warm morning smile. Her face was carved from granite.
“Trevor, close your laptop and step away from your desk,” Evelyn said.
Trevor’s stomach dropped into an abyss. “Evelyn, what’s going on? I have a client briefing in ten minutes—”
“The board received a formal legal dossier at six-thirty this morning from Marcus Vance’s office,” Evelyn interrupted, stepping aside to let the security officers enter. “Along with an audit request regarding irregular expense reports filed under your LLC account. Specifically regarding unauthorized entertainment expenses at the St. Regis and fraudulent client billing.”
Trevor stood up, knocking his chair back. “That’s a domestic dispute! My wife is having a postpartum mental breakdown! She fabricated those files to hurt me in a divorce!”
“The receipts were verified by corporate accounting an hour ago, Trevor,” Evelyn said coldly. “Furthermore, Vanessa Vance has already submitted a written statement this morning confirming that you coerced her into accepting gifts and promised career advancement in exchange for her silence.”
Trevor’s eyes bulged. “Vanessa... *what?*”
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“Security will escort you from the building,” Evelyn said, turning her back. “Your personal effects will be mailed to you once the forensic audit is complete. Your corporate credentials and accounts have been terminated.”
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