Chapter 3 - The Mask Falls
While Lily was placed on an IV drip in a private suite, her fever slowly coming down under the watchful eyes of top specialists, I sat with my father and his lead attorney, Richard Sterling, in a private consultation room.
“Lily’s fever was caused by a severe kidney infection,” Dr. Reynolds had told us earlier. “If you had waited another two hours for that dinner party to end, she could have gone into septic shock. You brought her just in time.”
Hearing those words made my blood run cold. Mark and Patricia were willing to sacrifice my daughter’s life for a room full of business partners and crystal wine glasses.
“Here is what you need to know, Claire,” Richard Sterling said, opening his briefcase and spreading out several thick blue folders. “Mark Stanton’s father, Edward Stanton, is deeply in debt. His company, Stanton Global, is completely insolvent. For the past eighteen months, Mark and his father have been cooking the books to make the company look profitable.”
“What?” I asked, stunned. “Mark always told me he was doing extremely well in investment banking.”
“It was all an illusion,” my father explained. “The house you live in? It’s mortgaged to the hilt. The fine jewelry Patricia wears? Leased or bought on credit lines that are defaulted. They needed tonight’s dinner party to secure a five-million-dollar investment from an offshore syndicate—an investment that was built on fraudulent financial statements.”
Suddenly, my phone buzzed violently on the table. The screen showed Mark’s caller ID.
My father gestured toward the phone. “Answer it. Put it on speaker. Let’s hear what your husband has to say.”
I pressed answer and enabled the speakerphone.
“Claire! Where the hell are you?” Mark’s voice boomed through the speaker, laced with venom and annoyance. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Guests are arriving! My mother is furious! You left the roast in the oven and took off like a crazy woman over a tiny fever!”
“Lily has a severe kidney infection, Mark,” I said, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to stay calm. “She could have gone into septic shock.”
A short pause followed on the line, but there was no remorse in Mark’s response. “Well, she’s at the hospital now, isn't she? Leave her with the nurses and get your ass back home right now! My father’s prospective investors are here. You need to apologize to my mother, clean up your face, and serve the food.”
I looked at my father, whose face was rigid with absolute fury.
“I’m not coming back, Mark,” I said clearly. “And Lily isn't coming back either. I’m filing for divorce.”
Mark burst into a harsh, mocking laugh. “Divorce? With what money, Claire? You don’t have a dime. You have no family, no job, and nowhere to go. If you walk away, I’ll take Lily from you, and you’ll end up on the street. You think any court will give custody to a broke, penniless woman over a Stanton?”
“You are making a big mistake, Mark,” I said softly.
“No, you are making a mistake!” he hissed. “If you aren't back here in twenty minutes, don't bother coming back at all. I’ll throw your clothes in the trash.”
He slammed the phone down.
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My father leaned back in his chair, taking a slow, calculated breath. “Richard, activate Protocol Alpha. Call the banks holding Stanton Global’s loans. Cancel their credit lines effective immediately. And contact the District Attorney regarding the fraud documents we uncovered.”
“Consider it done, Mr. Vance,” Richard replied, taking out his phone.
