The next morning, Storm found River in the kitchen, engrossed in his laptop with a cup of coffee by his side. She poured herself a cup and offered to refill his. He nodded, and she topped off his cup before leaning against the counter, sipping her own coffee.
“So, I heard a rumor about a certain CEO and his assistant getting frisky on his desk at a high-profile company yesterday,” she said, a playful smile on her face.
River looked up at her, a grin spreading across his face. “Really? Any pictures to go with that?”
“I haven’t checked yet, but I’m guessing it’s Lyle.”
“Sounds about right. I got a private message on social media this morning. Pictures included.
“And the best part,” he continued, “the pictures came with a note. Jessica was fired and Lyle was sent home to, and I quote, ‘Deal with his shit.’” They both burst into laughter.
“Good. He doesn’t belong there,” Storm said. “Dad’s company doesn’t need Lyle’s drama.”
“Agreed,” River replied. “I saved the photos of Lyle and Jessica. We have a board meeting on Saturday, and we need to focus on that. We need to cancel the proxy votes that Lyle holds and get them reassigned.
“I’ve scheduled a preliminary hearing before a judge for this Friday. I’d like the proxies reassigned to me, if you’re okay with that?”
“Of course. I wanted you to handle that from the start.”
He nodded. “I’ve also sent the copies of the divorce settlement you approved last night to the office. Lyle should be served today.”
“So, with the papers served and this meeting with the judge, that should pretty much settle my divorce, right?”
“Well, yes and no. The preliminary hearing will allow the judge to reassign the proxies temporarily, but everything else is on hold until the actual court date. If Lyle doesn’t contest the proxies, then everything will go smoothly. But if he fights, it could get messy and drawn out.”
Storm sighed in frustration, and River smiled. “But I have a plan.”
“A plan?” She looked at him curiously.
“With your promotion at the publishing house, you can work from anywhere with internet access. So I thought you should get out of town for a while. Rest, think things through, and get your life back on track.”
River rinsed out his cup and put it in the dishwasher. “I plan to hit Lyle hard. He’ll try to involve you, but if he can’t reach you, it will ease my mind. I don’t want him hurting you anymore than he already has.”
“Where do you want me to go?”
“Canada.” He grinned widely.
Lyle was lounging on the sofa when there was a knock at the front door. Helen, the housekeeper, answered it. “Mr. Hughes, there’s a man here with a delivery for you.”
Lyle assumed it was paperwork from the office that he had asked his secretary to bring by. He stood and moved to the door.
“I thought it would be delivered this afternoon, but that’s fine,” he said to the man. “Do I need to sign for them?”
The man handed him an envelope and a clipboard. Lyle quickly signed his name where the man indicated. “Enjoy your afternoon, Mr. Hughes,” the man smirked, backing away. “You’ve been served.” Then he turned and left.
Lyle ripped open the envelope and pulled out the divorce papers. He roared in anger and threw the papers on the floor. “No! That bitch. No, this isn’t happening.”
He stormed across the room and picked up his phone. He quickly dialed his lawyer, Sam. “Hello, Sam. I need your help. My wife is trying to divorce me… Yes, yes. I know! But I won’t stand for this… I don’t care!” he yelled into the phone. “I’ve planned too long to let her rob me now. I’ll be at your office within the hour.”
Lyle hung up and grabbed his keys. He arrived at his lawyer’s office soon after and handed him the divorce papers.
Sam sat behind his desk and read them carefully. “Have you even read these?” he asked Lyle.
“Not all of it, no. Doesn’t matter. She’s not taking anything from me,” he grumbled.
“She’s not trying to,” Sam replied. “She says she wants nothing but her personal belongings, her truck, and the voting shares she inherited from her father. The condo and bank account are yours. She’s even giving you the jewelry you bought for her. She’s not claiming anything bought after the marriage.”
“That’s not happening. I’m keeping the shares. They’re mine. If I give them back, I lose my leverage in the company. I lose a fortune. I married her to get that leverage. I’m not giving it up,” Lyle growled.
“I hate to break it to you, but you don’t stand a chance. She inherited the shares from her father before you were married. It’s not considered joint property, regardless of you acting as her proxy. It was her inheritance. Her father’s company.”
“Yeah, well I’m her husband!” he yelled. “We’re not getting divorced. End of story! I’ll get her back.”
Sam shook his head. “They have a preliminary hearing about the proxy scheduled for this Friday. I’ll represent you, but you need to be there. Hopefully the judge will be somewhat understanding and generous.
“Keep your cool! I’ll figure out a defense—like you’re still head over heels for her and you really want to make this marriage work.”
Sam glanced at the papers again. “It says here you cheated. Is that true?”
“Once! Just once and she happened to drop by for a surprise visit. I swear, I think it was a setup.” Lyle massaged the back of his neck. “I was double-crossed by someone. Someone must have set me up.”
