Chapter 8 - The Downward Spiral
Arthur Vance cleared his throat, breaking the suffocating silence that had fallen over the foyer.
"Now that we have established the operational realities of the Holloway family finances," Arthur said briskly, pulling a second, even thicker binder from his briefcase, "we can proceed to the legal petition."
Grant slowly lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot, his face gray as wet clay. "Petition?"
"Petition for dissolution of marriage," Arthur stated plainly, sliding the documents across the marble island. "Filed electronically in Fairfax County Circuit Court at 8:01 this morning."
"No..." Grant pleaded, his voice breaking into a ragged sob. "Elena, no. Please. We can talk about this. We can go to counseling! We have eleven years together! We have Piper and Noelle!"
"You didn't care about Piper and Noelle yesterday," Elena said, her eyes completely devoid of warmth. "When your mother took their food away, you didn't see two little girls who were hungry and confused. You saw two inconveniences that were threatening your standing with people whose approval you’ve been begging for your whole life."
"I was stressed!" Grant cried, taking a frantic step forward, only to be stopped by the younger legal associate, who quietly stepped between them. "The party was overwhelming! I made a mistake, Elena! A terrible mistake! But you can't just throw away eleven years of marriage over one afternoon!"
"It wasn't one afternoon, Grant," Elena said. "It was eleven years of a thousand tiny cuts. It was eleven years of you talking down to me in front of your friends. Eleven years of Constance inspecting my home for dust while living on my charity. Eleven years of you convincing yourself that you were the hero of a story you barely even understood."
Arthur tapped the top of the petition with his pen.
"The terms are extraordinarily generous, Mr. Holloway," Arthur explained. "Mrs. Holloway is not seeking spousal support, nor is she seeking restitution for the approximately two point four million dollars in unsecured family subsidies she provided to your various business entities over the last four years. She will retain the Riverwood property, which was acquired entirely with non-marital separate trust assets prior to any commingling."
"And the Maple Street house?" Grant asked hoarsely.
"The Maple Street property has a negative equity balance of ninety-four thousand dollars due to your second mortgage," Arthur said dispassionately. "Mrs. Holloway is transferring her interest in the deed to you entirely. You will be solely responsible for the mortgage payments, the back property taxes, and the credit card debt currently outstanding in your name."
"I can't pay that," Grant whispered, his knees trembling. "You know I can't pay that without Aegis Capital! My firm will let me go if Aegis pulls their liquidity!"
Elena looked at him with an expression that was neither angry nor triumphant. It was simply finished.
"Then you’ll have to do what you told me to do for eleven years, Grant," she said softly. "You’ll have to learn to survive on your own."
"Grant!" Constance shrieked, grabbing her son’s arm with claw-like fingers. "Don't listen to them! We have rights! You are the father of those children! She can't keep them from you! We'll sue for full custody! We'll take her to court and expose her for the deceitful, manipulative creature she is!"
Arthur Vance let out a low, dry chuckle that sent a chill through the room.
"Mrs. Holloway senior," Arthur said, adjusting his glasses. "I strongly advise you to reconsider that course of action. Tab six of your folder contains twelve months of financial records from the Maryland State Historic Preservation Trust, where you currently serve as treasurer."
Constance froze. Her hand dropped from Grant's arm as if she had been burned.
"My forensic accounting team spent the weekend reviewing those records," Arthur continued pleasantly. "It appears that approximately one hundred and eighteen thousand dollars in grant funds were routed through a private account belonging to your interior decorator for 'consulting services.' I believe the state attorney general's office would find that documentation quite compelling."
Constance looked at Elena with pure, unadulterated terror.
"You wouldn't," Constance breathed.
"I don't have to," Elena said quietly. "As long as you sign the non-disparagement agreement, surrender all claims to the family trust, and never contact my daughters without supervised authorization again, that folder stays in Arthur’s safe. The choice is entirely yours."
Constance stood trembling, her haughty posture completely broken, her gaze dropping to the floor. She looked old, fragile, and utterly defeated.
May you like
"Get out of my house," Elena said.
***
