Andrew would resign as CEO and surrender his remaining shares. In exchange, the trust would assume his debts.
He would take a job—junior sales associate—under a regional manager who once begged him for meetings.
Gloria would move to a modest condo in Queens. One year’s rent covered. After that, she was on her own.
Sabrina would receive only a standard education fund for the baby—if it existed.
They signed.
But the war didn’t end.
Gloria tried to retaliate with a media smear, claiming I forced Sabrina to end a pregnancy.
The headlines exploded. The Ice Queen CEO.
My stock dropped eight percent in hours.
I nearly walked away.
Rachel grabbed my shoulders. “Be the shark.”
So I held a press conference.
Sabrina stood beside me.
“There is no baby,” she told the cameras. “I lied.”
Then we played an audio recording of Gloria plotting the false scandal for leverage.
The auditorium fell silent.
Security escorted Andrew and Gloria out as cameras captured their collapse.
The company survived.
Gloria later faced charges for attempted extortion.
Andrew lost everything.
A year later, I saw him outside my office in the rain. Bloated, hollow.
“You won,” he said.
“I didn’t want to win,” I replied. “I wanted a partner.”