Chapter 3 - The Ambush
Two weeks later, the reality of the Bennett Holdings debt acquisition had begun to crush Lucas Mercer.
Claire sat in her corner office on the 40th floor of the Bennett Tower. She wasn't just Jonathan's daughter; she was the Chief Financial Officer of the empire. She had spent the last six years minimizing her footprint to protect Lucas’s fragile ego, but now, the cage was gone.
Her assistant, a sharp young man named David, walked in and placed a tablet on her desk. "Ms. Bennett, you have an uninvited guest in the lobby. Security asked if you want her escorted out."
Claire glanced at the security feed. Pacing furiously in the marble lobby, wearing oversized sunglasses and a frantic expression, was Vanessa.
"Send her up," Claire said smoothly.
Five minutes later, the heavy glass doors of Claire’s office swung open. Vanessa marched in, but her bravado faltered the moment she took in the sheer scale of the room. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city, and Claire sat behind an imposing mahogany desk, looking immaculate in a tailored white suit.
"You blocked Lucas's calls," Vanessa demanded, crossing her arms to hide her trembling hands.
"I don't speak to debtors without my lawyers present," Claire replied, not looking up from her laptop. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Vanessa? Did you finally figure out what 'jointly and severally liable' means?"
Vanessa flushed. Over the past two weeks, her bank accounts had been frozen pending the debt investigation, and the high-society friends who once fawned over her had vanished.
"You need to back off," Vanessa sneered, leaning over Claire's desk. "Lucas is falling apart. He hasn't slept in days. You’ve ruined his reputation. But you won't ruin me. I have lawyers too."
"Do you?" Claire asked, finally meeting her eyes. "Because according to the public record, your lawyer dropped you yesterday due to unpaid retainers."
Vanessa recoiled as if she had been slapped.
"I didn't come here to play games," Vanessa hissed, dropping her voice. "I came to make a deal. You want to hurt Lucas? Fine. I can help you."
Claire raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
Vanessa leaned closer, a desperate, greedy light in her eyes. "I know things, Claire. I know where he hid the offshore funds. He siphoned money from the company before your dad bought the debt. If you let me off the hook—cancel my liability—I’ll give you the flash drive with all the transaction records. You can send him to prison."
Claire stared at the woman who had spent years mocking her, belittling her, and sleeping in her bed. Vanessa was loyal to no one but herself. The moment the ship started sinking, she was willing to drown the captain to save her own designer shoes.
"You're offering to testify against him for immunity," Claire clarified.
"Yes," Vanessa said, a triumphant smirk returning to her face. "See? I'm a survivor. You get your ultimate revenge on your cheating ex, and I walk away clean. We both win."
Claire pressed a button on her desk console.
"David?" Claire said into the intercom.
"Yes, Ms. Bennett?"
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"Please let Mr. Mercer out of the conference room next door. I believe he has heard enough."
Vanessa’s face turned the color of ash. She spun around just in time to see the adjoining door open. Lucas stood in the doorway, looking completely shattered.
