Chapter 3 - The Interrogation Room
The fallout was faster and more brutal than I had anticipated. By Monday morning, Andrew wasn't just dealing with a frozen bank account; he was facing a full-blown military tribunal investigation.
I sat in David Vance’s plush, high-rise corner office, sipping black coffee as we reviewed the asset division. Because Andrew and I had signed an ironclad prenuptial agreement at my father's insistence, Andrew was entitled to exactly zero of the Langford family fortune.
"We received a frantic call from Andrew's legal counsel this morning," David said, adjusting his glasses. "It seems Commander Whitaker is in quite the bind. The Navy has discovered that Serena Vale’s consulting firm was fast-tracked for base access using Andrew's authorization. But the funding that supposedly made her firm legitimate—the grants from your foundation—have evaporated."
"Meaning?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Meaning, to the Navy, it looks like Andrew authorized security clearance for a civilian contractor who has no actual capital or legitimate government backing. It looks like fraud, Liv. And Serena is already turning on him."
I smiled softly. The loyalty of a mistress is always the first casualty of war.
That afternoon, I finally turned my phone back on. The voicemails flooded in, but one caught my attention. It was from Serena. I listened to it, the panic in her voice a sharp contrast to the laughing, confident woman I had seen in the window just days prior.
“Liv, please. You don’t understand. Andrew told me you two were separated. He told me the marriage was over. Now the DOD is auditing my entire company. Please, call off your family. I’ll leave him alone. Just don’t ruin me.”
I deleted the voicemail. I didn't need to ruin her. She and Andrew were doing a spectacular job of ruining each other.
That evening, Andrew finally cornered me. He managed to get past Marcus’s gate security by tailgating a delivery truck. When I walked out onto the terrace, he was standing there, looking ten years older.
"Liv," he choked out, stepping forward. "Please. You have to stop this. They’re talking about a court-martial. Serena threw me under the bus to save her own skin."
"I haven't done anything, Andrew," I said smoothly, crossing my arms. "I simply stopped paying for your life. If your career can't survive without my family's money, that is hardly my fault."
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"I made a mistake!" he yelled, tears streaming down his face. "It meant nothing! She meant nothing!"
"She meant enough for you to lock the gate on your own son," I whispered, the ice in my voice cutting through the evening air. "You can leave now, or Marcus's security will physically throw you out."
