The King’s Fall: How I Destroyed My Husband’s Empire in One Night

"Marcus, listen to me," Dominic pleaded, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "It's a misunderstanding. A clerical error. I can fix it."

"You signed the indemnity clause," Marcus said, his voice lethal. "Section 4.B."

Dominic's eyes darted wildly around the room. He was trapped. He looked at the mayor, but the politician turned his back. He looked at his investors, but they were already stepping away, putting physical distance between themselves and a sinking ship.

He was entirely alone.

"The contract is void!" Dominic shouted, his voice echoing off the marble pillars. "I signed it under duress! This is a setup! Richard Mercer set me up!"

Mercer stood up slowly from our table. He buttoned his jacket with casual elegance.

"I did nothing, Dominic," Mercer said. "You built a house of cards on stolen land. Evelyn simply opened a window and let the breeze in."

Marcus Sterling turned to his assistant. "Call our legal team. I want every asset Dominic Vale owns frozen by midnight. I want his bank accounts, his penthouses, his cars. If he tries to buy a cup of coffee tomorrow morning, I want his card declined."

"You can't do this!" Dominic roared. He lunged toward Marcus, but two large security guards materialized from the crowd and grabbed him by the arms.

"Let me go!" Dominic thrashed against them. The charcoal tuxedo jacket tore at the shoulder.

I stood there, watching the King of the Lake shatter into pieces.

"Evelyn!" he screamed, turning his wild eyes toward me. "Evelyn, tell them! Tell them it's mine! I built this life for us! I gave you everything!"

"You gave me a cage," I said quietly.

I walked over to where he was being held. The ballroom watched with bated breath.

I held out the silver rosary.

"You wanted this back," I said.

I dropped it on the marble floor at his feet.

"Keep it," I said. "You're going to need all the prayers you can get."

I turned my back on him and walked away.

Behind me, I heard the sound of police sirens approaching the Meridian. Mercer had called them before we even arrived. They weren't here for white-collar fraud. They were here for a cold case from eight years ago. vehicular manslaughter.

As the security guards dragged a screaming, sobbing Dominic toward the back exits, the guests parted. No one said a word.

I walked to the front entrance, the crimson silk of my dress flowing behind me. Mercer fell into step beside me.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine," I said. And for the first time in eight years, it was the absolute truth. I felt incredibly light.

We stepped out into the cool Chicago night. The paparazzi were still there, but they were swarming the back alley, trying to get a shot of Dominic being loaded into a police cruiser.

The front entrance was relatively quiet.

"So," Mercer said, standing by the open door of the Maybach. "The land is yours. Sterling will dismantle the company, but he has to pay you lease rights to keep the buildings standing. You're going to be one of the wealthiest women in the city by Monday afternoon."

I looked out at the skyline. The glittering lights of the buildings my father had surveyed. The buildings that now belonged to me.

"What will you do now, Evelyn?" Mercer asked.

I looked down at the velvet clutch in my hands.

"I have a phone call to make," I said.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in three years. A number Dominic had forced me to delete, claiming she was a "bad influence" who didn't fit our lifestyle.

The line rang twice.

"Hello?" a groggy voice answered.

"Hi, Sarah," I smiled, tears finally pricking my eyes. "It's Evie."