Chapter 5 - The Desperate Call from the Slopes
Less than two minutes after I hung up on Patricia, my phone began to vibrate violently across the marble counter. This time, the screen flashed with Daniel’s personal cell number.
I took my time. I walked to the refrigerator, took out the fresh cream, stirred a splash into my coffee, and finally swiped the screen to answer.
""Claire!"" Daniel’s voice exploded through the speaker, breathless, panicked, and cracked with desperation. ""Claire, listen to me! Put the phone down and listen! What did you tell my mother? What did you do to my cards?""
""Hello, Daniel,"" I said, my voice echoing serenely through the empty, peaceful kitchen. ""I trust Aspen is as scenic as always?""
""Stop playing games, Claire! This isn't funny!"" he yelled, the sound of mountain wind roaring in the background. ""We're stuck outside the lodge with twelve bags! Every single card was declined at breakfast! The chalet manager said our booking was terminated on corporate orders! Do you know how humiliating this is? People were filming us on their phones!""
""I imagine it was very difficult for your pride,"" I replied evenly. ""Almost as difficult as opening my phone on Christmas Eve to see my husband drinking champagne with his mistress in the first-class seat I planned, booked, and paid for.""
There was a sudden, sharp hitch in Daniel’s breathing. For a split second, the bravado vanished, replaced by the stammering panic of a child caught stealing from the cookie jar.
""Mistress? Claire... baby, you’ve got it all wrong,"" he pleaded, his voice shifting instantly into that greasy, persuasive cadence he used when pitching reluctant clients. ""Vanessa is just a colleague! I swear! She... she was having a family crisis back home, and she was in tears at the office. I felt sorry for her! I brought her along as a professional courtesy to help with corporate networking!""
""A professional courtesy that lives in Northstar’s corporate penthouse in Manhattan?"" I asked quietly.
Daniel went completely, utterly silent. The line was so still I could hear the faint crunch of snow under his boots.
""A professional courtesy whose shell company, V.P. Media, received over seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars in fraudulent retainer fees signed by you?"" I continued, letting each syllable land like a lead weight. ""Or perhaps the professional courtesy who was wearing a twenty-thousand-dollar Cartier diamond bracelet on her wrist in the photo you sent me—a bracelet billed under Northstar's 'client relations' expense line?""
""Claire... Claire, please,"" Daniel choked out, his voice dropping to a frantic, broken whisper. ""Let me explain. It’s not what it looks like. We can talk about this when I get back. Just reinstate the corporate card for twenty-four hours. My parents have nowhere to stay! The hotels in town are completely booked for Christmas! Rooms at the basic motels are charging three thousand dollars a night and require cash deposits! We're literally freezing out here!""
""You should have thought about the weather before you left me home alone to freeze in an empty house, Daniel.""
""Claire, I am your husband!"" he screamed, his panic curdling into desperate anger. ""You can't do this to me! You owe me! I built Northstar’s brand! Without my face, without my charm, you'd just be a pathetic bean counter sitting in a cubicle!""
I let out a soft, genuine laugh. It felt liberating, washing away eight years of subtle emotional manipulation.
""Your charm didn't build this company, Daniel. My mother’s capital and my work ethic built it. Your charm just convinced a mediocre marketing coordinator that you were an untouchable billionaire. And right now, your charm can't even buy you a hot chocolate in Aspen.""
""Claire! Don't you dare hang up on me—""
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""Our legal counsel, Samuel Harris, has already filed for an emergency freeze on all joint accounts to prevent further dissipation of assets,"" I told him, each word deliberate and steady. ""The local sheriff in Aspen has been provided with a courtesy copy of the chalet cancellation to ensure you do not trespass on the property. Enjoy the rest of your vacation, Daniel. You're paying for it.""
I hung up, blocked his number, and placed the phone face down on the counter.
