CHAPTER FIVE
1418 Words
The next morning arrived far too quickly.
Emily barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, the same thoughts circled her mind.
court, shareholders, Gael, and the fragile life growing inside her.
The doctor’s warning echoed over and over again..you could lose the baby.
Emily pushed the thought aside as she stood in front of the mirror in Daniel’s guest bathroom.
Her reflection stared back at her- Pale, tired, but still standing.
She tied her hair back neatly and adjusted the collar of her blazer.
For a moment, she rested her hand lightly against her stomach.
“I won’t lose you,” she whispered.
Then she stepped out.
Daniel was already waiting in the living room with a stack of documents spread across the coffee table.
He looked like he hadn’t slept either.
The moment he saw her, his eyes narrowed.
“You should still be in bed,you know?”
Emily ignored that.
“What’s the plan?” Emily asked
Daniel exhaled slowly and slid a folder toward her.
“This is everything we could gather overnight. Gael’s lawyers are arguing that you’re unfit to maintain executive control due to reckless investments.”
Emily flipped through the pages quickly.
“Reckless investments,” she repeated quietly.
Daniel nodded.
“They’re claiming several of the company’s recent expansions put the business at risk.”
Emily let out a humorless laugh.
“Those expansions increased our revenue by forty percent.”
“I know,” Daniel said. “But they’ve twisted the narrative.”
Emily closed the folder.
“Of course they have.”
Daniel leaned forward slightly and said,
“Emily… if the judge grants Gael temporary control today, he’ll have the authority to manage the companies until the full investigation is completed.”
“How long?” she asked.
“Six months or possibly longer than that.” Daniel replied
Emily took a deep breath and said,
“Hmm,six months was more than enough time for Gael to strip the companies apart.”
Daniel watched her carefully.
“You still look pale.”
“I’m fine.” she said sharply.
“You fainted yesterday.”
“And I’m standing today.”
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck.
“You’re stubborn. Em”
Emily didn’t argue with that.
Her phone buzzed on the table and there was another message from her financial manager.
Emily opened it and her expression didn’t change, but Daniel noticed the tension in her shoulders.
“What now?” Daniel asked.
“Another investor pulled out this morning.”
Daniel muttered under his breath.
“Gael’s pressure campaign is working.”
Emily placed the phone down slowly.
“I know what he is trying to do. He’s trying to create panic.” she said lightly.
“And it’s spreading,” Daniel replied.
Emily walked toward the window and stared out at the city with so many thoughts in her head.
Aurora City looked the same as it always had tall buildings, busy streets, endless movement.
But for Emily, everything had changed overnight. Her empire, marriage and her future. And now there was a child involved.
Daniel’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“The driver is waiting downstairs.”
Emily nodded.
“Let’s go.”
The courthouse steps were crowded.
Reporters had already gathered outside, cameras flashing the moment Emily
stepped out of the car.
“Ms. Carter!”
“Emily, is it true your company is collapsing?”
“Did you mismanage company funds?”
“Are you stepping down today?”
The questions came rapidly, one after another.
Emily kept walking without answering.
Daniel stayed close beside her while security pushed through the crowd.
Inside the courthouse, the noise faded.
But the tension didn’t.
Gael was already there.
Emily saw him the moment she stepped into the hallway outside the courtroom.
He stood with his legal team, looking calm and confident, as if today were nothing more than another business meeting.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Gael smiled.
That same charming smile he had used for years.
Emily felt something cold settle in her chest.
Seven years of marriage and now they stood on opposite sides of a courtroom.
Daniel leaned closer to her.
“Don’t react to anything he says.” he whispered into her ears.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
Gael stepped away from his lawyers and walked toward them.
His expensive suit was perfectly tailored, his expression relaxed.
“Emily,” he greeted smoothly.
Her gaze didn’t soften.
“Gael.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Gael tilted his head slightly.
“You look tired.”
Emily almost laughed.
“You look busy too.”
He smiled again.
“Business has been… demanding lately.”
Emily held his gaze.
“You mean stealing my companies?”
Gael shrugged lightly.
“Managing them.”
“Without my permission.”
“You signed the document, remember?”
Emily’s eyes hardened.
“You lied about what they were.”
Gael didn’t deny it.
Instead, he leaned slightly closer and lowered his voice.
“You should settle this quietly.”
Emily didn’t move.
“Why would I do that?”
“It would be easier for both of us.”
Her expression turned colder.
“You mean easier for you.”
Gael straightened his jacket.
“Emily, the shareholders are already panicking. Investors are pulling out.”
“I know.”
“The board doesn’t trust you anymore.”
Emily’s jaw tightened.
“And the court hearing today?”
He smiled faintly.
“That will solve the rest.”
Daniel stepped forward then.
“That’s enough.”
Gael glanced at him briefly before turning back to Emily.
“You don’t have to make this difficult,” he said calmly.
Emily stared at him.
For a second, she almost didn’t recognize the man in front of her.
The man she had loved.
The man she had trusted with everything.
That man was gone.
“See you in court,” she said quietly.
Gael’s smile widened slightly.
“I look forward to it.”
The courtroom filled quickly.
Lawyers arranged their papers.
The judge entered shortly after.
Emily sat beside Daniel, her hands resting calmly on the table even though her pulse pounded in her ears.
The hearing began and Gael’s lawyer spoke first.
He laid out the accusations clearly—financial mismanagement, unstable leadership, and risky investments that supposedly threatened the company’s stability.
Emily listened without interrupting.
Then Daniel stood.
His argument was precise and controlled.
He presented financial reports, growth data, and years of successful leadership.
But as the discussion continued, Emily noticed something troubling.
The judge kept returning to the signed documents.
Those same documents Gael had tricked her into signing months ago.
Daniel whispered beside her.
“Those papers are the problem.”
Emily knew that.
Because legally, they gave Gael a temporary foothold.
The hearing stretched on.
Questions were asked.
Arguments repeated.
Finally, the judge leaned back in his chair.
“I will review the evidence and issue a temporary ruling within forty-eight hours.”
A ripple moved through the courtroom
.
Forty-eight hours.
Two days.
Gael didn’t look worried.
If anything, he looked satisfied.
Emily stood as the session ended.
Her legs felt slightly unsteady, but she kept her expression calm.
Outside the courtroom, Daniel exhaled slowly.
“That could have gone worse.”
Emily didn’t respond.
Her phone buzzed again and It wa another message.
She opened it.
And for the first time that day, her face lost color.
Daniel noticed immediately.
“What happened?”
Emily slowly turned the phone toward him.
The message was from her financial manager.
URGENT: Emergency board vote scheduled tonight. They’re discussing a permanent leadership replacement.
Daniel’s expression darkened.
“They’re trying to remove you completely.”
Emily stared at the screen.
Gael hadn’t just attacked her in court.
He was moving on every front.
Legal, financial and both corporate
Step by step.
Piece by piece.
And suddenly Emily understood something.
Gael wasn’t just trying to control her companies.
He was trying to erase her from them entirely.
Emily lifted her head slowly.
Across the courthouse lobby, Gael stood near the exit, speaking with his lawyers.
As if he felt her gaze, he turned.
Their eyes met again.
This time, his smile carried a quiet certainty.
As if he already believed the war was over.
Emily’s fingers curled tightly around her phone.
Because if the board removed her tonight…
She wouldn’t just lose control, she could lose everything.
- Writer
