My Ex, My Lifeline

She grabbed her keys from their usual stationed place on the brass hook beside the front door. Her phone was already in hand, the screen lit with unanswered notifications, but she ignored it. She shrugged into her tailored coat, the fabric falling neatly over her lean body. The rain has started by the time she stepped outside. She opened her umbrella as the drizzle thickened, the cool air brushing against her skin. A loose strand of dark hair slipped free from the low bun at her nape, clinging briefly to her cheek before she brushed it aside. She puts the key in the ignition and slowly backs the car away from the driveway. Daniella slid into her car, the interior smelled faintly of leather and coffee, undeniable signs of nights spent working longer than planned. She started the engine and reversed slowly from the parking lot, rain streaking down the windshield. The city blurred as she drove, She had meetings to reschedule, calls to make, systems to stabilise. Whatever waited for her at the office would not be given the luxury of panic. Her phone vibrated again. She stole a glance at the screen quickly and caught her father’s name, but she didn’t answer it. By the time she reached the office, she was already in autopilot. She packed her bag in the car, adjusted the cuffs of her navy blazer and inhaled slowly, the way she had taught herself to do at sixteen, back when responsibility had learned her name before she had finished being a girl. “Daniella” She heard her father’s voice the moment she entered the office building. Her father’s voice was softer than she remembered it being. It echoed from the leather sofa behind her, brittle and hollow. “They won’t take my calls.” He said again, this time, she turned around to look at him, his eyes a striking resemblance of hers, and his hair more grey than black. Victor Vale sat with his shoulders slumped, hands folded together like a man waiting for a bad news he already knew had arrived. Once, his presence had commanded rooms without him having to raise his voice. Now, silence seemed to have claimed him. “They won’t take anyone’s calls,” Daniella replied evenly. “I’ve tried every channel.” That morning, the news had been buzzing that the Vale Family empire had come to a standstill due to a sudden “global financial freeze”, a narrative that made no sense to her at all. She crossed the office and placed her tablet on the desk between them, the screen glowing with red indicators. “access restricted, account temporarily frozen, pending review ongoing” Every single Vale Holdings, on state, offshore, overseas, and even reserves displayed the same message. “access restricted, account temporarily frozen, pending review ongoing” It meant only one thing that all their accounts were frozen and every transaction was being monitored for suspicious activity. If Julian was here, he would have cursed, thrown a fit, maybe even set the room on fire. He had never been the calm one between the two of them. Daniella, however, didn’t erupt. She never did, rather, she thought strategically. “Banks don’t do this without notice,” her father said. “Especially, not to us.” “I know,” Daniella replied, resting her chin on her hand as her fingers drummed lightly against the desk. “When you have that look on your face, you’re thinking about something” her father said, watching her with those gentle eyes she had grown to resent. “What is it?” “I just....it feels suspicious” she said. “Our accounts are frozen, our businesses are suddenly under investigation, and all of this happens right after we secured one of the biggest investment deals in the country.” “Maybe it’s just a coincidence” he offered still watching her closely. Daniella turned away from him, her gaze drifting towards the window instead. “I will have to get in touch with our investors and let them know that this....” Daniella said gesturing around the living room “is all a mistake, they should just be patient everything will soon be resolv......”. She didn’t get to finish, Ashley, her assistant burst into the office without knocking, something she has never done before, the look on her face sent a chill straight down Daniella’s spine. She knew, or at least she knew something was coming. Still, she clung to the delusion that whatever it was, she could manage it. Smooth it over. Make sure it didn’t leave scars on the company’s name or its legacy. “I sincerely apologise for disrupting your meeting Ma’am,” Ashley said, briefly glancing at Daniella’s father before fixing her gaze back on Daniella. “We lost the deal” she continued “Mr. Buffet just pulled out his investment. Our long-time partners are quietly reaching out to our rivals, and the logistics firm we’ve worked with for over twenty-three years is suddenly unreachable.” Her voice trembled, as tears pooled in her eyes. “Ma… everything is crashing down.” Daniella stood, and crossed the space between them, she placed her hand lightly on Ashley's shoulders. “Everything is under control,” she said firmly. “Reach out to the investors, and tell them this is all a mistake. Also, try to reassure them that nothing illegal or suspicious is happening at Vale Holdings Ltd.” Even as she spoke, the weight of the lie settled heavily in her chest, but she swallowed it down. The moment Ashley left, Daniella rested her head on the desk and sighed, completely forgetting that her father was still in the office. “It’s okay, if you don’t know what to do Dani.” He said gently “you don’t have to be strong all the time” She lifted her head and glared at him. “I would like to be alone now, Dad,” she said slipping on her ‘i-have-got-everything-under-control-face. “if you will excuse me”. He stood, hesitated, then looked at her with longing, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, before quietly leaving her office. The door had barely closed when the first tear slipped from her eye. She wished Julian were here. He always made everything better. She couldn’t wait for him to arrive in Chicago. She opened her laptop and begin to go through the list of businesses affected by the global financial freeze. Coincidentally, they were all similar kinds of businesses and all rival business of Grey Consortium. The moment the thought formed in her mind, she shook her head slightly, unwilling to go there. But the thought lingered anyway. If Grey Consortium is behind all this, why target Vale Holdings? she wondered. At that moment, Daniella’s phone rang. She ignored it still lost in thought. When it rang again, she stole a glance at the screen, an unknown number. It was probably some media channel or gossip source trying to stir a reaction from her, but she wasn’t in the mood to feed their stories. The phone rang a third time. This time, she picked it up, her voice sharp. “I am not interested in answering your.......” “Please am I speaking to Miss Daniella Vale?” The voice on the other end made her pause. “Yes, who is this?” she asked, by the tone and texture of the voice she could tell the man was in his mid-thirties. “ It isn’t a coincidence, everything that is happening.....Grey Consortium.....” She heard the name for the second time that day, and a chill settled over her like a cloak. “I don’t understand, please, can you explain clearly?” “I am sorry, that’s all i can say for now...turn on your TV to channel 365. You’ll understand.” Then the line went silent. She stood and began pacing around the room. Her hand found the remote on the TV stand, and she switched to Channel 365. Dominic Grey’s face filled the screen, his piercing blue eyes the same ones that had kept her heart in knots for years. “Mr. Grey, rumours suggest your consortium is linked to the recent financial freeze affecting several private empires, including Vale Holdings,” the TV reporter asked. Dominic, dressed in a sharp blue blazer and matching pants. He looked as if he were heading to the office straight from his home. He ran a hand through his hair, fixed his gaze on the reporter, and smiled in a way that made Daniella melt like putty in his hands, but she shrugged it off. “The Grey Consortium has no dealings with the Vale family,” he said calmly. “Nor any interest in their operations or businesses. I categorically deny involvement in any action against them.” Daniella watched his mouth form the words, noting the slight quiver of his lips. She had known Dominic for years, and yet she was still able to tell when he was lying. Her phone rang again. She answered on the first ring, hoping it was the anonymous man from earlier, but it wasn’t. “Miss Vale, this is the Economic Crimes Unit. Your brother, Julian Vale, has been taken into custody for embezzling company’s funds”. “What?” she managed, as her phone slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor.