My Husband Divorced Me To Marry His Mistress, Thinking He Owned My Family’s Multi-million Dollar Company. He Just Found Out He’s Actually An At-will Employee. Who Should Tell Him He’s About To Get Arrested At His Own Wedding?
The Assets Revealed
Mr. Hayes laughed at Damian’s pathetic defense. He gestured to the operator again. The image on the projector screen changed once more.
This time it displayed a list of the assets Damian had claimed. The screen clearly showed the property titles for the house, the registrations for the luxury cars, and the deed for the apartment. However, in the column for the legal owner, Damian’s name did not appear even once.
All assets were under the name of Alcazar Investments Incorporated or in Eleanor’s personal name. Mr. Hayes explained patiently, as if teaching a child, that all the luxury amenities Damian had enjoyed for five years—from the watch on his wrist to the car he used to pick up Sylvia—were inventoried company assets loaned as part of his position.,
“You own nothing, Damian,” Mr. Hayes’s voice cut through Damian’s shouts, sounding cold and sharp. “Even the suit you’re wearing now, the bill was charged to the company credit card that was blocked this very morning. You are just a stowaway who got too comfortable in first class and forgot he never bought a ticket.”
Mr. Hayes moved closer to Damian, intimidating him with his imposing figure. Damian backed away until his back hit the ceremony table behind him. He was trapped with nowhere to run.
Sylvia, who could no longer handle the situation, began to cry hysterically. She felt completely deceived. She shook Damian’s arm, demanding an explanation.
“Damian, what does all this mean? You said the house was yours! You said you were the owner of the company! So all this time I was about to marry a mere employee?” Sylvia screamed, no longer caring about her image.
Damian tried to calm her down, whispering that he would fix it later, that he could sue Eleanor. But Sylvia roughly pushed Damian’s hand away. Sylvia’s makeup began to run with her tears, giving her a disheveled and pathetic appearance on that magnificent stage.
Below the stage, Eleanor remained seated calmly. She wasn’t smirking or laughing; she simply watched the drama on stage with an impassive face. Inside, she felt relieved.
The burden of lies Damian had hidden was finally lifted. Eleanor remembered how many times Damian had belittled her in front of her friends, saying she knew nothing about business, when it was she who quietly cleaned up Damian’s administrative messes. It was she who injected personal funds when Damian’s projects failed.
Tonight, Eleanor was only taking back what was rightfully hers: the truth. Mr. Hayes turned his attention back to Damian. He said the humiliation wasn’t over yet.
The 10.5 Million Dollar Debt
He reminded Damian of the document he had signed that morning at the courthouse. Damian frowned, trying to remember the contents of the document. He remembered signing it quickly because he wanted to be free.,
He remembered his lawyer telling him it was just a standard divorce agreement with no claim on marital assets. Damian wondered what that agreement had to do with the current situation. Mr. Hayes, as if he could read his mind, pulled a dark blue document folder from his jacket, holding it up for all to see.
“You may think this is just the end of your marriage, Damian, but it’s actually the beginning of your financial ruin,” Mr. Hayes said enigmatically, preparing the final blow that would bury Damian alive.
The atmosphere in the hotel ballroom shifted dramatically. If it had previously resembled a shameful circus, now the tension was that of an execution chamber. The guests held their breath; their eyes were fixed on the dark blue folder Mr. Hayes was holding.
Damian looked at the folder with extreme apprehension. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest. He tried to remember every clause he had skimmed over that morning, but his brain was frozen with panic.,
He felt he had overlooked something fatal, a hidden trap in the pile of legal papers he had underestimated. Mr. Hayes opened the folder with a slow, deliberate movement, mentally torturing Damian. The sound of the pages turning, amplified by the microphone, created a dramatic and terrifying effect.
Mr. Hayes pulled out a sheet with a seal at the bottom, where Damian’s signature stood out clearly in still-fresh black ink. Mr. Hayes held the paper with both hands, read it silently for a moment, and then looked Damian directly in the eyes. His gaze was filled with irrefutable legal certainty.
Mr. Hayes began to explain that in the world of high-level business, every signature has consequences, and negligence in reading a contract is an unforgivable sin. “Damian,” Mr. Hayes’s voice broke the silence. “You were so arrogant when you signed this. Did you think you were just discarding Eleanor from your life? Did you believe that by waving your claim to marital assets you had won?”,
Mr. Hayes shook his head slowly. A smile of insulting pity formed on his lips. “Unfortunately, you didn’t read Article 14, Section 3 of the rights waiver agreement you voluntarily signed.”
Damian was stunned. What article was that? His lawyer hadn’t mentioned anything about an Article 14. Damian looked toward the exit, hoping his lawyer would be there to defend him, but there was no sign of him. He was alone.
Mr. Hayes brought the microphone to his lips, preparing to deliver the sentence that would be the final hammer blow to Damian’s life. His voice grew deeper and more serious. “Listen carefully, Damian, and all of you as witnesses,” Mr. Hayes said loudly.
He took a brief breath before continuing. “Your signature this morning was not just for a divorce. It was the approval to activate a total indemnification clause, which states: Should the second party, meaning you, renounce his status as the spouse of the primary shareholder, all company losses incurred during his tenure, as well as all personal expenses made with company resources without written authorization, will instantly convert into a personal debt to be paid in full within 24 hours.”,
The sentence echoed, bouncing off the ballroom walls, entering Damian’s ears, and exploding in his brain. Damian staggered backward as if he had just been slapped hard. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the hard stage floor.
He tried to process those words: personal debt, all company losses. Damian knew perfectly well that during his five-year tenure many projects had failed because he was busier playing golf and vacationing than managing the business. The value of those losses, if accumulated, could reach millions.
And the cost of tonight’s party, $500,000, would also be considered an unauthorized expense as Eleanor had blocked his access before the transaction. Mr. Hayes wasn’t finished. He continued his explanation with an increasingly pressing tone.
“According to the forensic audit we conducted last week, the total losses from failed projects and the misuse of operational funds for your lifestyle over these five years amount to $10 million. Add to that the cost of tonight’s venue and catering, which you charged to an already blocked company account. Your total debt stands at $10,500,000.”,
The figure was pronounced with perfect clarity, leaving the guests stunned. A collective gasp was heard. Over $10 million. It was an immense amount of money, impossible for a now jobless and assetless Damian to repay.
“And since you no longer have any assets to your name,” Mr. Hayes continued with a final tone, “both civil and criminal laws will be applied simultaneously.”
