vignette
Seven months pregnant, Laurel Pierce watched her husband’s mistress pour champagne over her dress and call her a woman with nowhere to go… / Chapter 5 / 10

Chapter 6 - Nolan's Frustration

Two weeks passed, and the world began to fracture around Nolan Pierce.

He had expected Laurel to break after forty-eight hours. Instead, she had vanished without a trace, and the media had seized upon the Winter Benefit scandal. A junior server had leaked a crisp, high-definition video of Camille pouring champagne over Laurel’s pregnant belly, followed by Nolan’s callous indifference.

The public backlash was swift and brutal.

*“Billionaire Abandons Pregnant Wife for Heiress Partner,”* ran the headline in the *New York Post*. Women’s advocacy groups organized protests outside Pierce Urban’s corporate headquarters. Share prices dipped six percent.

Inside his corner office, Nolan slammed his laptop shut. “Has security found her yet?”

His head of operations looked pale. “Mr. Pierce, she isn't using any bank accounts. She hasn't contacted any mutual friends. But Vance’s office sent over a court summons regarding the Hudson redevelopment.”

Camille walked in, looking immaculate in an emerald Chanel suit, though her expression was tightly strung. “Nolan, my father is furious. The board members are threatening to delay the first wire transfer until this PR mess is cleaned up. Why haven't you settled with that woman yet?”

“Because she’s hiding behind Arthur Vance!” Nolan snapped, running a hand through his hair. “She’s playing a game.”

“Then end it,” Camille demanded, leaning over his desk. “Offer her five million dollars, an NDA, and tell her to sign over full custody. She has no money, Nolan. She’s seven months pregnant and living on scraps. Wave a check in front of her face, and she’ll fold.”

Nolan hesitated. For the first time, a sliver of doubt pricked his mind. He remembered the look in Laurel’s eyes when she dropped her ring into his drink—it hadn't been the look of a defeated woman. It had been the look of someone who had finally seen through him completely.

“She won't take money,” Nolan muttered.

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“Everyone takes money,” Camille countered coldly. “Find her doctor. A pregnant woman can’t hide from her obstetrician.”

***

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Chapter 7 - The Confrontation
Chapter 8 - The Boardroom Coup
Chapter 9 - The Fall of Camille
Chapter 10 - The Birth of Hope
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