“Very well,” she said with a small, controlled smile. “Then I’ll terminate every active contract between my firm and your corporate group.”
The effect was immediate. Judith’s smile froze. Brandon stared, confused. The cousins went still. Brandon’s father slowly set his glass down.
“You’re being emotional,” Judith said sharply. “Sit down and stop this drama.”
Diana rose instead, pushing her chair back neatly.
“You’ll receive formal notice within the hour,” she said. “Enjoy the rest of your dinner.”
She left without haste. Her heels echoed along the marble corridor. No one laughed. No one followed.
Outside, the night air was crisp. Diana slid into her car, took a steady breath, and unlocked her phone.
She didn’t cry. She didn’t reach out for comfort. She did what she had always done in business—she acted.
West Advisory Group specialized in regulatory compliance frameworks for multinational expansion—quiet, technical work few noticed until it vanished. The Ellis Corporate Group depended on Diana’s firm in three jurisdictions. They’d never paid attention to whose name was on the master authorizations.
Diana drafted the first termination notice—ethical breach and reputational risk. Then the second. Then the third. Each precise. Each final under clauses approved long ago by Judith’s own legal team.
By the time she started the engine, twelve critical agreements were marked for shutdown within seventy-two hours.
