CHAPTER 2: A Seat at the Table

POV: Corinne Dorsey

The glass doors of the grand dining room pushed open, revealing a room bathed in warm chandelier light and filled with the low hum of rich laughter.

At the center table sat Bennett, wearing an expensive tailored suit, raising a glass of dark red wine toward the men surrounding him. Beside him sat his father, Victor Hayes, holding court like a king who believed the entire city belonged to him.

"To the future of the Hayes Group!" Victor announced, his voice booming across the polished room. He tapped his glass with a silver spoon, bringing the room to complete silence. "In a few short months, our family will merge completely with the Dorsey estate. We will hold total control over their assets, their land, and their capital."

The corporate investors surrounding the table cheered, raising their glasses in unison.

"Bennett has worked endlessly to secure this union," Victor continued, patting Bennett on the shoulder. "He has shown true leadership, ensuring that the Dorsey girl remains dependent on our vision. Together, we will build an empire that no one can touch."

I stood in the doorway, my fingers resting lightly on the black leather folder in my hands. In my previous life, I would have cowered at the door, trying not to disappoint them. I would have smiled weakly, accepted their subtle insults, and let them treat me like an empty shadow.

Not tonight.

I walked directly toward the head table. My heels clicked softly against the marble floor, but the sound cut through their applause like a sharp knife.

Bennett turned his head first. The moment his eyes met mine, the arrogant smirk on his face faltered. His skin lost a shade of color, his throat working as he swallowed hard. He hadn't expected me to show up after our phone call from the bank.

"Corinne!" Bennett called out quickly, forcing a tight, artificial smile as he stood up from his chair. He reached out to grab my elbow, trying to pull me toward the side of the room before anyone noticed the tension. "What are you doing here, sweetie? You should have called me first. We're in the middle of an important dinner with our main investors."

I stepped back, avoiding his touch completely.

"I brought something for the celebration," I said softly, my voice calm and clear enough to carry across the quiet room.

Victor set his glass down on the table, his brow furrowing into a stern frown. "Corinne, control yourself. Look around you. These are distinguished gentlemen. This is not the place for whatever childish drama you are trying to bring."

"It's not drama, Mr. Hayes," I replied. "It's business."

I reached forward and dropped the thick black leather folder directly into the center of the table, knocking over Bennett's wine glass. Red liquid spilled across the white tablecloth, staining the pristine fabric like blood.

"What is the meaning of this?" Victor demanded, his voice rising in anger.

"Open it," I said, looking straight into Bennett's pale face.

One of the lead investors, an older man named Mr. Henderson, reached out and flipped the folder open. He adjusted his glasses, scanning the first page out loud.

"Cancellation of Marriage and Dissolution of Financial Trust," Mr. Henderson read, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. He flipped to the next page. "Bank wire receipts... personal transfers to an offshore account registered under the name of... Miss Cynthia Reed?"

A collective gasp rippled around the table.

Bennett lunged forward, trying to snatch the papers out of Mr. Henderson's hands. "Give me that! It's a mistake! Corinne is confused, she's making things up!"

"I am not confused, Bennett," I said, my voice steady and unwavering. "Those receipts show every single transaction you made over the last six months. You didn't lose fifty million dollars on a bad stock trade tonight. You spent millions transferring funds to your secret mistress, while using my family's foundation as collateral."

"You lying bitch!" Bennett yelled, stepping toward me with his fist clenched.

"Watch your language!" Mr. Henderson snapped, slamming his hand onto the table as he stood up. "Hayes, is this true? Did you cover your personal debts using money that was supposed to back our joint venture?"

Victor slammed both palms onto the table, his face turning dark red. "Silence! Everyone calm down! Corinne, you are out of your line! You will take these baseless accusations back immediately before you ruin our family name in front of our partners!"

"Your family name ruined itself the moment you tried to steal from me," I said softly.

"You need us!" Victor snarled, pointing a finger at my face. "Without the Hayes Group to manage your grandfather's properties, your estate is nothing! You are a lone girl with no corporate power! You will sit down, apologize to our investors, and sign the trust authorization right now!"

I looked Victor in the eye and pulled my phone out from my coat pocket.

"You think you control my estate?" I asked, tapping the screen twice before placing the phone on speaker mode.

The call connected on the first ring. A sharp, professional voice answered from the speaker.

"Dorinne Asset Management, Property Division. How can I help you, Miss Dorsey?"

"This is Corinne Dorsey," I said clearly. "I am calling to issue an immediate termination order on the lease agreement for Building Nine on Central Avenue."

Victor's eyes widened in sheer horror. "Corinne, don't you dare!"

"Miss Dorsey," the manager replied over the phone. "Building Nine is currently occupied by the primary headquarters of Hayes Group Enterprises. Their contract expires in three years. Are you sure you want to terminate early?"

"Terminate it immediately under Clause Four—unauthorized financial misconduct," I instructed. "Give them twelve hours to clear their staff out of the building."

"Understood, Miss Dorsey. Notice served."

I hung up the phone and looked back at the table.

The room was in absolute chaos. Victor stumbled back into his chair, breathing heavily, his face drained of all color. The lease on their main headquarters was the core security for all their corporate loans. Without it, their credit rating would collapse by morning.

Mr. Henderson turned toward Bennett, his expression furious. "You told us the headquarters was secured by a fifty-year lease! You lied to us!"

"Mr. Henderson, please!" Bennett begged, reaching out helplessly. "Listen to me! We can fix this! She's just throwing a tantrum!"

"Fix it?" Mr. Henderson roared. "My firm invested twenty million dollars in your margin account based on your guarantee! If your lease is canceled and your liquid assets are frozen, my money is gone!"

Mr. Henderson stepped close to Bennett, towering over him with pure rage. "You have until midnight to return my twenty million dollars in full. If that money isn't back in my firm's bank account in two hours, I will file criminal fraud charges against you and your father!"

"Two hours?!" Bennett cried out, his voice cracking into panic. "I don't have twenty million dollars! Corinne froze my access!"

"Then you better start digging a hole to hide in!" Mr. Henderson barked. He grabbed his coat from the back of his chair, looked at the other investors, and gestured toward the door. "We're leaving. Call the lawyers."

One by one, every investor at the table stood up, giving Bennett and Victor cold, disgusted looks before walking out of the private room.

Within two minutes, the grand dining room was completely empty, save for Victor sitting frozen in his seat, Bennett trembling by the ruined table, and me.

Bennett looked up at me, his eyes wide with fear, desperation, and raw hatred. "You destroyed us... You ruined everything in twenty minutes..."

"You ruined yourself three years ago," I said calmly. "I just stopped paying for your mistakes."

I turned on my heel and walked out of the dining room, heading down the carpeted hallway toward the elevators. The quiet hum of the building surrounded me, but my mind was completely calm. The weight that had crushed me in my previous life was finally gone.

Before I could reach the elevator doors, fast footsteps echoed down the hall behind me.

A harsh grip clamped onto my left arm, spinning me around violently.

"Corinne!" Bennett shouted, his breathing ragged, his hand squeezing my coat sleeve tightly. "You can't do this to me! You love me! You've loved me for five years! You can't just throw me away like trash!"

I looked down at his hand on my arm, then looked up into his bloodshot eyes. I didn't flinch. I didn't scream.

I leaned in close, bringing my lips right next to his ear.

"Do you want to know where your missing money went, Bennett?" I whispered, my tone ice-cold.

Bennett froze, his grip on my arm loosening slightly. "What... what are you talking about?"

"Account number seven-seven-nine, Zurich Private Vault," I whispered slowly, every digit hitting him like a physical blow. "The account where you hid the stolen foundation funds two years ago... the ones you thought nobody ever found."

Bennett's face went completely ghostly white. His lips parted, but no sound came out. His hand dropped from my arm as if he had been burned by hot iron. He stumbled back two steps, staring at me as if he were looking at a ghost.

"How... how do you know that number?" he choked out, his voice barely a breath. "Nobody knows that number... Only I..."

The elevator doors behind me slid open with a soft chime.

I stepped backward into the elevator, keeping my eyes fixed on his terrified face as the silver doors began to close between us.

"Sixty days, Bennett," I said softly just before the doors sealed completely shut. "Enjoy what little time you have left.”