Chapter 7
By late afternoon, the news of the Chu family scandal had broken through the financial news networks, spreading like wildfire across Wall Street and the local business districts. Headlines flashed across skyscraper LED screens: Chu Corp Subsidiary Faces Insolvency Amid Embezzlement Probe; Executive Director Ousted.
Mu sat in a sterile, half-empty hotel room downtown, the television murmuring softly in the background. His phone lay on the glass coffee table, silent for the past two hours. The contacts who had once answered his calls on the first ring—investment bankers, municipal bureaucrats, socialite friends—had suddenly vanished from his digital orbit. Their numbers rolled straight to voicemail, or worse, greeted him with automated disconnection tones.
The door to the hotel suite clicked open, and Mumu walked in, her white dress looking wrinkled and drab under the harsh fluorescent lights of the room. Her carefully curated composure had completely unraveled; her hair was coming loose from its pins, and her makeup was smudged around her eyes.
"Why aren't you doing anything?" Mumu demanded, her voice shrill and desperate as she slammed her designer handbag onto the small round table. "My family's real estate firm is being audited by the tax authorities as well! They froze our corporate accounts because of those fraudulent transactions tied to your shell company!"
Mu didn't look up from his position on the edge of the king-sized bed. He stared blankly at the carpet, his hands clasped tightly between his knees. "I told you to be careful with the paper trail," he muttered, his voice devoid of any warmth or affection. "You insisted on buying that waterfront property under your brother's name using corporate funds."
"I did it because you promised we would be safe once the divorce went through!" Mumu screamed, stepping closer and grabbing his shoulder, shaking him violently. "You said Lin Xi was weak! You said she would quietly accept a settlement and sign off on the nondisclosure agreements!"
Mu shrugged her hand off roughly, standing up to tower over her. The polished facade of the charming corporate climber was completely gone, replaced by a bitter, desperate hostility. "Look at where we are! You pushed for this! You kept sending me messages, pushing me to accelerate the divorce, demanding public validation!"
"Don't you dare blame this on me!" Mumu shrieked, her voice cracking. "You were the one embezzling the funds! I was just following your lead!"
May you like
The mutual recrimination hung heavy in the small, oppressive room. The romance built on deceit and entitlement had evaporated the moment financial ruin knocked on the door. There was no loyalty here, only a desperate scramble for self-preservation as the walls of their carefully constructed lies collapsed around them.
***
