PART 33
Victoria’s smear campaign did not end with her isolation.
It mutated into something more desperate and public.
Two weeks after my promotion, I received a call from the building’s front desk.
“Mrs. Rivers, there is an older woman here demanding to speak to the new VP.”
“Describe her,” I said, my stomach tightening.
“She says she is your mother-in-law and that you are hiding company funds.”
I closed my eyes, a wave of cold fury washing over me.
“Do not let her past the lobby,” I instructed the receptionist.
“Call building security and have her escorted out immediately.”
“Then send me the incident report.”
I hung up the phone and stared at my computer screen.
She was trying to destroy my professional reputation because she could no longer control my personal one.
I called Megan Lawson immediately.
“We need to escalate the cease and desist,” I told her.
“This is no longer just family drama.”
“This is attempted corporate defamation.”
Megan’s voice was sharp and reassuring.
“I will have the papers served to her by tomorrow morning.”
PART 34
David’s reaction to the incident was not defensive.
It was decisive.
He came home early that evening, his jaw set with a grim determination.
“I know what she did,” he said, placing his keys on the counter.
“I am so sorry, Chloe.”
“It is not your fault,” I replied, though the sting of the betrayal still lingered.
“It is my responsibility to stop it,” he countered firmly.
The next day, David hired his own attorney, separate from Megan.
He filed a formal, legal cease and desist order against his own mother.
The document explicitly forbade her from contacting me, my workplace, or mentioning my name in any public or private forum.
When I asked him how it felt to take such a drastic step, he looked down at his hands.
“It felt like amputating a gangrenous limb,” he said quietly.
“It hurts, but it is the only way to save the rest of the body.”
I walked over and wrapped my arms around him.
He trembled slightly, mourning the final, irreversible severing of his childhood illusions.
