Chapter 3 - Cutting the Supply LineMy fingers moved with military precision across my phone screen.
First, I opened my primary banking app. I navigated to the automatic monthly recurring transfers.
Transfer to Carmen Gutierrez: 35,000 Pesos. STATUS: CANCELLED.
Next, I tapped into my corporate credit management portal. Daniel held a supplementary platinum card under my primary business account—a card he used for his golf outings, expensive watches, and fuel for his BMW.
Supplementary Card #4092 - Daniel Gutierrez. STATUS: BLOCKED / STOLEN REPORTED.
I moved to Valeria's supplementary card, which paid for her university tuition, her trendy clothes, and her salon visits.
Supplementary Card #8812 - Valeria Gutierrez. STATUS: BLOCKED / STOLEN REPORTED.
I opened my real estate portal next. The four-bedroom luxury apartment we were sitting in was leased entirely in my name. The lease was up for renewal in two weeks. I opened the landlord's direct chat.
Mariana: "Good evening, Mr. Vance. I will not be renewing the lease for Unit 4B. Please consider this my formal fourteen-day notice to vacate."
Mr. Vance: "Understood, Mariana. I’ll prepare the move-out inspection forms."
Finally, I pulled up my contacts and dialed a number I hadn't called in three years.
The line rang twice before a sharp, authoritative female voice answered.
"Mariana? It's 9:00 PM. Is everything okay?"
"Victoria," I said, my voice as hard as diamond. "I need you to pull up our prenuptial agreement. I'm filing for divorce tomorrow morning. And I want sole custody of Camila with zero visitation rights for Daniel."
A brief pause echoed on the line, followed by the crisp sound of papers shuffling. Victoria Sterling wasn't just my best friend from college; she was the most ruthless family law attorney in the state.
"What did he do?" Victoria asked quietly.
"He and his mother locked Camila out on the balcony in the cold with stale bread while they ate a five-hundred-dollar seafood dinner paid for with my money," I said. "I have photos of her hands, the bread roll, and the dining room table."
"Send me the photos immediately," Victoria ordered, her tone turning into pure steel. "Do you have financial records of every peso you’ve spent on his family?"
"Every single receipt," I replied. "I kept a separate ledger."
"Good," Victoria said with a dark chuckle. "I'm going to draft an emergency restraining order and an asset-freezing petition by midnight. By 8:00 AM tomorrow, Daniel won't even be able to buy a bottle of water without my court approval."
"Make it hurt, Victoria," I whispered.
"Oh, darling," Victoria replied, "I'm going to strip them down to their socks."
May you like
I hung up the phone, wrapped my arms around Camila, and closed my eyes.
Outside the bedroom door, I could hear the muffled sounds of laughter, the clinking of wine glasses, and the loud, obnoxious chatter of parasites who had no idea their host had just cut off the blood supply.
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