Chapter 8 - The Aftermath
In the weeks following the Christmas Eve raid, the fall of Dre Global Logistics was total and catastrophic.
Richard Dre was denied bail due to being a severe flight risk and was remanded to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn pending trial. Facing over forty federal counts of financial fraud, arson, and attempted murder, his legal team privately admitted he would likely spend the rest of his natural life behind bars.
David Dre, in exchange for full immunity, agreed to turn state's evidence, providing federal prosecutors with master encryption keys to all of Richard's offshore accounts in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands. The eighty million dollars in stolen dockworker pension funds were fully recovered and returned to the labor unions.
Fiona Vale's public relations firm collapsed overnight after her involvement in the scandal made national headlines. Stripped of her corporate retainers and publicly disgraced, she quietly moved back to her hometown in Vermont, her brief stint in Manhattan high society permanently over.
As for Matthias, he kept his word to the prosecutors. He surrendered all his corporate shares in Dre Global to assist in paying court-ordered restitution to the victims of his father's fraud. He moved out of our Manhattan penthouse into a small, rented apartment in Brooklyn, taking a mid-level analyst job at an independent green-energy firm.
On a cold morning in early February, I sat in the family court chambers in downtown Manhattan, flanked by Uncle Arthur.
Across the table sat Matthias and his court-appointed attorney.
"Mrs. Dre," the judge said, reviewing the final settlement documents. "Your husband has agreed to all terms of the divorce, including the complete surrender of his claims to the Manhattan property and the sole physical custody agreement for your child. Are you prepared to sign?"
"I am, Your Honor," I replied steadily.
I took the silver pen from Arthur, signing my name across the signature line: SERENA PENDELTON.
I handed the pen across the table to Matthias.
Matthias looked at my maiden name on the document, his eyes brimming with tears. He slowly picked up the pen, his hand shaking as he signed his name on the final line, ending our nine-year marriage with a single stroke of ink.
"The divorce is granted," the judge declared, slamming the gavel down. "May God bless you both."
May you like
Matthias looked up at me across the table, his face pale and hollow. "Can... can I see her when she's born, Serena?"
I looked at him, no longer feeling anger or hatred, only a quiet, peaceful distance. "When she is born, Matthias, you will receive a call. You will be her father. But you will never again be my family."
