Kristoffer Kelly walked to the bedside. His usual sharp, courtroom demeanor softened with deep concern as he took in Chloe's pale, weakened state. The dark circles under her eyes stood out starkly against her ashen skin.
He placed the thick manila envelope on the bedside table. He let out a heavy sigh and pulled up a chair, sitting close to the bed.
"Chloe," Kristoffer asked, his voice low and serious. "I need to ask you one last time. Are you absolutely sure you want to walk away from the Carlisle trust fund?"
Chloe didn't hesitate. She reached for the envelope. Her fingers traced the rigid paper seal. She nodded, her eyes reflecting absolute certainty.
Kristoffer pulled the documents out of the envelope. He pointed to the zero-alimony clause on the second page.
"You need to understand the financial realities of raising a child in Manhattan," Kristoffer warned her, tapping the paper. "You are leaving billions on the table. You have medical bills. You need security."
Chloe looked Kristoffer dead in the eye. "Axel's money is poison," she stated, her voice devoid of any warmth. "If I take a single cent, he will use it to control me for the rest of my life. I need a clean break to survive."
Kristoffer stared at her for a long moment. His respect for his junior overrode his aggressive legal instinct to fight for her assets. He reached into his breast pocket and handed her a platinum fountain pen.
Chloe uncaps the pen. She hovered the metal nib over the signature line. Her heart pounded against her ribs, but a massive, suffocating weight was preparing to lift off her chest.
Before the ink could touch the paper, the suite door was thrown open violently. Down the hall, Eleanor had been lingering near the nurse's station, nursing her bruised ego. She had spotted the high-profile attorney entering Chloe's room and, recognizing his firm's crest on his briefcase, immediately dialed her daughter to stir up a storm. Now, acting as her mother's vicious proxy, Cecile Carlisle marched into the room. She clutched a limited-edition Birkin bag, her face twisted into an ugly sneer of contempt.
"I knew it," Cecile immediately started hurling insults. Her shrill voice echoed off the sterile walls. "You manipulative gold-digger! You think using fake divorce papers is going to extort my brother? You are pathetic!"
Chloe paused. She slowly lowered the pen. Her face turned ice-cold as she stared at her sister-in-law's unwarranted intrusion. Her stomach muscles tightened painfully, but she refused to flinch.
Cecile finally noticed Kristoffer sitting by the bed. She looked him up and down with extreme prejudice.
"And who is this?" Cecile mocked loudly. "Some cheap, ambulance-chasing attorney you found to help you run your little scam?"
Kristoffer stood up slowly. He deliberately buttoned his suit jacket. His presence instantly shifted, filling the room with the intimidating, lethal aura of a top-tier litigator.
He stepped directly between Cecile and Chloe's bed, creating a solid physical barrier. He looked down at Cecile with absolute cold detachment.
"I am Kristoffer Kelly," he introduced himself formally, his tone dangerously calm. "Senior partner at Kelly & Associates. I hold degrees from Harvard and Yale."
Cecile faltered for a second. The elite credentials intimidated her, but her Carlisle arrogance quickly recovered. She raised her chin, preparing to insult Chloe's morality again.
"I don't care where you went to school," Cecile spat. "This woman is a-"
Kristoffer cut her off sharply. He pulled a sleek voice recorder pen from his breast pocket and clicked it on. A small red light blinked.
"Ms. Carlisle," Kristoffer informed her, his voice dropping an octave. "Under New York State law, your baseless accusations in the presence of a third party constitute per se defamation against my client."
Kristoffer took one slow, deliberate step forward. "If you speak another word against my client, I promise you, I will file a multi-million dollar civil suit against you personally before you reach the lobby."
Cecile's face went completely pale. She took a step back. She realized instantly that this lawyer was not bluffing. He possessed the legal power and the ruthlessness to ruin her socially and financially.
She stammers, trying to maintain her arrogant facade, but her throat closed up. She clutched her Birkin bag tightly against her chest.
Chloe watched the exchange from the bed. A surge of gratitude for Kristoffer warmed her chest, but it was quickly replaced by a cold spike of fear. She knew Axel's ruthless tactics. The Carlisle family would use their massive Wall Street influence to destroy Kristoffer's career for daring to threaten them.
"Get out," Chloe spoke up. Her voice was firm, cutting through the silence. "Get out of my room immediately, Cecile."
Cecile glared at them both. She muttered a vicious curse under her breath, turned on her heel, and practically fled the VIP suite.
Kristoffer clicked the recorder off. He turned back to the bed, offering Chloe a reassuring smile. But Chloe looked at him with deep, genuine concern.
She picked up the unsigned papers.
"I will review them tonight," Chloe told him, her breathing slightly elevated. "But you need to leave. Right now."
Kristoffer frowned, confused by her sudden urgency. "Chloe, I can handle her."
"You can't handle Axel," Chloe insisted, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the bedsheets. "I don't want you caught in their toxic crossfire. Please. Go."
Reluctantly respecting her wishes. He promised to keep his phone on and walked out the door, leaving Chloe completely alone.
