Chapter 3 - The Broken Legacy
Chad stumbled across the ballroom floor, his face completely flushed from alcohol and sudden, overwhelming panic.
"Dr. Marsh!" Chad gasped, trying to straighten his jacket, his voice cracking like an embarrassed teenager. "Sir, I... I didn't see you. My mother... she didn't mean anything by it. It was just a joke!"
Elliot didn't even look at Chad at first. He handed Norah gently to me, pulling a silk handkerchief from his breast pocket to wipe a tiny speck of champagne splash off my shoe.
"A joke, Chad?" Elliot asked softly, standing up to his full six-foot-two height, towering over my ex-husband. "You find it amusing for your mother to publicly slander the wife of the man who is currently reviewing your application for the Chief of Orthopedics residency program?"
Chad’s knees visibly buckled.
For two years, Chad had been desperately clawing his way up the ranks at Saint Jude Memorial. He had spent months lobbying board members, kissing up to department heads, and bragging to his friends that the $350,000-a-year promotion was practically guaranteed.
He had no idea that the Chairman of the Board he was trying to impress was sleeping in the same bed as the woman he had kicked out five years ago.
"Sir, please," Chad whispered, sweating profusely under the chandelier lights. "Clara and I... we have history. Things ended badly, but this has nothing to do with my medical qualifications!"
I stood up, adjusting the diamond wristlet Elliot had given me for our anniversary—a piece of jewelry worth more than Chad’s annual salary.
"History, Chad?" I asked, my voice smooth, quiet, and crystal clear. "You mean the history where you drained our joint savings account to buy a sports car for your mistress, while your mother called my family to tell them I was a gold-digger?"
Nadine stepped forward, her panic overriding her common sense. "Clara, you bite your tongue! You signed a non-disclosure agreement during the divorce!"
June, sitting at Table Five, let out a loud, delighted laugh. "She signed an NDA regarding your son's modest five-figure settlement, Nadine! She didn't sign away her right to tell the truth when you attack her kid in public!"
The surrounding guests—doctors, city council members, and wealthy donors—began whispering loudly. News cameras from the local lifestyle magazine were subtly turning toward our table, capturing every second of the confrontation.
May you like
Elliot looked at Chad, his expression hardening into pure granite.
"Chadwick," Elliot said, his voice carrying the authority of a judge issuing a sentence. "Your application for the Department Chair position is officially suspended. Effective eight o'clock tomorrow morning, you are scheduled for a full ethics review before the Board of Trustees."
