Chapter 21

"Goddamnit!"

Elizabeth slammed the phone in its cradle and stared angrily at her desk. Sean walked up behind her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew better than to say anything at the moment so he stood there and gently rubbed the tension out of her muscles. "It's Charles again."

"I surmised as much," Sean replied softly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not unless you can somehow get Charles off my case about those GenenCorp shares that he essentially gave me in our prenup. I think that bastard is haranguing me just for the sadistic pleasure of it. He basically loaned me ten grand as 'play money' to spend on the market. You know, something for the wife to keep her occupied while she stays at home. He never expected me to actually come out with gains. The courts agreed though that the money was a gift and how I spent it, and the profits that go with it, were entirely mine. I know he can't get his hands on it but these damnable phone calls from his lawyer are starting to get on my nerves."

"And you're not willing to give it to him because it would be a flag of surrender," Sean concluded. "You really are a proud woman, you know that?" He brushed his lips against her temple. He continued before she took his comment the wrong way. "It shows that you've got something that Charles isn't used to experiencing. Integrity." Sean thought of his girlfriend's dilemma while she fumed. "You know, even if you sold him the shares he'd find something else to hound you about."

"Don't you think I know that? That's exactly why I'm not giving an inch. There's no way I'm letting him have another single victory over me."

Sean didn't ask what else Elizabeth had lost to Charles. "What if we gave him sour grapes?"

"Excuse me?"

"I've got an idea that just might work." Sean started illustrating his plan.

Finally, that useless tramp had given in and was willing to give up her shares of GenenCorp. He'd been pressing the issue for the past week to get her to capitulate. Sources told him that GenenCorp was going to go public with a new drug or something that the FDA just approved of that would revolutionize the fight against heart disease. Like he cared. All he wanted to know was that when he bought the stock it had better make him money. Of course, Elizabeth didn't give it to him outright. She sold it to him, but still, at a full point below yesterday's closing price it was still a bargain. She just gave away close to seven thousand dollars, a fortune in her financial situation. Charles thought of that nice house she had and how much it would go for on the market...

Charles' train of thought was interrupted by his cell phone. "Charles, get on the computer and look up GenenCorp, now." It was Albert, the tone of his voice alarmed Charles into action. He shoved aside his leather office chair and booted up the stock software he used. GenenCorp was dropping! Some asshole just dumped over two-hundred fifty thousand shares on the market... at thirty-eight and an eighth! That was a full point lower than he just bought Elizabeth's shares at. Several brokers were jolted into blind action and were madly selling their own shares, causing the price to plummet even further. Charles was losing money. Quickly he typed a few commands and dumped his shares at the going price, a point and a half below what he just bought them at.

Charles let loose a string of curses at Elizabeth. Somehow she knew this was going to happen. Why else would she sell him her shares after holding on to them so tenaciously for so long? She'd fooled him again. He didn't know how she knew this was going to happen, but she knew. Charles roared in rage and upended his large mahogany desk, sending papers scattering about his room and his computer crashing to the floor. Damnable bitch was going to get her due.