Is this destiny?

~ 20 miles East from Springfield, Missouri ~

Later that afternoon, in the Heine family residence…

Mr. Heine just finished talking to the police.

They came looking for Julia. He expected them, and he told the sheriff that Julia left him.

The sheriff explained why they are looking for Julia, and Mr. Heine was visibly disturbed.

"I don't know how is that possible. I am not at home often but still… it is difficult to imagine something like that. And it was under my own roof. I feel that I am guilty as well. By not being home, I enabled her…"

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Mr. Heine…" The sheriff comforted him. "Living with someone does not guarantee that we know them. The most important thing is that we find her and investigate this. The district prosecutor called, and he wants to press charges. Number of parents from the kids mentioned in the online articles already spoke to him and agreed to collaborate."

Mr. Heine sneered internally. Those parents would not talk to the prosecutor if this is not revealed so publicly. But he needs to put on a pleasant façade as well or he might be implicated in this mess.

"I don't know where Julia went. I was out on a business trip and I returned this afternoon. I can tell you that some of her clothes and all of her jewelry are missing. She took the Porsche Cayenne, it's a white SUV on her name with license plates…" He didn't hide anything.

Mr. Heine told the sheriff that Julia was at home when he arrived, and they argued because she trashed the place. And while he was cleaning, she left. None of that was a lie and he didn't feel guilty for not mentioning a few details. He called the maids to talk to the sheriff as well. They confirmed Mr. Heine's story.

He provided the sheriff a list with names of people Julia usually spends time with, and out of town relatives.

"Mr. Heine, I need to inform you that Julia Heine is now considered a fugitive and there is a warrant for her arrest." The sheriff said politely.

"I understand. I will block her credit cards so that she does not have access to our joint accounts, but I can't block her from accessing her personal ones; for those, you will need to talk to the bank."

"Thank you for your cooperation." The sheriff said before he left.

Mr. Heine is pleased that the sheriff was respectful. It is all within Mr. Heine's expectations that the townsfolk will not dare to offend him.

He told himself that he should see the pastor because the sheriff and the pastor are the two people who are reflecting the mood of all people in the town. He should probably make a generous donation to the church. That always improves the pastor's mood.

Mr. Heine was pulled out of his thoughts when his phone rang.

He recognized the caller ID. It's the man with whom he had the meeting that morning in Nashville and Mr. Heine cut their meeting short and canceled the second part which was scheduled for the afternoon because he rushed home. Ah, they were getting along well, and he is confident that they would sign the deal by end of the day. It is all because of Julia. Her horrific scandal messed up with his schedule.

Mr. Heine reminded himself to stay calm. He needs to salvage the situation.

Mr. Heine cleared his throat before answering: "Hi, Blake. I'm sorry for canceling on you on short notice. I had an emergency, but that is settled. Starting tomorrow, let me know what works for you and I will accommodate your schedule…"

"Emergency?" Blake asked. "Is that related to your wife sleeping with teenage boys?"

Mr. Heine didn't expect this. "Uhm… You know about that?"

Blake confirmed. "Yes, yes I do. And I am not the only one. Listen… You know that I don't like to beat around the bush. After you left this morning's meeting I had the time to talk with my associates and we don't believe that this deal will work out."

"I thought you were ready to sign. We only had a few minor details to discuss." Mr. Heine was unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"I thought so too. But my associates think otherwise. I am not running my business by myself, and if I go against their wishes, I will risk alienating myself from them. I hope you understand." Blake paused and after some uncomfortable silence, he added: "If it matters, I like you as a person and I believe that you are a good businessman. That is why I decided to call you and tell you about this so that you don't waste your energy and resources in order to make this work, because the collaboration between our companies is not going to happen…"

Mr. Heine's head was buzzing, and he didn't hear the rest. "Sure. Thank you for letting me know." He mumbled before ending the call.

Mr. Heine exhaled while thinking about the deal that just slipped through his fingers. This was worth millions of dollars in profits and he would get a chance to expand further with minimum risk. And it's gone, just like that… He will need to come up with alternatives. 

A few minutes later, Mr. Heine got another phone call. This time, it was his assistant telling him that one of their existing partners decided to end their collaboration.

"They will pay penalties for breaching the contract.", Mr. Heine said.

"Yes, boss. They are aware of that."

"Did they say why?"

"Nothing specific, other than how it was decided on their emergency meeting after lunch today…"

Mr. Heine ended the call and rested his forehead in his palm. If it's one, it could be a coincidence. But this is two. And he would be foolish to deny the possibility that all this is happening because of the articles which are circulating online about his wife.

Partnerships don't break unless someone violates the terms of the contract or there is a big personal grudge. Everything was stable and growing at a steady pace. The only stain is this scandal. Mr. Heine wondered if these two are the only partners who are turning their back on him, or will there be more of them? Considering that it's only hours how the scandal broke, there is a chance that his business is in trouble.

He needs to cut all ties with Julia and to condemn her behavior publicly. Yes. Only when he shows his face as a grieving husband who is shocked and hurt by this scandal, people will believe in his innocence.

Without delay, Mr. Heine called his lawyer, asking him to come up with the fastest and the cleanest way to get a divorce. "I don't want to give her a penny…" Mr. Heine squeezed through his teeth.

As soon as he ended up the call with his lawyer, he saw messages from his assistant.

"Damnit!" He cursed when he saw that two more partners announced that they are ending their collaboration. He checked the time. He was on the phone for fifteen minutes.

This is getting out of control. At this rate, his business is in danger. What can he do?

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