Golden Exit Clauses [Part 4]
It recruits leverage — and rewards those who know how to use it.
Linda was exhausted by a marriage that had stopped pretending to have a future.
Years of compromise, postponed plans, and a husband who seemed permanently anchored to a battered desk and an aging computer that struggled to open two spreadsheets at once. When Ethan came home talking about a classified recruitment program promising extraordinary pay for agents willing to undergo “adaptive reassignment,” Linda didn’t laugh.
She read the paperwork.
Every clause. Every bonus. Every upfront payment.
And then she made the decision for him.
The initial compensation alone was enough to guarantee a divorce settlement that would change her life. Whatever Ethan earned afterward would only sweeten the exit. To Linda, Project Chimera wasn’t a risk — it was an opportunity.
Ethan, true to form, complied.
He had spent years buried in routine, invisible within the agency. The transfer out of his old department felt like a rebirth. A new role. A new identity. A new purpose far removed from flickering monitors and stale coffee.
What he hadn’t expected was how heavy the mission would become.
The persona assigned to him was Elise — a reserved, soft-spoken woman with simple manners and a faintly rural charm. Nothing aggressive. Nothing flashy. The kind of presence that invited protection rather than suspicion.
It worked too well.
The target, a foreign magnate with deep political and industrial reach, became genuinely attached. What began as access turned into affection. Dinners extended into private weekends. Conversations drifted from business into futures.
And then came the proposal.
Marriage.
Ethan froze when the request was relayed through official channels. But the contract was clear. Situations like this were anticipated. Accepted. Sometimes even encouraged.
From the agency’s perspective, it was perfect cover.
From Ethan’s, it was suffocating.
Linda, however, had no such conflict.
She offered opinions on dresses. Suggested fabrics for the honeymoon wardrobe. Helped choose jewelry that balanced elegance with discretion. She treated the impending marriage as a logistical milestone — another box checked on the way to her own financial independence.
Ethan’s mind raced with doubts, fears, and the slow realization that his old life had already been divided, itemized, and cashed out.
Linda’s thoughts were simpler.
She calculated numbers.
Each bonus payment. Each operational success. Each signed addendum meant another generous check. Losing her husband was never the concern — the return on investment was.
Project Chimera didn’t just transform bodies.
It rewarded those willing to push others forward…
and step aside just in time to collect.
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