Chapter 2
The elevator behind Chloe dinged.
The doors slid open.
And the first wave of chaos spilled into the lobby.
Men in crisp dark suits—Victor's people, I recognized them instantly—marched past us without a glance.
They carried tablets.
They carried orders.
They moved like a storm with a single target.
Chloe's smirk faltered.
She spun toward the lead man.
"Excuse me—this is a private event. You can't just—"
He held up a folded document.
"Court order. We're freezing all Veridian Global assets, effective immediately. Servers are locked. Bank accounts are on hold. No one leaves the twentieth floor without clearance."
Chloe went white.
She fumbled for her phone.
Her hands shook so bad she nearly dropped it.
"I have to call Mr. Hale—"
"Mr. Hale is currently unavailable," the man said flatly.
"And you're suspended, effective now. Security will escort you to HR to collect your things."
Two uniformed guards stepped forward.
Chloe looked at me.
Her eyes were wide.
Terrified.
"What did you do?" she whispered.
I didn't answer.
I knelt back down to Sophia.
I uncovered her ears.
Her big blue eyes were confused.
"Mommy, why is that lady crying?"
I smoothed her hair.
I forced a soft smile.
"She made some bad choices, baby. That's all."
"Can we go see Daddy now?"
I hesitated.
Upstairs, Dominic was with his other family.
The family he had hidden from me for seven years.
The family that made my six years of marriage a lie.
But Sophia had waited all night.
She had made that necklace.
She deserved to see the truth for herself.
"Of course," I said.
I took her hand.
We walked past Chloe, past the guards, past the staring guests.
We stepped into the elevator.
The doors closed.
The numbers climbed.
10.
15.
19.
20.
Ding.
The doors slid open.
And the gala was in ruins.
Waiters stood frozen with trays of champagne.
Music cut off mid-note.
Executives huddled in groups, yelling into phones.
Victor stood in the center of the ballroom.
He wore a tailored black suit.
His hair was slicked back.
He held a tablet in one hand.
When he saw me, his hard expression softened—just a little.
He walked over.
He knelt to Sophia's level.
"Hey, squirt."
Sophia's face lit up.
"Uncle Vic!"
She threw her arms around his neck.
Victor hugged her tight.
He glanced up at me.
His eyes asked a question I couldn't answer out loud.
Not here.
Not with her listening.
I gave a tiny nod.
He stood.
"Everything's locked down," he said quietly.
"His office is sealed. His private accounts—all three of them, the ones he thought were hidden—are frozen. The board's been notified. They're holding an emergency meeting in five minutes to vote him out."
He paused.
"There's more, Viv."
My throat tightened.
"What kind of more?"
"His wife's name is Lila Carter. They've been married for nine years. Their son, Ethan, is eight. He listed her as his sole beneficiary on every corporate policy. He's been funneling company money into a joint account with her for five years. Over twelve million dollars, so far."
Twelve million.
Money my brothers had given him to "grow the business."
Money I had thought was going to our future.
To Sophia's college fund.
To the house we were supposed to buy next year.
I felt a hand on my arm.
Victor's grip was steady.
"You don't have to do this now," he said.
"I can have him brought down. We can take Sophia home. Let the lawyers handle the rest."
I looked across the ballroom.
Through a set of double doors, I saw him.
Dominic.
He stood in the private dining room.
He wore the navy suit I had bought him for his birthday.
Next to him was a woman with long brown hair.
She wore a diamond necklace.
A ring on her left hand that matched mine exactly.
And between them...
A little boy.
Dark hair.
Dominic's eyes.
He was laughing.
Dominic ruffled his hair.
The same way he ruffled Sophia's.
My blood turned to ice.
"No," I said.
My voice didn't shake.
Not anymore.
"I'm going in there."
Before Victor could stop me, I walked across the ballroom.
Sophia skipped beside me.
She still held her necklace.
"Is that Daddy over there?" she asked.
"Yes, baby," I said.
I pushed open the double doors.
The room went silent.
Dominic turned.
His smile died.
The color drained from his face.
The woman—Lila—frowned.
"Who are you?"
I looked straight at Dominic.
May you like
"I'm Vivienne," I said.
"His wife."
