Chapter 5

I had barely walked into the office when the receptionist told me I had a visitor.

"Ms. Sutton, a Mrs. Langley is here to see you, and she isn't on the schedule," the receptionist said.

"Send her up," I replied.

Five minutes later, Helen Langley strode into my office.

She had been my husband's mother for exactly three years.

She wore an emerald green dress, and a heavy emerald bracelet circled her wrist.

Her eyes swept over the office, a smug little smile playing at her lips.

"CEO already, one day after your divorce?" Helen said, and the sarcasm dripped off every word.

"What do you want?" I replied, not bothering to hide my impatience.

She sat down and set her bag on the desk.

"David asked me to come. He said you left in such a hurry, you forgot some things."

She pulled a bag out of her purse and dumped it onto the desk.

A few old clothes and a pair of slippers tumbled out.

"Three years with the Langleys, and this is everything you own. David says he's done more than enough for you, so stop bothering him," Helen sneered.

I stared at the pile of stuff on the desk.

One of the old shirts was the apron I had worn during my first year of marriage.

Back then I cooked for David every single day, from breakfast through whatever he wanted at midnight, and I never missed a meal.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Anything else? What more do you want?" Helen scoffed. "Grace, have you looked at yourself lately? Three years in the Langley family, and you never gave us a child or brought in a single dollar. What makes you think you deserve anything?"

"I don't want anything," I said.

"Good." She stood up. "I hear you're running some little company now. CEO, is that right?"

She glanced around the office.

"Big office, but it looks bare. It doesn't come close to David's," she sneered.

"Are you done?" I asked.

"I'm done. Let me add one thing." She paused at the door. "Olivia moves into Langley Villa next month.

"She's much better with people than you ever were, and the whole family loves her. If you'd had half her charm, David would never have looked elsewhere."

"Helen," I cut her off.

She stopped.

"Three things," I said. "First, take these clothes back, because I don't need them. Second, Olivia moving into Langley Villa is your business and not mine. Third, take a look at this."

I opened my laptop, and the screen showed Langley Holdings' public financial report.

"Langley Holdings' overseas revenue fell 23 percent last quarter, and this quarter looks worse. If I were you, I'd spend less time worrying about me and more time worrying about whether my son can hold on to his job," I said.

Her face changed.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Nothing at all. Have a good day," I replied.

She glared at me for a moment, then stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Harold called almost the same minute.

"Ms. Sutton, did someone from the Langley family come to see you?" he asked.

"They came, and they left," I replied.

"Your grandfather said that if anyone from the Langley family bothers you again, he'll step in himself," Harold said.

"It's fine, really. Just a minor thing."

After hanging up, I gathered up the pile of old clothes on my desk.

I tossed them straight into the trash.

Later that afternoon, the real guest showed up.

Sophie stormed into my office and flopped down on the couch.

"Grace, explain yourself. CEO? The thirty-second floor? And a Maybach?" Sophie demanded.

"How did you find out?" I asked.

"I saw your car in the parking garage downstairs. A Maybach S680. There aren't five of those in this whole city. Who are you?" she exclaimed.

"It's a long story," I said.

"Then spill it!" Sophie pressed.

I poured her a glass of water.

"The Sutton Family. Sutton Group," I said.

Her hand shook, and she nearly spilled the water.

"Wait, Sutton Group? The actual Sutton Group? The one pulling in 6.7 billion dollars a year?" Sophie gasped.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Arthur Sutton?" she said.

I said, "That's my grandpa."

She stared at me with her mouth hanging open for a full 30 seconds.

"Grace, are you serious? You're the Sutton heiress? Then why did you end up with David? A man like that? How did that even happen?" Sophie blurted.

"I was young and stupid," I said.

"You." She slapped her thigh. "Three years. I've known you for three years. You wore a seventy-dollar dress and fought me for discount eggs at the grocery store. You rode a scooter to pick up food. And now this!"

"Those days were actually pretty good."

"Good? Olivia struts around in fake Givenchy, and you, the Sutton heiress, wore bargain clothes and waited on David like a maid," Sophie shot back.

I just smiled.

"That's all in the past now," I said.

"So what about now?" Sophie asked.

"Now," I said, looking out the window, "I'm going to make certain people understand exactly what they gave up."

Sophie's eyes sparkled.

"Yes, I'm in. What do you need from me?" she said.

"You work in media," I said.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Keep tabs on any news about Langley Holdings and White & Co. Trading for me."

"What are you up to?" Sophie asked.

"Not sure yet. Let's see how things shake out," I replied.