Chapter 1
I was so lazy that I couldn't even be bothered to care about my husband's affair for ten years.
After all, he and his mistress worked their asses off, taking my company public. I was raking in dividends every year.
That was until they brought their son to me, and my husband said, "He's about to start elementary school. That school district house under your name? Just sign it over to him."
I gazed at this cozy little family of three, radiating domestic bliss right before my eyes, and a decade of indifference evaporated in a heartbeat.
I smiled.
*****
I was curled up on the couch, feeling as limp as a plant starved of sunlight.
Dust floated through the air, twirling in the slanted afternoon rays coming through the window.
I was too lazy to move, much less bother with the air purifier.
I just kept staring, until my eyes started to sting.
My phone buzzed. It was a bank alert. My dividends just landed in my account.
There were so many zeros, I could stay lazy for another ten years and not worry about a thing.
I turned off the screen, rolled over, and drifted right back to sleep.
From the entryway, I heard the sound of keys turning in the lock.
Michael Reed was back.
He reeked of some unfamiliar, sugary perfume.
I didn't even bother to open my eyes.
Ten years, and he'd worn dozens of different perfumes, none of them mine.
I couldn't be bothered to ask, and I couldn't be bothered to argue.
As long as he kept the dividends coming into my account, he was a perfectly acceptable partner.
"Sarah, are you awake?" Michael called out, his voice laced with impatience.
I didn't say a word.
A jumble of footsteps approached, definitely more than one person.
"Sarah, quit pretending you're asleep. Get up, I've got something important to talk to you about," Michael said.
He talked down to me like I was just one of his employees.
I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes.
In the living room stood three people: Michael, my husband, and next to him was a woman dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, Victoria White.
She was his mistress for the past ten years, and also the vice president at my company.
They were holding the hand of a little boy, maybe six or seven years old.
The boy's features were almost a mirror image of Michael's.
They really did look like the picture of a perfect family.
I couldn't help but feel like a complete outsider.
"What is it?" I asked, my voice rough from not having spoken in a while.
Victoria flashed a look of concern, tinged with superiority, and said in that familiar, patronizing tone, "Sarah, look at you, still not taking care of yourself, huh? You really need to treat yourself better."
As she spoke, she grabbed slippers from the shoe cabinet with practiced ease, handing them to Michael and the kid like she'd done it a thousand times.
It was like she owned the place.
I stared at her without a word.
Michael cleared his throat, plastering an unnatural smile across his self-important face.
He said, "Sarah, this is Adam Reed, my son."
He crouched down, ruffled the boy's hair, and urged, "Adam, come on, say hi to Sarah."
Adam shot me a nervous glance, then quickly hid behind Victoria.
Victoria pulled him into her arms, shooting Michael a reproachful look. "You're scaring him. Adam's still just a kid. Don't push him."
What a flawless performance.
I sneered inwardly, but kept my face blank.
Ten years, and I thought I was finally immune to all this.
But even now, a faint, long-ignored sting pricked at my heart.
"So?" I asked.
"Adam's about to start elementary school," Michael finally got to the point, sounding like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You know how hard it is to get into a good school these days."
I nodded, waiting for him to go on.
"That old house on Maple Avenue under your name. It's zoned for Maple Elementary School, right?"
He stood up, towering over me like he was making some kind of decree.
He said, "Just hand it over to Adam for now. After he graduates sixth grade, you'll get it back."
The air went still for a moment.
Did I really just hear that?
I glanced at Michael, then at Victoria by his side.
Victoria had a gentle smile on her face, but her eyes were practically screaming with expectation and challenge.
She was waiting for me to go off, to make a scene like some hysterical woman, so she could play the role of the reasonable, selfless victim.
Michael grew impatient when I didn't respond.
"Sarah, did you hear me? That's settled, for Adam," he said.
"For Adam?" I repeated, the idea was absurd to me.
"Exactly," Victoria jumped in. "Adam's innocent. He deserves the best education. Sarah, you're so kind, you wouldn't turn down such a small favor, would you?
"Besides, the company's crazy busy right now, and if it weren't for Michael and me holding things together, you wouldn't get to kick back at home and live easy. It's just a house, it means nothing to you, right?"
It was easy for her to say. She was using my company's money to raise her and Michael's son, and now she's got her eyes on my house, too.
That string in my head called "laziness" finally snapped.
It had been ten years.
The year my father died, I completely fell apart.
The company was my father's life's work, but I didn't have the strength to take care of it.
Michael, my fiancé at the time, and his "junior" Victoria, volunteered to take over and keep the family business running for me.
I signed that shareholding agreement and handed the company over to them.
I thought I could be a hands-off boss and stay lazy for the rest of my life.
It turned out that greed was never satisfied.
They'd been feeding off me, growing stronger at my expense, and now they wanted to pick me clean.
I looked at the three of them, like they were already one happy family.
I looked at Michael, his face practically screaming 'you owe us.'
I glanced at Victoria, her expression all 'you have to.'
I stared at the kid, who had Michael's blood, but he wasn't mine.
A cold shiver raced up my spine.
Suddenly, I burst out laughing.
As their faces froze in shock, my laughter only got louder.
Ten years of bottled-up frustration, resentment, and anger finally spilled out in that icy, mocking laugh.
"Alright," I said.
I stopped laughing, looked Michael straight in the eye, and spoke slowly, making sure he felt every word.
A flash of delight crossed his face.
Victoria couldn't help but smile, too.
"But," I said, my tone shifting as I swept my gaze over them, finally locking eyes with Michael, who looked completely stunned.
"Shouldn't all the shares in my company go back to their rightful owner?"