Chapter 3
Chapter 03
After the full video was released, the tide turned fast.
The comments section went from roasting me to roasting Rachel.
People were pausing the video and taking screenshots frame by frame.
The shot of her sitting at the head of the table with one eyebrow raised was plastered all over the internet.
Stone & Partners Ltd.'s official account only posted the video, no apology.
I didn't push for one.
Because I knew he was still covering for her.
At noon, the legal team sent a letter to Rachel, demanding she delete the edited video and issue a public apology.
That afternoon, the finance team dropped a stack of expense reports on my desk.
Three months.
60,000 dollars spent on food and drinks.
37,000 dollars spent on hotel stays.
Flowers, gifts, custom jewelry, business outfits, every single thing billed straight to the company.
Processed by: Rachel.
Approved by: David Stone.
Linda, wearing her reading glasses, flipped through the pages, her expression growing darker with each one.
"Business attire?" Linda asked.
She slapped the report down on the table.
"A 23,000-dollar dress? What kind of business deal requires that?" Linda demanded.
The finance manager stood by, head bowed low.
"Chairwoman Stone, all of these reports were personally approved by Mr. Stone," the finance manager said. "We couldn't hold them up, not even if we wanted to."
Linda glanced at me.
I didn't say a word, just flipped to the last page.
On the last page, a hotel invoice stared back at me.
Rachel listed as the guest.
David right there with her.
Dated, of all days, my birthday.
That day, David had told me he had a last-minute business dinner and couldn't make it home.
I took Andrew out and we grabbed some pasta together.
Andrew asked, "Did Dad forget?"
I said, "Dad's just busy."
Now, that invoice was sitting right there on the table.
The proof was written clearly.
Linda saw it too.
She pressed a hand to her chest.
"Emily," Linda said.
I quietly pulled the invoice out and tucked it into the folder, keeping my expression calm.
"It's fine," I said, forcing a small smile.
Linda's voice cracked.
"Is this what you call 'fine'?" Linda asked.
I closed the folder.
"Mom, I've been mentally prepared for this for a long time," I said.
Linda looked at me.
I said calmly, "I just never thought he'd go so far as to use my birthday too."
That night, David came home.
He must've heard about the expense reports, he walked in with a stormy look on his face.
"Emily, you went through the company accounts?" David demanded.
I was sitting in the living room, the folder resting on the coffee table.
Linda was sitting right next to me.
Andrew was already asleep.
I looked up at him.
"So I'm not allowed to check the company accounts?" I asked.
"You're not even part of the company," he shot back.
I let out a cold laugh.
Linda's face went completely cold.
"She's not part of the company?" Linda asked.
David turned to Linda.
"Mom, this is company business. Please stay out of it," David said.
Linda stood up and walked into the study.
When she came back out, she was holding a manila envelope.
She slammed it down in front of David.
"Open your eyes and see for yourself," Linda said.
David opened it.
Inside was the original shareholding agreement.
Emily Stone: 35% ownership.
Linda: 20% ownership.
David: 30% ownership.
The remaining 15% was set aside for the management option pool.
David's face went pale.
"Wasn't this agreement supposed to have been, " David began.
Linda cut him off.
"Supposed to have been what? Supposed to have been forgotten by you?" Linda snapped.
I looked him straight in the eye.
"Back when we started the company, the first 2.7 million dollars came from selling the house my grandfather passed down to me," I said.
David gripped the agreement so hard his knuckles turned white.
"That was all money we put in as a couple," David argued.
I shook my head.
"The notarized premarital property documents, transfer records, and share registration are all there," I said.
Linda scoffed.
"Just because your wife doesn't make a fuss about it doesn't mean she doesn't have her share," Linda said.
David stared at me.
"What's that supposed to mean?" David demanded.
I slid the hotel invoice over to him.
"Care to explain this one?" I asked.
David barely glanced at it, didn't even flinch, his face back to stone cold in a heartbeat.
"Just a business trip," he said.
"On my birthday?" I pressed.
"Last-minute thing," he replied.
"Just one room for the both of you?" I pressed.
He went silent for a beat.
"The hotel was fully booked," David replied.
I picked up my phone and tapped on the recording.
"Let's hear what Rachel has to say about it," I said.
David's face went pale.
"You recorded this?" David demanded.
I hit play.
Rachel's soft, delicate voice floated out from the phone.
"Mr. Stone, if you hadn't kept going on about how boring Emily's birthday was, we never would've ended up sharing a room that night," Rachel said from the recording.