Chapter 4

"And you said I relied on a man," I said, pointing at Tom. "Everything he has now is all thanks to me. So, tell me, who's really dependent on whom?"

Erika's face went from red to pale, and she was left speechless.

Michael had enough. He said, "Ms. Rodgers puts in more than ten hours a day, and Vortex Group sponsored countless students last year!"

"That's right, you flunked two courses during your three years in college, and the money for your makeup classes came straight from the sponsorship fund," another shareholder couldn't help but say.

Erika's face went completely pale.

I smiled and kept calling her out, "Last month, you skipped class just to 'accidentally' run into Mr. Baxter at Baxter Group, and then last week, you pretended to pass by the villa to bump into Tom. Erika, you're really neglecting your studies."

Soft chuckles spread through the crowd, and Erika stood there, visibly shaking.

Suddenly, Erika snatched a wine glass from the table and tried to splash its contents at me.

I grabbed her wrist before she could finish the motion.

The glass stopped mid-air, red wine sloshing out and splattering onto her white dress.

"Let go!" Erika screamed, struggling against my grip.

I squeezed her wrist harder, making her lose hold of the glass. It slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.

I let go, and Erika staggered back a couple of steps, nearly crashing into the table. She clutched the edge to steady herself.

Her wrist was ringed red from my grip, her white dress stained and rumpled, and the white lily in her hair was askew. She looked completely disheveled.

Erika looked up at Tom, tears streaming down her face, her voice shaky. "Tom, I just wanted to celebrate Mrs. Baxter's birthday. I swear I didn't mean anything bad. I don't get why she's being so mean to me!"

"Leslie!" Tom snapped, gritting his teeth. "You're really going overboard. She's just a kid. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

I scoffed and retorted, "A kid? She's twenty-two, knows how to piss me off with white lilies at my birthday party, and throws wine at someone in front of everyone. Tom, are you calling her mature, or just plain calculating?"

Tom was stunned, lost for words.

Erika stood behind him, head bowed, her tears falling like petals in a storm.

I said coldly, "Tom, this is the second time. I'm warning you. If there's a third, I won't forgive you."

Tom didn't say a word, just clenched his fists.

Erika looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "Tom, this is all on me. I shouldn't have come. I'll just get out of here."

She said it and spun around to leave.

But Tom suddenly reached out, grabbing her wrist. He shot me a glare, his words sharp and clear. "Leslie, you're being totally unreasonable."

Without another word, he dragged Erika toward the exit.

The big shots exchanged glances and whispered among themselves. A few looked like they wanted to intervene, but after seeing the look on my face, they quickly backed off.

Tom stormed out, dragging Erika behind him as she stumbled to keep up. When they reached the door, Erika suddenly turned back and shot me a look.

Her tears hadn't even dried, but there was already a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.

Then she turned away and followed Tom out the door, disappearing from sight.

The hall was eerily quiet.

My assistant sidled up to me, her voice barely above a whisper. "Ms. Rodgers, should I bring Mr. Baxter back?"

"No need," I said, turning to face the crowd with a smile. "Sorry for the drama, everyone. Let's keep drinking."

The tension in the room eased up a bit.

The executives were all savvy enough to know I didn't want to talk about it anymore, so they raised their glasses and played along.

I handled everyone with a poised smile, keeping things smooth and professional.

I talked with a few big clients about next year's deals and went through several rounds of toasts, business as usual.

As the banquet was winding down, my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID. It was my mother-in-law, Molly.

I walked over to the lounge and answered the call.

"Leslie." Molly's voice came through the phone, gentle and a bit hesitant. "It's your birthday today. I wish you a happy birthday."

I replied, "Thanks, Molly."

"Is Tom with you right now?" she asked.

I said, "No, he's not here. If you need him, just give him a call on his cell."

Molly lowered her voice. "Oh, he's not picking up his phone. I heard Tom left your birthday party today with that girl?"

I'd always known Molly had planted a spy in our company, but I didn't expect her to be so obvious about it.

When I stayed quiet, Molly quickly tried to smooth things over. "Maybe there's just some misunderstanding? I know Tom. He's just too kind. He saw that girl looking pitiful and wanted to help her out, that's all. Nothing more to it."

I replied, "Too kind, huh? Molly, he left my birthday party with the student I sponsored, right in front of everyone. Is that what you call being kind?"

She let out an awkward laugh, her voice getting even softer. "You know how men are. They care about their pride. You put that girl on blast in front of everyone, and Tom just couldn't handle the embarrassment and made a rash decision."

I cut her off. "Molly, your son is thirty, not three. Do you really believe that's just a 'momentary lapse'?"