Chapter 3

For the next two days, I turned off all contact with home. I spent the whole day at an art gallery, soaking in the art. I sat by the river, sipping coffee all afternoon. Under the tower, I watched couples kiss and the sun set.

I almost convinced myself I was just another tourist on holiday.

Back home, Richard and his family must have been scrambling to deal with the mess.

The divorce agreement Olivia sent over wasn't just my average asset split.

It was a fifty-page bombshell, laying out in detail how Richard had spent the last seven years abusing his position, teaming up with Emily, and funneling their shared marital assets overseas through shady deals and inflated project payments.

Every single transaction had clear records attached.

Every contract was signed by both Richard and Emily.

Every overseas account was under the name of Emily's family members.

The total sum was in the nine figures.

If this ever got confirmed, Richard wouldn't just be left with nothing and his reputation in tatters. He'd be looking at real jail time.

I had given him a chance. Three years ago, when I first stumbled on those flirty texts between him and Emily, I kept quiet.

At a family gathering, I half-jokingly teased my mother-in-law, "Mom, Richard's been working so hard lately, and he's lost weight. Maybe I should head back to the company and help him out."

Her face changed in a flash. She grabbed my hand, acting all concerned, and said, "Grace, women should focus on the home. With Richard running the company, you can rest easy."

Richard chimed in, "Yeah, honey, relax at home and enjoy yourself."

They wanted to take advantage of my family's connections and resources, but were afraid I'd step into the company and take control from Richard.

From that moment on, I knew Richard and his whole family were rotten to the core. They treated me like I was some stranger they had to keep at arm's length.

So why should I keep treating them like family?

From that day forward, I started gathering all the evidence without making a fuss.

Richard thought I was a pampered housewife, content to be spoiled, so he never suspected a thing.

I was the one who personally built his company's entire financial system.

He thought he had a backdoor, but I made sure I had my own access.

Every secret money transfer he made with Emily, every profit he siphoned off through those shell companies, had all fallen right into my plan.

I waited three years. I waited until he was on the verge of his greatest triumph, when his disregard and suspicion for me hit their highest point.

And right when he thought he had it all, I cast him straight into the abyss with my own hands.

On the afternoon of the third day, I was at a pastry shop, enjoying some macarons, when Olivia called.

"He reached out to me," Olivia said.

"What did he say?" I asked, popping a rose macaron into my mouth.

"What else? He was freaking out, yelling that I forged evidence and was defaming him. Demanded I retract all the emails right now or he'd take me to court," Olivia replied, a sneer in her voice.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I told him if he had any issues, he should have his lawyer talk to me. Then I hung up," Olivia said.

"Nice job," I said, and I really meant it.

"Don't get too excited yet," Olivia said. "The real drama's just starting. Less than ten minutes after I hung up, someone else reached out to me."

"Who?" I asked.

"Your father-in-law, Charles Monroe, the chairman of the Monroe Group," Olivia replied.

I squinted. That old fox finally lost his cool.

"He wants to meet me," Olivia went on. "Tomorrow morning, at his office."

"Did he say what it's about?" I asked.

"Yeah. He said this is a family matter and shouldn't get so messy that it hurts the company's reputation. He wants to play the wise elder and smooth things over," Olivia replied.

Smooth things over?

I couldn't help but scoff.

Charles had always cared more about the company's interests than anything else.

Now that everything had blown up, his first concern wasn't how badly Richard had messed up, but how to minimize the damage to the company's reputation.

He was reaching out to Olivia, trying to play the wise elder and pressure me, calling it a "family matter" so I'd cave and settle things quietly.

Too bad for him. He seriously miscalculated.

"Olivia," I said, watching the people outside, my voice calm and steady, "please reply to him for me."

"Go ahead," Olivia replied.

I said, "Tell him I have only one condition. Richard and Emily must hold a press conference together, publicly apologize to me, and admit to their affair and to transferring marital assets.

"Then, Richard must voluntarily walk away with nothing and step down from all his positions at Monroe Group."

On the other end of the line, Olivia was silent for a few seconds, then let out a laugh. "Damn, you're out for blood."

"He put the knife in my hand himself." With that, I ended the call.

I knew Charles would never agree to those terms. It would mean Monroe Group airing its scandals for all to see, and the stock price would plummet.

He'd use every tactic he could to force me into submission. And that was exactly what I wanted.

This was a war, and I needed a worthy adversary. The stronger the opponent, the more fun the game got.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number: [Ms. Evans, this is Mr. Monroe's assistant. Mr. Monroe wants to meet with you in person. When are you available?]

I read the text and smiled.

That was fast. They skipped the lawyers and came straight to me.

It seemed Olivia was really turning up the heat, far more than I'd anticipated.

I picked up my coffee and took a sip.

I didn't reply.

The game was on.

And I was the one calling the shots.