Chapter 4

I forwarded the recording to Andrew.

He replied with a short message. [Stick to the plan.]

Two female lawyers and a notary followed me upstairs.

I called the property management and asked the security guard to wait outside the door.

When the door opened, Evelyn was all smiles. "Cheryl, you're back. Come on in."

The living room had been cleaned up, and all the wedding invitations and brochures had disappeared.

The table was set with all my favorite dishes.

Michael stood up and pulled out a chair for me. "Take a seat. I admit I made some mistakes before," he said, sounding like he was forcing himself to be polite.

Jessica was sitting on the couch, her eyes red. "Cheryl, Michael's decided to get back together with you. I'll back off."

She stood up, picked up a glass of water, and walked over to me.

There was nothing on the floor, but all of a sudden, Jessica stumbled.

The glass crashed to the floor.

She grabbed my wrist as she toppled backward.

I didn't touch her.

The lawyer behind me grabbed her around the waist in time.

The other lawyer recorded the whole thing on her phone.

Jessica froze mid-performance, her feigned look of agony stuck on her face. "Let go of me!" she shouted.

The lawyer helped her regain her balance. "Ms. Lane, the floor was perfectly flat. You grabbed Ms. Mitchell and fell back on your own. It's all on video," the lawyer said.

The security guard from outside came in. "Should we call the police?" he asked.

The living room fell silent.

Evelyn was the first to react. "Wait. It was a misunderstanding. It's normal for pregnant women to lose their balance."

I glanced at the coffee table.

A phone was hidden behind the vase, its camera aimed at the door.

Sophia hurried to grab it.

The notary stopped her. "Please don't disturb the scene."

Michael's face turned stormy. "Cheryl, did you bring all these people to embarrass us?"

"Didn't you ask me to come back and talk?" I shot back.

"If you wanted to talk, why bring all this backup?"

"Because I was worried someone might suddenly have a miscarriage."

Jessica's face went pale.

I tapped the recording and let it play.

Evelyn's voice echoed through the living room. "After the baby's gone, we'll blame Cheryl for pushing Jessie..."

When the recording stopped, nobody said a word.

Evelyn's mouth fell open, her fingers trembling. "That's fake."

"Then let's call the police and have it checked," I said.

"No, we can't call the police!" Jessica blurted out.

Everyone turned to look at her.

She instinctively clutched her stomach and took a step back.

I calmly pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. "Done pretending?"

Michael clenched his jaw. "What do you want?"

"Give me back the money that belongs to me."

"What money?"

I slid the bank statements across the table. "You moved 9 million dollars from our joint account through Jessica's account to buy property and make investments. I want every cent back within seven days."

Michael looked at the first page, and his face fell immediately. "It's perfectly normal for married couples to move money around."

"You made twelve transfers in the twenty days before our divorce, and you hid all of it during our settlement. That is fraud."

"The money's already been spent."

"All the properties and investments under Jessica's name have been frozen."

Jessica whipped her head toward Michael. "You told me that was your personal money."

When Michael didn't answer, she shouted, "Tell me, why did the court freeze my house?"

"Shut up!" Michael snapped.

"You lied to me?" Jessica raised her voice.

I watched them fight without saying a word. Letting them tear each other apart was much more effective than me intervening.

Evelyn banged on the table. "Stop it! Cheryl, name your price. What will it take for you to drop the lawsuit?"

"Pay back the ten-million-dollar loan, principal and interest. Return every cent of the 9 million you transferred. And your house at Maplewood Estates will be divided fairly based on the evidence," I said.

"You're trying to bleed us dry."

"That money was mine to begin with."

What about all the food and supplies you got from us for eight years?"

I flipped open another ledger. "Over eight years, our family expenses totaled 800 thousand dollars, and 700 thousand came from me and my aunt. Michael only covered 100 thousand."

I slid the ledger across the table. "I paid your medical bills, 140 thousand dollars, Sophia's overseas study fees, 220 thousand dollars, and 120 thousand dollars to keep Michael's company afloat."

Sophia lowered her head.

Evelyn refused to back down. "What's wrong with spending a little money on your family?"

"Then pay it back," I said.

"Why should we?"

"Because we're not family anymore."

I gathered my documents and stood up. "If the money isn't in my account in seven days, Grant Construction Supplies will be sold off. As for what happened tonight, I reserve the right to press charges."

Michael blocked the door. "Stop right there."

The security guard stepped forward, forcing Michael to move aside.

As I reached the door, I heard Jessica crying behind me.

"Michael, you never told me the money was shady," she shouted.

"Calm down first," Michael said.

"What about our wedding?"

I stopped in my tracks and cut in, "Oh, and just a heads-up."

Both of them turned to look at me.

"When Michael and I got divorced, he concealed a large amount of our joint assets. While the case is ongoing, every asset under his name will be closely examined," I added.

"What do you mean?" Jessica asked.

If you still want to marry him, go ahead." I glanced at the diamond ring on her finger. "But keep in mind that any money he gives you now might be taken away by the court."

Jessica yanked off the ring and flung it at Michael's face.

*****

At ten that night, another message popped up from an unknown number. [Curious who tipped you off? Meet me at 3 PM tomorrow on the second floor of Riverstone Hotel.]

The next afternoon, I opened the door to the private room at Riverstone Hotel on time.

The person inside looked up.

To my surprise, it was Sophia.