Chapter 1
My husband Richard Warren secretly took his mistress to a billion-dollar funding dinner party.
She sat at the main table, introduced as "Mrs. Warren."
I looked at the photos my friend sent me. I didn't cry or make a scene. I just made an overseas call.
Ten minutes later, the investor suddenly stood up and said in front of everyone, "Mr. Warren, didn't your real wife ever tell you she has a brother who's been living in Norland all these years?"
Richard's face turned pale.
He had no clue this billion-dollar funding was meant for me right from the start.
*****
My phone lit up three times, but I didn't bother to check.
The fourth time, it was a voice message from my best friend, Monica Miller.
"Hurry up and check your feed. June just posted a nine-photo grid."
I opened up June's feed.
The first pic was a panoramic shot of the banquet hall, crystal chandeliers, round tables, and a flower wall.
The second photo was of the main table.
I zoomed in to get a better look.
Richard was sitting to the right of the head of the table, dressed in the suit I'd picked out for him last month, complete with cufflinks and a lapel pin.
Right beside him sat a woman.
She was in a white dress and earrings, her hand casually draped over the back of his chair.
The third photo was a group shot.
Some people were raising their glasses, others were clapping, and Richard turned to the side, his arm wrapped around June's waist.
Under the photo, it said: [Congrats to Mr. Warren and his wife for showing up at the funding dinner. The billion-dollar deal is about to go down.]
His wife.
Mrs. Warren.
I kept staring at those two words for a good ten seconds.
Monica sent another voice message. "Susan, are you still there? Say something."
I just swiped the message away without even listening.
I opened my contacts and scrolled down to the one labeled "Caleb Sterling."
The number had a Norlandn area code.
I hit the call button.
It rang twice, then someone answered.
Caleb said, "Susie?"'
"Caleb, Richard's at the Grand Regency Hotel tonight for a funding dinner," I said.
"I know," he replied.
"He brought some woman along and told everyone she was Mrs. Warren," I said.
On the other end, Caleb went quiet for three seconds.
"What do you want to do?" he asked.
"Can you reach out to the investors and let them know about it?" I said.
"Susie, are you really sure? Once I make that call, this project will be out of his hands," he warned.
"I've thought it through," I replied.
"Alright. Give me ten minutes," he said.
He hung up.
I put my phone on the coffee table and headed to the kitchen for some water.
I took a sip. It was just lukewarm.
I stood by the window, counting to six hundred, when Monica sent me another message.
It was a video.
The footage was shaky, clearly taken on the sly.
In the video, a middle-aged man suddenly stood up from his seat.
I recognized him; he was from the investor's side, Ethan Lewis. I'd met him at a family dinner before.
Ethan walked over to Richard, holding his glass.
The whole room went quiet.
"Mr. Warren," Ethan said.
"Mr. Lewis, you're too kind," Richard replied.
"Let me ask you something," Ethan said.
"Go ahead," Richard replied.
"Didn't your real wife ever tell you she has a brother who's been living in Norland all these years?" Ethan asked.
Richard's smile froze on his face.
His hand stopped mid-motion, glass still hanging in the air.
"Uh, Mr. Lewis, what exactly do you mean by that?" Richard asked.
"What do you think I mean?" Ethan set his glass down on the table, his voice calm but every word in the video was crystal clear.
"This entire funding deal was aimed at your wife from the very start. Your wife, her last name is Sterling. And the woman sitting next to you, what's her last name?"
The video cut off right there.
Monica blew up my phone with messages. [It's over, it's over, it's over! The whole place exploded. June said Richard's face went completely white.]
I didn't reply.
I flipped my phone face-down on the coffee table.
The city lights outside the window stayed the same.
I'd been married to Richard for six years.
Six years.
There were so many things he never had a clue about.
He had no clue what Caleb was really doing in Norland.
He never knew why my dad agreed to our marriage back then.
And he had no idea that every big deal he'd scored over the years was all thanks to someone working in the shadows for him.
He thought it was all his own doing.
He thought I was just some woman waiting at home for him to come back for dinner.
He thought he could bring another woman to the dinner party and introduce her as Mrs. Warren.
My phone lit up again.
It was Richard calling.
I watched his name flash on the screen five times, but I didn't pick up.
On the sixth ring, I just put it on silent.
He must be getting anxious now.
He must be starting to think.
He must be starting to get scared.
But this was only the beginning.