Chapter 1

My husband, Edward Grant, went on a business trip with his mistress to the mountains, and they ended up crashing off a cliff.

The mistress, Chloe White, stormed into the hospital, clutching her child, whipped out a will, and demanded ninety percent of everything we owned, plus child support from me.

I glanced at my husband on the gurney, paralyzed from the waist down, and answered her calmly.

"The will only takes effect after he dies. You'll have to wait."

She thought I was a pushover.

Little did she know, I'd been waiting for this day for a whole three years.

*****

The operating room lights were still on.

Down the hallway, the Grant Family sat in a row, Edward's parents, his sister Sophie, and two of his company's vice presidents. Everyone kept their heads down, not a word spoken.

I sat in the farthest corner, clutching a cup of water that had long since gone cold.

By three in the afternoon, the surgery had already been going on for eight hours.

Last night at ten, the signal in the mountains was terrible, so the news about Edward going off the cliff didn't reach me until then.

I'd just wrapped up a meeting when his assistant called, sobbing, "Mrs. Grant, something happened to Mr. Grant."

I asked, "Is it serious?"

"Spinal fracture, intracranial bleeding. The doctors say it doesn't look good," she replied.

"Okay, I got it," I said.

After hanging up, I finished signing the last two pages of paperwork and called my driver to take me to the airport.

Before boarding, I called the Grant Family and explained what happened.

Edward's mother, Alexis, was crying so hard she could barely breathe. "Edward's going to be okay, right?" she asked. I reassured her, "He'll be fine."

I wasn't sure if he'd really be okay, but that's all I could say right then.

After a three-hour flight and a layover, I landed at seven in the morning. Edward had already been airlifted to the best hospital in the city.

By the time I got there, the surgery had just started.

Alexis held my hand, crying. I sat with her, handed her tissues, and said what needed to be said.

Inside, I just felt weirdly calm.

It was not that I was made of stone.

By then, I'd already cried all my tears. The first time I found out, three years ago, I cried.

The second time, when I was sure, I cried again. And last year, when I finally decided what to do, I cried one last time. I had no tears left.

At three in the afternoon, a stir broke out at the far end of the hallway.

The sharp, rhythmic clack of high heels echoed across the floor, not the kind of sound you'd expect from someone visiting a hospital.

I looked up.

A woman strode over in a white dress, her makeup immaculate. She cradled a little boy, maybe two years old, dressed in a miniature suit with his hair slicked back, clearly dressed up for the occasion.

Two people followed behind, a man who looked like a lawyer, briefcase in hand, and a woman carrying her purse.

She stopped right in front of us, her eyes sweeping over Alexis and landing squarely on me.

"So you're Edward's wife?" Chloe asked, her gaze fixed on me.

Alexis jumped to her feet. "Who are you?"

"I'm Chloe White," she interrupted Alexis, her voice calm. "I'm the woman Edward's been seeing. And the boy in my arms? He's his son."

The hallway fell silent for a moment. Then Alexis's voice burst out.

Chloe didn't even look at her; her eyes stayed locked on me.

I didn't move. I just set down my cold water and looked up at her.

She took an envelope from the lawyer, then handed it straight to me.

"Before Edward had his accident, he left a will," Chloe said. "Ninety percent of his assets go to his child, my son. The other ten percent is for you, as a token."

She paused. "Edward used to give us 30 thousand dollars a month for living expenses. Now that he's incapacitated, you're responsible for continuing those payments until my son turns eighteen."

After she finished, she stepped back half a pace, looking completely unruffled, waiting for me to respond.

I took the envelope, pulled out the will, and gave it a quick once-over.

It was definitely Edward's handwriting, dated last month. There was a notary seal, an official court format, and he'd signed every page himself.

I slid the will back into the envelope, looked up at her, and asked calmly.

"Has this child had a paternity test?"

Chloe paused, caught off guard.

"What?" she asked.

"A paternity test," I said, setting the envelope down on the chair. "The will says this is Edward's kid. Before we talk about anything else, shouldn't we confirm if he's really Edward's son?"

Chloe's expression faltered for a second, but she quickly pulled herself together. "Edward told me himself—"

"He's on the operating table right now," I interrupted, keeping my voice steady. "If you want him to confirm it, you'll have to wait until he can actually speak. Until then, this will is on hold."

I stood up, smoothed out my clothes for no reason, and nodded at her. "Leave your contact info. Once we know how he's doing, we'll talk."

Chloe stared at me, looking surprised that I was so calm.

I turned to Alexis and said, "Alexis, sit tight and wait for the news. Don't let it get to you."

Alexis's mouth was hanging open, her hand shaking as she tried to point at Chloe, but she couldn't get a single word out.

I helped her sit down and put the tissue back in her hand.

Chloe lingered behind me for a few seconds, like she was still chewing over what I'd said. Then she let out a laugh, not loud, but sharp enough to sting.

"You're really keeping your cool," she said.

I didn't turn around.

"But let me warn you," her voice went up a notch. "With Edward like this, who's going to run the company? Who's going to split up the assets? You're just someone who married in, do you really think you get a say?"

Sophie finally lost it, jumping to her feet. "Who the hell do you think you are, barging in here with some kid nobody even knows..."

"Nobody knows?" Chloe pushed the kid forward. "Look at those eyebrows, that chin. Tell me he doesn't look exactly like your brother."

Sophie was stunned into silence.

The kid really did look like Edward, prominent brow bones, a sharp chin, even the tiny mole at the corner of his eye was in the same spot.

I turned around and looked at the kid.

He was the spitting image of Edward.

But just because he looks like him doesn't mean he's really his son.

"Ms. White," I said, my voice steady, "if you were really confident about this will, you wouldn't be in such a hurry to show up today."

Her expression stiffened for a moment.

I continued, "Edward's on the operating table, and nobody knows if he'll make it. Yet you show up now, with a lawyer, a will, a kid, and your makeup perfectly done. You're not here to check on him. You're here to claim your share."

"You—" Chloe started, but I cut her off.

"No need to rush," I said. "If he's alive, the will doesn't take effect. If he dies, we still need to make sure it's legit. So what's got you so anxious to show up now? What are you afraid of?"

Chloe's expression darkened.

The lawyer behind her stepped forward. "Mrs. Grant, I'm Simon Reed, Ms. White's attorney. This will has been notarized, so it's legally binding..."

"Attorney Reed," I cut him off, "notarizing a will just means the signing process was legit, and it doesn't guarantee the contents are fair.

"You know exactly how much of Edward's assets are marital property. And you know just as well what the court would say about handing ninety percent to a kid born outside the marriage."

Simon's lips moved, but he didn't say a word.

I turned to Chloe. "Like I said, let's wait for the surgery results before we talk. If you're too impatient, feel free to go to court and start the official process."

Chloe's grip on the kid tightened, her knuckles turning white.

She stared at me for three seconds, then let out a laugh. This time, it was sharp and full of venom.

"Fine, I'll wait," she said, stepping in a little closer and lowering her voice. "But just so you know, when Edward was clear-headed, he told me the thing he regretted most in his whole life was marrying you."

With that, she turned and walked away. The sharp click of her heels echoed down the hallway until it finally faded into silence.

Alexis started sobbing behind me.

Sophie was cursing nonstop, her voice trembling.

The two vice presidents exchanged glances, one pulled out his phone, probably calling to report what just happened, while the other just stood there, looking lost, not knowing whether to stay or go.

I stood there, listening to the crying and swearing behind me, and glanced down at my hands.

They were steady.

Not a single tremor.

I've been waiting for this moment for three years. I did all the digging, kept every piece of evidence, and had my lawyer ready long ago.

Chloe thought she was here to checkmate me.

But what she didn't know was, I was the one who set the board.