Chapter 6

The next morning, I got up very early.

For the first time in years, I didn't make breakfast for the family.

I washed and dressed and put on a suit I had kept at the bottom of a drawer and had never let myself wear.

The woman in the mirror looked tired, but her eyes were unusually clear.

It was the steadiness of a woman who had burned the boats behind her.

The living room was empty when I came out.

Alex and the rest of them were probably still asleep.

I didn't wake anyone, and I left that suffocating apartment quietly.

I didn't take the bus.

I ordered a car on my phone.

When it stopped in front of the company tower, I felt as though I had come back from another life.

The woman at the front desk paused when she saw me walk into the lobby.

Then a professional, respectful smile appeared on her face. "Good morning, Ms. Evans."

Michael had moved quickly.

I nodded and went straight to the executive elevator.

Nothing stopped me the whole way.

The elevator opened on the top floor.

Michael's assistant was already waiting at the door. "Ms. Evans, Mr. Turner and Mr. Williams are in the conference room."

I pushed the conference room door open.

Michael and Joshua both stood up.

Michael said, "Jane, you're here."

There was concern in his eyes and encouragement behind it. "Sit down."

Joshua pushed a stack of documents across the table to me.

"Ms. Evans, this is the asset freeze application we put together overnight.

"The supporting evidence is behind it.

"Look it over, and if it's all correct, sign it and I'll have someone file it with the court immediately."

I picked the documents up and read through them carefully.

Every line pointed straight at what Alex had done.

I read the cold legal language without one second of hesitation.

Then I signed my name at the end of the document.

I wrote Jane Evans.

That time it was for myself.

I said, "Thank you for this, Mr. Williams."

"It's my job. "Joshua put the documents away and left at once.

Michael and I were the only ones left in the conference room. "How are you doing?"

He poured me a cup of hot coffee.

"I'm all right." I held the warm cup, and some of the tension went out of me. "I never thought twenty years of marriage would end up here."

Michael sighed, "There's no way to see into a person.

"My father gave you those shares because he was afraid you were too honest and would let people take from you.

"He guarded you against everyone outside, and the thief turned out to be inside the house."

Something came back to him. "By the way, your office is ready, and it's right next to mine. Let me show you."

I followed him to the door I had once believed I would never go through.

It was the vice president's office.

Michael pushed the door open.

The room was wide and bright, and the floor-to-ceiling windows held the whole city in them.

There was a new nameplate on the desk.

It read: [Jane Evans, Vice President.]

Michael said, "From today, this is your office.

"There are projects that have been sitting too long, and personnel decisions as well, and you'll want to get up to speed fast.

"You're the second largest shareholder, so all of this should have been your work from the start."

I stood at the window and watched the traffic below.

Twenty years of ambition that I had pressed down came back up and caught fire.

I wasn't a housewife whose whole world was a kitchen.

I had been a top student at a good university, and Michael's father had trusted me more than anyone.

Alex and that family had worn my edges down and used up everything I had.

I was going to take back all of it.

Then my phone rang.

The number was one I didn't know.

I answered it.

"Hello, is this Ms. Jane Evans? I'm an account manager at Fairview Bank."

"Yes, speaking."

"We flagged an unusual access request today on the safe deposit box registered to your husband, Mr. Alex Grant.

"At the same time, the court issued a preservation order, so that the box and every account in his name are frozen.

"Our procedure is to confirm the situation with you."

My heart jumped.

It had started.

Alex hadn't been able to sit still after all.

A cold smile came up on my mouth. "That's right. I filed for the freeze.

"I believe my husband is moving marital assets illegally.

"Thank you for calling me."

I hung up, and less than thirty seconds later, my phone went off again.

Alex was calling me like a man on fire.

I didn't decline it. I answered and put him on speaker.

"Jane, you crazy woman. What did you do?" Alex was roaring on the other end, frantic and terrified.

Anger and fear had pulled his voice out of shape.

"My cards. My stocks. My box. Why is all of it frozen? You did this, didn't you?"

I leaned back in the soft leather chair, picked up my coffee slowly, and blew across the top of it.

My voice was as calm as if I were talking about the weather. "Alex, what's the hurry?

"A man with a clean conscience doesn't jump when somebody knocks.

"Weren't you the one earning for this family?

"The money gets frozen and you're this frightened?"

"You!" I had blocked him so completely that he couldn't get a word out.

He had probably never imagined that the wife he could always handle would come back at him this fast.

"Jane, I'm warning you. You lift that freeze right now. If you don't, you'll see."

He was still using the same threats.

They didn't work on me anymore.

I laughed softly. "See what? Alex, do you still not understand where you are? Our game is only starting. If you have time to shout at me, go find yourself a better lawyer. Think about it."

I paused, and then I said each word clearly, "Seven million dollars in fraud and a forged signature will keep you inside for the rest of your life."

I didn't wait for a reaction, and I hung up.

I could picture the look on his face on the other end, like a man watching the sky come down.

Michael looked at me with open approval. "Well done. With people like that you can't afford to soften even once."

I nodded.

I knew Alex wasn't going to let it go.

He and his family would come at me like dogs.

But I wasn't afraid anymore.

Behind me stood the company's legal department, a hundred million dollars in shares, and a version of myself that had finally woken up.

Turning on them was only the first step.

Next, I was going to make them pay all of it back.