“Go home,” Daniel whispered, hitting me hard on the shoulder. I stumbled against a table covered with champagne glasses.
— She needs to be by my side tonight.
A few meters away, Sabrina, his mistress, was wearing a tight red dress. She pretended not to hear anything.
Two hundred employees had gathered in the ballroom of the Imperial Hotel to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Virelia Systems. Everyone had seen the scene. But no one dared to intervene.
Sabrina placed a hand on my husband’s arm.
— Claire, this really isn’t the time to make a scene.
My shoulder hurt. I simply adjusted the strap of my blue dress and lifted my head.
— No. I’ll stay for the announcement.
Daniel smiled coldly.
— The announcement is for the executives, not decorative wives.
He knew nothing about my real life. He thought I spent my days managing a small inheritance and volunteering.
He had never asked why my late mother’s investment company occupied three floors in Boston.
Across the room, President Richard Morgan caught my eye and discreetly touched his cuff. It was our signal.
The lights went out. Richard stepped onto the stage.
— Tonight, we welcome the investor whose support saved eight hundred jobs. Today, Northstar Capital owns 58% of Virelia Systems.
Daniel was the first to applaud, convinced that this announcement would finally make him president.
Then Richard turned toward me.
— Please welcome the founder of Northstar Capital… and the new majority shareholder of Virelia Systems: Claire Bennett.
I set down my glass and walked onto the stage. Behind me, someone let out a startled cry. Sabrina’s hand slowly slipped from Daniel’s arm.
My husband looked at me. And for the first time in our marriage, he seemed unable to breathe. 😮 What I said after stepping onto the stage shocked everyone. 😮
↪️ The rest in the first comment. 👇👇 ⤵️⤵️
I took the microphone and looked Daniel straight in the eyes.
— First of all, I’d like to thank my husband… for reminding me tonight how easy it is to underestimate someone.
An icy silence filled the room.
— Daniel thought I was simply his wife. He didn’t know that Northstar Capital had been financing Virelia for two years. He also didn’t know that I had personally blocked several takeover offers because I still believed in this company.
Richard approached and handed me the official documents.
— Starting tonight, I continued, I will be responsible for Virelia’s future.
Daniel turned pale.
— Claire… we can talk in private.
I shook my head.
— No. You wanted me to go home. So I’ll go home… but not to you.
Sabrina stepped back, and then I added:
— And tomorrow morning, Daniel, you’ll receive your termination letter.
The room erupted in whispers. For the first time, Daniel realized that he had just lost far more than a wife.
