During the celebration for my husband’s company’s twentieth anniversary, Julian tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, “Go home. Tonight, she is supposed to be by my side.” His mistress, Camilla, was standing right beside him in a tight red dress, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing.
I straightened my dress and calmly replied, “No. I’m staying for the announcement.”
A few minutes later, the chairman of the board stepped onto the stage. Two hundred employees had gathered in the reception hall of the Halcyon Hotel to celebrate Aurelia Systems’ anniversary.
Camilla was the communications director and had been appearing alongside Julian at conferences and business dinners for months. That evening, she was even wearing my diamond earrings, the ones I had discovered were missing from my jewelry box.
Julian was certain he would get the promotion he had been waiting for. He thought the board would appoint him president. He considered me nothing more than a wife who managed a small inheritance and devoted her time to an art foundation.
What he didn’t know was that my late mother’s investment firm occupied three floors in Boston.
When the lights went out, the chairman took the microphone.
“Tonight, we welcome the investor who made it possible to save eight hundred jobs. The acquisition has just been finalized. Northstar Holdings now owns fifty-eight percent of Aurelia Systems.”
Julian applauded enthusiastically. Then the chairman turned toward me.
“Please welcome the founder of Northstar Holdings and the new majority shareholder of Aurelia Systems: Mrs. Nora Vance.”
I walked onto the stage. Camilla immediately removed her hand from Julian’s arm. And my husband went pale.😮😮
And what happened next was simply unbelievable and absolutely captivating.😮
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I walked toward the microphone under the stunned gazes of everyone in the room. Julian stared at me as if he were still trying to understand what had just happened.
— Nora… what are you doing here? he finally asked.
I looked at him for a few seconds before answering:
— I’m simply taking the place that belongs to me.
The room fell completely silent.
Malcolm then asked the lawyer to present the official documents confirming the acquisition. But that wasn’t the only surprise.
He announced that the board had discovered several suspicious money transfers made by Julian over the past few months. Part of that money had been transferred to a company secretly owned by Camilla.
Julian went pale.
— That’s not true! I can explain everything!
I turned toward him.
— No, Julian. You’ll have plenty of time to explain yourself to the investigators.
Camilla tried to leave the room, but two officers were already waiting for her near the exit.
Then Malcolm handed me the keys to my new office.
— Congratulations, Nora. Aurelia is now in your hands.
Julian looked at me, unable to speak. Just a few hours earlier, he had humiliated me in front of two hundred employees, calling me a decorative wife.
Now he had to understand one thing: he had cheated on the wrong woman. And most importantly, he had just lost far more than his marriage.
