My husband thought his position made him untouchable. I quietly made a call while his family laughed. Then everything changed.

Chapter 1: The Gala of Illusions

Right in the middle of the corporate banquet, my husband completely humiliated me just to appease his mistress. I picked up my phone, fired him from his position as CEO, seized his Greenwich estate, and repossessed his three luxury cars. His entire family erupted into mocking laughter. But thirty minutes later, the blood drained completely from their faces.

For ten years of my youth, I had agreed to remain in the shadows, enduring the reputation of a useless gold digger. And it was all to save face for the man I called my husband. I stood by and watched as he ascended to the CEO’s chair, respected by thousands, living in a twenty-five-million-dollar mansion in Connecticut and driving million-dollar supercars. But on the night of Obsidian Pinnacle’s grandest corporate gala, he brazenly brought his mistress, allowed his mother to publicly humiliate me, and personally shattered my dignity just to buy a smile from the other woman.

They mocked me, viewing me as a pathetic parasite with no right to speak. They had no idea that all the magnificence they were currently drowning in never belonged to them in the first place. My phone call that night, lasting less than ten seconds, was the detonator of a bomb ready to grind this family’s arrogance into dust.

As I prepared to cast them down to the absolute bottom, the brilliant light from the crystal chandeliers of Manhattan’s largest five-star hotel reflected off the sparkling champagne flutes. The air in the VIP ballroom was thick with the scent of expensive designer perfume, the acrid smoke of imported cigars, and high-society chatter dripping with calculation. Tonight was the gala reception celebrating my husband Caldwell Vance’s fifth anniversary as the CEO of Obsidian Pinnacle Holdings.

I stood quietly in a dim corner by a heavy crimson velvet drape, wearing nothing but a simple, form-fitting black silk dress. My hair was neatly pinned up. For the past five years, in the eyes of the business elite and my husband’s relatives, I was nothing more than a good-for-nothing housewife living off his glittering success. Caldwell, meanwhile, always beat his chest, styling himself as a business genius who enjoyed the special favor of the mysterious Board of Directors.

Suddenly, the crowd parted into two rows, starting from the massive oak doors. Caldwell entered. His bespoke tailored suit fit his tall frame perfectly. His gaze was domineering, sweeping over the room with profound arrogance. But what made my chest tighten, as if squeezed by an invisible hand, wasn’t his smugness, but the elegant silhouette clutching his arm tightly.

It was a young woman in a dazzling crimson mermaid-style gown with a slit daringly high up her thigh. A diamond choker glittered around her neck. This was Sloan. She rested her head on Caldwell’s shoulder and smiled radiantly, making eyes and intentionally flaunting their intimacy in front of hundreds of staring guests. And walking right behind this couple was none other than Lorraine, my mother-in-law. She laughed continuously, affectionately patting the girl in red on the shoulder with undisguised pride.

They walked right past me as if they were blind. My hand, gripping a glass of sparkling water, subconsciously tightened. I had known about Caldwell’s infidelity for three months. But I never expected him to be so vile and shameless as to bring her to an official corporate event, turning me, his legal wife, into a public joke.

In the most humiliating backdrop imaginable, the girl in red suddenly let go of Caldwell’s arm. Taking a glass of Pinot Noir, she glided toward the balcony where I stood, stopping half a step away from me. Her eyes raked over me from the top of my head to my heels with utter contempt. Suddenly, her wrist flicked slightly, and the entire glass of red wine splashed directly onto the chest of my black silk dress, even splattering my cheek.

The cold liquid dripped down my chin, bringing with it the bitter sting of public humiliation. Sloan instantly covered her mouth, let out a fake, terrified gasp, swayed theatrically, and stumbled backward as if I had just attacked her. In a heartbeat, Caldwell and Lorraine pushed through the crowd and rushed toward us.

“My god, what kind of lunatic stunt are you pulling here? Saraphina, are you blind, throwing a whole glass of wine on Sloan?” Caldwell barked, his face contorted in exaggerated rage.

“Look closely at who is covered in wine. She poured it on me herself,” I said evenly, my voice a quiet island in the sea of their manufactured drama.

“Shut your mouth this instant!” Caldwell snarled. “Sloan is a VIP guest of this firm, a vital strategic partner whom I personally invited. You dragged yourself here looking like a ragged stray hiding in the corner. You don’t know how to make way for important people, and you dare to snap back? Do you even realize the dress she’s wearing is worth a hundred times more than your entire miserable life?”

“A VIP guest, a strategic partner of the company, or your partner in bed?” I retorted, my voice cutting through the rising murmurs of the crowd. “Do you think everyone here is blind, Caldwell? Don’t let the CEO’s chair blind you so much that you lose your basic humanity, parading your mistress at a banquet in front of your legal wife. Don’t you feel how cheap and disgusting you look?”

“How dare you insult my son, you trash!” Lorraine shrieked, stepping forward to shield the smirking mistress. “Such a useless leech, sitting at home, only knowing how to beg her husband for pennies to survive. And you dare to lecture him? My Caldwell is a CEO! He makes millions. He brings glory to our name. He has the right to associate with people of his own caliber. Sloan is beautiful and wealthy. They run in the same circles. She actually helps Caldwell in his career. And you? What can you do besides shame this family? Listen to me carefully. If you don’t get on your knees right now and apologize to Sloan, I’ll have Caldwell throw you out of the house tonight.”

Lorraine’s arrogance poured gasoline on the fire of my hatred. I stared intently at this mother-in-law whom I had pleased for so many years, buying her everything from beluga caviar to imported organic supplements. It turned out that in her eyes, only cold, hard cash was the truth.

I scoffed. It was a cold, bitter smile that pierced to the bone. I took a step forward, looking straight at Caldwell, not retreating a single millimeter. “Get on my knees to apologize? Are you hallucinating in broad daylight, Caldwell? I’m asking you one last time. You are allowing your mother and your mistress to slander and humiliate me in front of everyone, and you are proud of this, are you?”

Caldwell glared at me ferociously. He didn’t raise his hand in a room full of Manhattan’s elite; he knew better than to commit career suicide with physical assault. Instead, he violently snatched the glass of sparkling water from my hand and smashed it onto the marble floor. The shattering sound brought the entire ballroom to a dead halt.

“Are you out of your mind?” Caldwell roared, his voice dripping with absolute disgust. He brutally stripped off his wedding band and threw it at my feet. It clattered against the broken glass. “I have tolerated your pathetic, leeching existence for ten years, but you dare insult my VIP guest. Sloan is worth a hundred times more to this company than you will ever be.”

He turned to the hotel security guards rushing over. “Security, drag this mad woman out of here. Revoke her access pass. Do not let this garbage ruin the night for people who actually matter.”

Whispers erupted in the crowd. The mistress in the red dress crossed her arms, tilted her sharp chin up, and looked down at me, not hiding her victorious smirk.

“Excellent hit, son,” Lorraine cheered. “We need to teach this gutter rat a lesson so she remembers it for the rest of her life. My son works his fingers to the bone to support her, and she throws these idiotic, jealous tantrums. Just look at her insolent face. What a curse on our family to take in a daughter-in-law like this.”

I straightened up. I had absolutely no intention of crying. Every last illusion of marital warmth died alongside the clattering of that discarded ring. With the back of my hand, I wiped the droplets of wine from my cheek and slowly raised my head. In my eyes was the chill of a thousand-year-old glacier looking down at ants marching willingly into a fire.

“Are you done throwing your tantrum?” I asked, my voice terrifyingly calm. “This public spectacle is the final settlement for my blind, weakly devotion to your family. From this second on, we are entirely finished, Caldwell. You just said that in this place, I am a nobody, right? Fine. I will show you exactly what you are without me.”

I calmly opened my small clutch and pulled out my personal cell phone. Under the hundreds of curious gazes of the crowd, I dialed a number. It didn’t even ring three times before it was answered. I put it on speakerphone and turned the volume to the max. My voice, crisp and metallic, echoed through the ballroom.

“Thaddius, execute the emergency board resolution via written consent immediately. I have already submitted my majority shareholder authorization as of this exact minute. Terminate Caldwell Vance from the position of Chief Executive Officer. Revoke all his access rights to the financial systems and freeze his signing authority. Dispatch the private security detail to immediately seize the estate in Greenwich and lock down the three luxury company cars he uses. Everything must be executed tonight without a single exception.”

From the phone speaker came an extremely respectful, cautious voice. “Yes, ma’am. I will issue the directive and begin execution immediately. The security detail is already awaiting orders in the lobby.”

I hit end call.

The silence in the hall lasted about three seconds, and then a hysterical laugh shattered the atmosphere. It was Lorraine. She held her stomach, pointing a finger at me, laughing so hard her whole body shook. “Oh my god, good people! She has completely lost her mind. She got humiliated, and her brain broke. Who are you trying to scare, you trash? You called someone, put on a little play, muttered a few words, and you think you’ve stripped my son of his job, took the mansion? You’ve watched too many soap operas, and now you have severe paranoia.”

Caldwell chuckled as well. His gaze now held extreme contempt mixed with pity. He pulled his mistress close, wrapping an arm around her waist, and shook his head slightly. “Saraphina, I didn’t think you were this pathetic and sick, hiring an actor over the phone just to save face in front of a crowd. Fire me? You’re like a frog at the bottom of a well. You don’t even comprehend that Obsidian Pinnacle Holdings is a multi-billion-dollar empire. My CEO chair was appointed personally by the Chairman of the Board. How dare a stay-at-home leech like you try to overthrow me? Get out of here immediately before I call security to throw you out onto the pavement.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. My dark eyes stared directly into the smirking face of the traitor. The corners of my lips curled into an incredibly dangerous smile.

“No need to call security. Just hold on tight to your mistress and your pathetic pride. In thirty minutes, we’ll see if you and your mother can still laugh this loudly.”

I turned decisively and walked away. The clicking of my heels against the marble floor echoed with a sharp, unyielding cadence. I left behind the mocking stares and the arrogant laughter of my husband’s family. They laughed because they thought I was a mad woman putting on a comedy. They didn’t know the countdown timer to their absolute destruction had already started.

Just wait, Caldwell. The greatest spectacle of the night is about to crash down on your head.

Chapter 2: The House of Cards

I walked out of the giant oak doors of the VIP ballroom but did not leave the hotel. I chose a seat in the mezzanine lounge, where a clear glass partition offered a full view of the main hall below. Ordering a glass of sparkling water, I slowly sank into a plush leather armchair, letting the chill of the glass seep into my skin. The wine stain on my chest was still damp, but I didn’t care. Classical music continued to drift up from the hall, mixing with ringing applause. They were still drowning in their world of illusions.

Thirty minutes. Not a very long time in the grand scheme of a human life, but entirely sufficient for an empire built on sand to begin crumbling before an incoming hurricane.

Below, the celebration continued as if nothing had happened. Through the glass, I could clearly see every gesture, every haughty smile of my in-laws. Caldwell had regained the polished gloss of a CEO. With a glass of wine, he stepped up to the podium in the center. The spotlight illuminated the face I had been so captivated by ten years ago. But now, it radiated only a foul stench of greed.

Standing below, the mistress in the red dress held tightly to Lorraine’s arm. Both looked up at Caldwell with extreme adoration. The invited guests, partners, and department heads formed a circle around them, nodding approvingly at his every word. I checked my watch. I could vividly imagine what Caldwell was preaching from that podium. He was surely giving a speech about strategic vision, about the billion-dollar projects he credited to himself. He was hiding behind the name of the Board of Directors again, proudly boasting that the elusive Chairman trusted him implicitly and gave him free rein. He devoutly believed he was the alpha wolf of the business world, completely oblivious to the fact that the power in his hands was merely an invisible leash that I had loosened.

When I let the leash out, he thought he was flying high. But the moment I yanked it back, he would crash face-first into the dirt.

Watching him, memories from a decade ago flashed through my mind like a slow-motion film. I am Saraphina Sterling, the only granddaughter of the founder of the Obsidian Pinnacle real estate and finance empire. Twelve years ago, on his deathbed, my grandfather squeezed my hand and handed over his entire will and the absolute succession rights to a staggering fortune. He warned me that business was a battlefield and human hearts were treacherous. He asked me to remain in the shadows, using the Board of Directors as a shield to govern. Only when I found someone truly worthy could I step into the light.

I kept my promise to him. I graduated with honors from a top-tier Ivy League business school, returned home, and managed the corporation through secret written directives. All major strategic decisions and multi-billion-dollar capital flows had to pass through my approval. In the eyes of the corporate world, the Chairwoman of Obsidian Pinnacle was an untouchable, mysterious force.

And then I met Caldwell. At the time, he was just a pathetic sales manager at a small partnered vendor. He came from a dirt-poor rust-belt town, carrying the burden of a widowed mother who was petty and extremely domineering. When we first met, I was drawn to his drive, his will to win, and his genuine, simple demeanor. He often told me about sleepless nights eating cheap ramen while grinding out projects, about his thirst to change his life, about the humiliation he felt from the contempt of the rich. The heart of a young woman born into luxury but living in the lonely heights of power softened. I fell in love with him. A pure, selfless love.

But I knew that if I revealed my identity as the Obsidian Pinnacle heiress, the ego of a man from the bottom like Caldwell would be crushed. He would forever live with a crippling inferiority complex, feeling like a mere tool of his wife’s family. Furthermore, considering Lorraine’s greedy and overbearing nature, she would have latched onto my fortune like a starving leech.

For the sake of love, wanting to protect my beloved’s dignity, I made the most foolish decision of my life. I buried my identity, pretending to be an ordinary office worker to marry him. After the wedding, we lived in a cramped rented apartment. Lorraine moved in with us. She endlessly criticized my blue-collar background, my lack of a dowry, and constantly reminded me that I was doing nothing to help her son’s career.

I gritted my teeth and endured all the abuse. Every day, I went to work, cooked, cleaned, and served my mother-in-law like a maid. But behind closed doors, I used my supreme authority to mastermind Caldwell’s entire career. First, I ordered the HR department of Obsidian to discreetly headhunt him for a lucrative Sales Director position. Caldwell hugged me joyfully, bragging that his talents had finally been recognized by the big leagues. I smiled, congratulated him, and played along with this fake joy.

Then, every time he faced a roadblock in a project, I would secretly fix his proposals in the dead of night. And then, acting as the Chairman, I would send him emails with direct guidance, feeding him guaranteed paths to success. Under the covert mentorship of the hidden Chairman, Caldwell constantly brought in massive contracts. He rose through the ranks like a rocket, from Director to VP. And finally, five years ago, I forced the Board of Directors to vote for his appointment as CEO.

To compensate him for his hard life in the past, under the guise of special executive privileges, I authorized his use of the Greenwich estate and three luxury vehicles. Caldwell and Lorraine moved into the mansion with immense pride. They threw lavish parties, inviting their backwoods relatives to show off. Lorraine draped herself in gold, boasting to the elite neighbors that her son was a business prodigy who had built a billion-dollar empire with his own two hands. As for me, she considered me nothing more than a parasite who was simply lucky enough to coast on her son’s glory.

Caldwell became increasingly busy, drowning in luxury galas and high-society flattery. Coming home, he started looking down his nose at me. He criticized my modest clothes, told me I lacked social graces, and said I didn’t fit the image of a CEO’s wife. Every month, he tossed me a measly two-thousand-dollar allowance like a bone to a dog, lecturing me to be frugal and to serve his mother well.

I kept enduring. I thought that for the sake of peace in the family, I could make concessions. The real power still resided in my hands anyway. He was just a temporary manager. But I was wrong. I had warmed a venomous snake at my breast. Power doesn’t make men great. It only exposes their true nature. Caldwell had no real talent. He only had a bottomless pit of greed. Placed in a position far too high for his actual capabilities, he fell into delusions of grandeur. He fancied himself the savior of Obsidian Pinnacle and began viewing my existence as a stain on his perfect resume.

My tolerance only multiplied Lorraine’s arrogance. As Caldwell began spending nights away from home under the guise of networking, she constantly found new ways to torture me. One evening, I had just placed dinner on the table. Lorraine took one spoonful of the soup, made a face of utter disgust, and deliberately swept the entire meticulously prepared dinner off the kitchen island. The expensive porcelain shattered against the hardwood floor, splattering the rich broth across the hem of my dress and my bare legs.

“What kind of cheap slop are you trying to feed me?” Lorraine shrieked, pointing a manicured finger at my face. “You useless parasite. Ten years have passed, and you contribute absolutely nothing to this household. You just sit around bleeding my son’s bank accounts dry while he works himself to death.”

“Lorraine, I made the broth exactly to your taste, just like always. If you don’t like it, I will clean it up,” I said quietly.

“Don’t bother. Just looking at your face makes me sick,” Lorraine snapped. “My Caldwell is a CEO now. His status is higher than thousands of men. Sloan, Caldwell’s business partner, just bought me an emerald necklace worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. And what do you have? You do not even have a prenuptial agreement. If you have an ounce of brains, you will pack your cheap bags, sign the divorce papers, and walk out of this house quietly before my son calls his lawyers to throw you out on the street with nothing.”

I bent down, silently picking up the shards of porcelain. I didn’t say a single word in response. Lorraine’s cruelty didn’t wound me. It simply handed me the ultimate justification to never show them an ounce of mercy.

The clock struck exactly twenty-eight minutes. I placed my water glass on the glass table, pulled out a paper napkin, and carefully dabbed the corner of my mouth. The silence before the storm is always the most terrifying.

At exactly the thirtieth minute, a violent tremor disrupted the peace of the main hall below.

Chapter 3: The Queen Steps into the Light

From the end of the first-floor corridor, a group of people in identical black suits with earpieces and radios appeared, marching in a highly urgent, rhythmic formation. Leading the group was a majestic-looking man in his fifties with piercing eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses. This was Thaddius Montgomery, the Director of the Legal Department and the highest legal representative of Obsidian Pinnacle Holdings when the Chairwoman chose to remain hidden.

Right behind him was the Head of Corporate Security and fifteen massive, stone-faced bodyguards. The arrival of such a strictly legal and enforcement-oriented team completely clashed with the luxurious party atmosphere inside. They didn’t bother knocking. The Head of Security took a step forward and forcefully shoved the giant oak doors open.

The violent crack of the doors hitting the walls sounded like a thunderclap ripping through the noisy room. The entire hall instantly plunged into dead silence. The symphony orchestra cut off mid-measure as the conductor hastily lowered his baton. Hundreds of eyes fixed on the cake immediately snapped toward the entrance. The flattering smiles on the guests’ faces froze.

Caldwell stood on the stage, still holding the cake knife. He blinked a few times, as if unable to process the scene, but soon his arrogant nature took over. He hastily set the knife down, adjusted the lapels of his suit, broke into an impossibly wide smile, and strode down from the stage to greet the arrivals with the narrow-minded brain of a man asleep at the peak of his glory.

“My goodness, Thaddius, what brings you here personally at an hour like this? The Chairman must have sent you to share in my joy! I told the Chairman there was no need to stand on ceremony. Quick, someone escort Mr. Montgomery to a VIP seat. Get him a glass of our best vintage immediately,” Caldwell commanded in a loud, smug voice.

Lorraine quickly pulled the mistress forward, puffing out her chest, putting on the airs of a noblewoman preparing to receive congratulations from the second most powerful man in the corporation. “You see how much the Chairman values my Caldwell for his anniversary gala? The Legal Director himself brought a whole team to congratulate him. What an absolute honor for our family,” she declared loudly.

But Thaddius Montgomery did not smile. He didn’t take the glass of wine from the waiter, nor did he make any move toward the VIP seats. His cold, emotionless gaze swept over Caldwell’s beaming face, then stopped on the laminated sheet of paper bearing the corporate seal in his hand. The security detail immediately fanned out, forming an impenetrable ring and completely isolating Caldwell and his family from the crowd of guests.

Sensing the icy aura radiating from the guards, the smile on Caldwell’s lips stiffened slightly. His hand, extended for a handshake, froze in midair. “Thaddius, what is the meaning of this? What is security doing? Why are you surrounding me? Tonight is my celebration.”

Thaddius slowly adjusted his glasses. His clear, metallic voice, amplified by a microphone just handed to him by the Security Chief, echoed into every corner of the massive ballroom. “Mr. Vance, I am not here to congratulate you. I am here to execute an emergency directive from the Chairman of the Board.”

Caldwell stood petrified. Lorraine and the mistress in red widened their eyes in confusion. The guests around them began backing away, and absolute panic filled the space.

Up on the mezzanine, I slowly stood up and brushed non-existent dust from my black silk dress. I walked out from behind the glass partition and headed toward the grand staircase leading straight down into the main hall. Their arrogance had reached its final step, and now it was time to break the staircase.

Under the crystal chandeliers, Thaddius stood as straight as a spear, holding the directive stamped with the bright red seal of Obsidian Pinnacle. Caldwell was still trying to maintain his strange smile, but cold sweat had already broken out on his forehead.

“Thaddius, you’ve taken this joke too far. What emergency directive? I submitted the quarterly report to the Board Secretary this morning. Everything is flawless. The Chairman will not be pleased with what you’re doing.”

Thaddius didn’t even bother responding to this cheap groveling. He held the document high and began articulating every single word. “Pursuant to a directive approved personally by the Chairwoman of the Board fifteen minutes ago, Obsidian Pinnacle Holdings officially terminates Mr. Caldwell Vance from the position of Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. As of this minute, Mr. Vance is stripped of all authority regarding human resources, management, and corporate finances. Security is instructed to freeze all signatures. Confiscate Mr. Vance’s headquarters access badge, corporate laptop, and company phone right here, right now.”

As the last word fell, the hall exploded with gasps of sheer shock. A CEO fired at the peak of his career, hosting his own anniversary gala, terminated right in front of hundreds of partners by a brutal emergency order that left not a shred of dignity.

Caldwell swayed and took a half step back. His face turned whiter than chalk. His knees buckled, and he had to grab the edge of a table to stay upright. “Impossible. You’ve made a mistake. The Chairman cannot fire me! I brought this corporation billions! I demand to speak to the Chairman immediately!”

Lorraine threw herself forward, grabbing Thaddius’s sleeve, screaming, “You are wrong! My son is the CEO. Someone must have stabbed my son in the back out of jealousy!”

Thaddius coldly brushed Lorraine’s hand off his suit. He adjusted his glasses and continued, mercilessly severing all their hopes. “Item two of the directive. Obsidian Pinnacle Holdings is immediately seizing the estate in Greenwich, Connecticut, which is corporate property provided for the CEO’s residence. All three vehicles with corporate plates utilized by Mr. Vance and his family for personal use are hereby repossessed. A security team has already arrived at the estate to lock down the property. Mr. Vance is required to surrender the vehicle keys immediately. In the event of resistance, we will contact federal authorities and press charges for the embezzlement of corporate assets.”

Hearing about the seizure of the estate and the luxury cars, Lorraine looked as if she were suffocating. That mansion was her greatest pride. Now it was all being ripped away by a single sheet of paper. She collapsed to the floor, pounding her fists on the marble, wailing hysterically.

Sloan, the mistress in the red dress who had been so haughty moments ago, now shrank back against a table in fear. Her heavily contoured face turned deathly pale. Watching it all being stripped from him right before her eyes, she looked at Caldwell with glaring doubt and disgust.

Caldwell frantically snatched a microphone from a nearby table and screamed at the top of his lungs, pointing his finger right in Thaddius’s face. “I am not surrendering anything! This is a conspiracy! Where is the Chairman? Let them come out here and tell me this to my face!”

It was at that exact moment I stepped out of the shadows.

The sharp click of my high heels striking the marble floor rang out slowly, distinctly, and with total authority. People instinctively parted ways as they saw me approaching. The tight black silk dress, the dark red wine stain blooming across my chest—none of it diminished my overwhelming aura. Instead, it looked like the bloody metal of a warrior.

Stepping into the light, I walked straight into the center of the security ring. The moment Thaddius saw me, he immediately bowed at a sharp ninety-degree angle and said with absolute reverence, “Good evening, Madame Chairwoman. All your directives have been executed.”

The Head of Security and the fifteen massive bodyguards synchronously clicked their heels, stood at rigid attention, bowed their heads, and shouted, “Good evening, Madame Chairwoman!”

The thunderous voices of the security detail exploded like a bomb in the middle of the room. The hall of three hundred people froze solid. No one even dared to blink. Every open mouth was now directed at me. The woman who, less than thirty minutes ago, had been drenched in wine, publicly discarded, and humiliated as a pathetic leech.

Caldwell stood rooted to the spot. His pupils shrank to tiny pinpricks. His lips moved, emitting the incoherent sounds of a man suffering from severe hallucinations. “Saraphina… you’re the Chairwoman? No. Impossible. Thaddius, have you lost your mind? Why are you bowing to my wife? She sat at home cooking my meals for ten years!”

Lorraine, who had been crying on the floor, went completely mute. Her eyes bugged out as she crawled over to Caldwell, hugged his leg, and pointed a trembling finger at me. “Yes, how can she be the Chairwoman? This ragged beggar asked Caldwell for pennies every month just to go to the grocery store!”

I didn’t even look at Lorraine. I walked to the table, took the directive from Thaddius’s hand, and threw it right into Caldwell’s face. The thick paper smacked him in the cheek and fluttered to the floor. The elegant signature and bright red seal landed right in front of his eyes.

“Caldwell, open your blind eyes and look closely,” I said, my voice echoing like a judge’s gavel. “The signature on all the resolutions for your appointments over the last five years, and the signature on your termination order tonight. Are they not identical to the handwriting on our marriage certificate?”

Caldwell bent over and looked at the paper. His entire body began to shake violently, as if he had been electrocuted. Every muscle in his face contorted in sheer panic. He knew my handwriting better than anyone. The brutal truth crashed into his brain, entirely shattering the armor of the business genius he had so carefully constructed.

“Saraphina… it’s really you. But why? This whole corporation is yours?”

“Exactly,” I said, tilting my chin up. “Obsidian Pinnacle is mine. The estate you live in is mine. The car you drive is mine. The CEO chair you sit in was granted by me. Even the bespoke suit on your back was bought with my money.”

My gaze, sharp as a razor, pierced straight through his pathetic soul. “Thirty minutes ago, you threw your wedding ring at my feet to protect a cheap mistress. You called me a leech. You told me to get out. Now you can clearly see, Caldwell. Without me, you are absolutely nothing. Hand over the car keys and get out of this building immediately. Tonight, your family will be sleeping on the streets in the rain.”