"But what if he's lying to you?"

"He's not."

Kelsey lifted her hand and flashed the ring.

"This ring cost twenty grand. He bought me a house too. If he wasn't serious, would he spend that kind of money?"

Her friend still looked unsure. "But what if his wife finds out—"

"So what if she does?" Kelsey rubbed her stomach with a smug smile. "I'm carrying his son. That's my biggest advantage. Guys always want kids with their blood. He's not walking away from us."

She snorted.

"And that old lady? Three years of marriage and no baby. I got pregnant once, and it's a boy. Who do you think he's picking?"

Old lady?

I almost lost it right there.

I was twenty-eight.

Twenty-eight was old now?

I swallowed the anger and kept listening.

"He promised once our son's born, he'll make us official and make me his wife." Her eyes practically sparkled. "Then I'll be living the rich-wife life. I won't have to deal with anybody anymore."

"Does Johanna know about you?"

"Probably not." Kelsey smirked. "Nolan's really good at hiding stuff. Never slips up.

"But even if she finds out, so what? I have a son. She doesn't.

"I win."

Enough.

I'd heard enough.

I got up and walked out of the café.

The second I stepped outside, I called my dad.

"Dad, it's time."

"You sure? Once we do this, there's no going back."

"I'm sure." I stared ahead. "They pushed too far. I want them to know what happens when they betray our family."

"Alright. We start tomorrow."

I hung up and watched the sun drop below the horizon.

Inside me, something was already burning.

***

The third day was Saturday. Nolan said he had a client meeting. Really, he was going to see Kelsey.

I played along and watched him pull out of the driveway.

The second he was gone, I called an emergency board meeting as CEO of Jourdain Corp.

"Everyone, I have an announcement." I stood at the head of the table, cool and composed. "Starting now, Jourdain Corp is cutting all ties with Horizon Tech."

The directors traded looks.

"Johanna, why? Horizon Tech has always been a major partner."

"Because their CEO, Nolan Thomson, has serious character issues. That doesn't match Jourdain Corp's values."

"But ending contracts out of nowhere will trigger penalties."

"I'll pay them." No hesitation. "This is about principle."

The meeting ended, and I immediately reached out to Horizon Tech's biggest clients.

Jourdain Corp had influence. I had connections. Didn't take long for people to start getting nervous.

By that afternoon, Nolan's phone was blowing up.

I sat at home sipping tea while he paced the balcony, taking call after call.

"Mr. Warren, why end things so suddenly? We've always had a good partnership..."

"Mr. Lowell, maybe there's been some misunderstanding? We can work out a new price..."

"Mr. Chase, please reconsider. Our company really needs this project..."

Watching him spiral was putting me in a great mood.

That night, Nolan came home looking drained.

"Babe, work got messy today." He tried to act like he had it together.

"What happened?" I asked, concern all over my face while I laughed inside.

"A few major clients suddenly pulled out. I have no clue why." He rubbed his temples, frustrated.

"Could competitors be messing with things behind the scenes?" I tilted my head.

"Maybe..." Something flickered across his face. "A few companies have been trying to steal our business lately."

I smiled to myself. He still had no clue the real problem was sitting right next to him.

"Don't stress too much." I kept my voice soft. "We'll figure it out. Worst case, my family can help."

He looked at me like I hung the moon. "Having you is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hypocrite.

If I was really that great, why cheat on me?

But he wouldn't be saying that for much longer.

***

Early the next morning, my phone rang.

Kelsey.

"Ms. Jourdain, I want to talk to you." Her voice shook.

"Sure. Pick a place."

An hour later, we met at a quiet café.

Kelsey was wearing a loose maternity dress. Her face was pale, eyes red and puffy. She'd clearly been crying.

"Ms. Jourdain, I think you already know Nolan is the baby's father." Her voice wavered.

I just looked at her. No anger. No surprise.

That only made her more nervous.

"I never meant to ruin your marriage." The excuses came fast. "He told me he didn't love you. He said your marriage was just for appearances—"

"What else did he say?"

"He said he only married you because of family interests. That there was never any real love..." Her voice kept getting quieter.

I let out a cold laugh. "And you actually bought that?"

"I..." Nothing.

"Do you even hear yourself?" I stood, looking down at her. "You thought sleeping with a married man and getting pregnant would put you in my spot?"

She instantly wrapped a hand around her stomach.

"I'll leave. If you give me money, I swear I'll disappear. You'll never see me again."

"Money?" I laughed. "How much exactly do you think you're worth?"

"Five hundred thousand..." she said carefully.

"Five hundred thousand?" My voice cut through the café. "You think you're worth that?"

I sat back down, crossed my legs, and stared at her.

"You won't get a dime. Because pretty soon, both of you will have nothing."

I stood and started walking away.

"Ms. Jourdain!" Kelsey called after me. "You can't do this! I'm carrying Nolan's son! You can't ignore this!"

I turned back, my eyes cold.

"Are you sure that baby's Nolan's?"