Chapter 1 - The Thirty Minute Promise
The freezing wine continued to drip slowly from the edge of my chin.
I did not reach up to wipe the crimson liquid away from my face.
I simply stood there with the poise of an absolute queen.
The hundreds of elite guests in the Manhattan ballroom held their collective breath.
They were all waiting to see if my bold phone call was a pathetic bluff.
Everett held his beautiful mistress tightly by her slim waist.
He was completely convinced that I was just a desperate, crazy housewife.
"You really think you can scare me with a fake phone call, Evelyn?" he sneered loudly.
His voice echoed sharply across the polished marble floor of the grand hall.
"I built Blackstone Crest Holdings with my own bare hands," he boasted to the crowd.
My mother-in-law, Patricia, crossed her arms and glared at me with pure disgust.
"She is just trying to embarrass you because she knows she is entirely worthless," Patricia hissed.
Madison leaned her head affectionately against my husband's expensive tailored suit.
"Please do not be too harsh on her, Everett," Madison said with a fake, pouting lip.
"It must be incredibly hard knowing your husband prefers a real woman," she mocked.
I folded my arms and let the terrifying, ancient chill settle deep into my eyes.
I did not need to scream or throw a dramatic tantrum to prove my absolute power.
I casually glanced at the diamond-encrusted watch on my left wrist.
Twenty-nine minutes had already passed since I gave the emergency command to Grant.
"You have exactly sixty seconds left to enjoy your delusion, Everett," I stated calmly.
The crowd began to whisper nervously as the heavy grand doors of the ballroom suddenly rattled.
A massive team of twenty heavily armed private security guards marched into the room.
They were dressed in tactical black suits, moving with terrifying military precision.
Everett smiled broadly, assuming these men were the hotel security he had just called.
"Finally, the trash removal service has arrived," Everett laughed, pointing directly at me.
He snapped his fingers arrogantly at the towering commander leading the tactical squad.
"Grab this insane woman and throw her out into the street immediately," Everett ordered.
The tall commander completely ignored my husband's demanding, arrogant voice.
He marched straight past Everett and stopped directly in front of me.
The commander bowed his head in a display of absolute, undeniable respect.
"The estate is secured and the supercars have been repossessed, Madam Chairman," Grant announced loudly.
Everett's smug smile instantly vanished from his pale, shocked face.
He stumbled backward, completely unable to process what was happening in front of him.
Before I could demand his official corporate badge, Madison suddenly stepped forward with a wicked grin.
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She reached into her designer clutch and pulled out a heavily folded legal document.
"You do not own anything, Evelyn, because Everett transferred the majority shares to me this morning," Madison declared triumphantly.
