Chapter 2 - The Uninvited Guest
I wore a sharp, tailored black suit that I hadn't touched in three years.
When I walked into the lobby of Fairchild Industries, the receptionist tried to stop me.
She said Brendan had left strict orders that his wife was not allowed in the building.
I ignored her and stepped into the executive elevator.
When the doors opened on the top floor, Ximena was waiting for me with a smug smile.
"Brendan is in a board meeting, Nora," Ximena said, crossing her arms.
"He told me to call security if you showed up here begging for an allowance."
I didn't even blink at her insult.
"Call them," I challenged her.
I walked past her desk and pushed open the heavy glass doors of the boardroom.
Twelve men in expensive suits stopped talking and stared at me.
Brendan stood at the head of the table, his face turning red with fury.
"Get out of here right now, Nora," he ordered.
Samantha Hayes was sitting right next to him, wearing a diamond necklace I recognized from our joint bank account.
She let out a soft, mocking laugh.
"This isn't a place for grieving housewives," Samantha whispered loudly.
I pulled out a stack of documents Raymond had given me and tossed them onto the polished mahogany table.
"I am not here as a housewife," I announced clearly.
The chief financial officer picked up the papers and began to read them.
His face drained of all color within seconds.
"Brendan," the CFO stammered, his hands shaking violently.
"She holds seventy percent of our corporate debt."
Brendan laughed nervously, thinking it was a desperate joke.
"That's impossible, her family had nothing," Brendan argued.
"My father bought your entire miserable life three years ago," I told my husband.
"And as the majority debt holder, I am officially freezing all executive compensation, effective immediately."
Brendan lunged toward me across the table.
Two large security guards suddenly entered the room, but they didn't grab me.
They grabbed Brendan by the shoulders and shoved him back into his chair.
"Who told you to touch me?" Brendan screamed at the guards.
May you like
One of the guards looked at me respectfully.
"Ms. Nora signs our paychecks now, sir," the guard replied.
