In front of nearly a hundred relatives, my mother-in-law slid the dinner plates away from my daughters and declared, “Seats at the head table are reserved for women who give this family sons.” My husband told me to quit causing a scene, so I calmly cleaned my little girl's face, gathered both of my daughters, and walked out without another word… while no one in that room had the slightest idea that a 5.4-million-peso promissory note carrying his signature was already waiting for the perfect moment to surface.

I stood in the school lobby, completely stunned by the depth of Andrew's deception.

The 5.4 million peso debt was real, but the kidnapping was a theatrical production designed to make me panic.

He wanted me distracted while he filed for custody and fled the state.

"You actually believe a woman is pregnant with a Vance heir?" I asked Patricia.

"I saw the ultrasound myself, Lauren," Patricia said proudly.

I gestured for David to escort Patricia off the premises before she could cause any more of a scene.

"Do not touch me, you will be hearing from our lawyers!" Patricia shrieked as my guards guided her out the door.

I immediately returned to the penthouse and fired up my secure servers.

I needed to find out exactly who this new fiancée was.

I tasked my lead corporate investigator to dig into Andrew's recent flight records and financial transfers.

Within two hours, a massive dossier was dropped onto my desk.

The woman's name was Elena Rostova, a supposed Russian heiress Andrew had met at a real estate gala.

I flipped through the pages, examining her background checks and financial history.

My jaw tightened as I realized the horrifying truth.

Elena Rostova was not a Russian heiress.

She was a high-level operative for the same cartel that held the 5.4 million peso note.

She was not pregnant; she was a honey-trap sent to completely liquidate the Vance family.

Andrew was not running away with his soulmate.

He was merging his entire family's trust fund into a joint account with a professional fraudster.

I called Marcus immediately.

"Andrew is about to wire the entire Vance family fortune to a cartel operative in Aspen," I told him.

"Should we stop the transfer?" Marcus asked.

I thought about the cold rice and dry bread Patricia had forced upon my daughters.

"No," I said coldly.

"Let them lose every single penny."

Suddenly, my computer screen went entirely black.

When my newborn 'passed away,' my mother-in-law leaned in and said

My Husband Left Me Alone in My Car While I Was in Labor

“You’re Dead When We Get Home,” He Snapped

A red loading bar appeared on the monitor, signaling a massive data breach.

Someone was hacking into Horizon Capital's mainframe using Andrew's master credentials.

Chapter 5 - The Mistress and the Money