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 stared at Marcus, my mind struggling to process the betrayal.

My lead attorney, the man I had trusted with my entire empire, was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with my abusive husband.

Patricia laughed out loud, sipping a glass of water from the boardroom table.

"It turns out money can buy loyalty, Lauren, you just did not pay him enough," Patricia mocked.

Andrew tapped the legal document with his index finger.

"Marcus helped me draft this claim retroactively, proving I funded your first real estate venture," Andrew lied smoothly.

"We both know you did not give me a single dime to start this company," I said, my voice dangerously low.

"It does not matter what you know, it matters what I can prove in a court of law," Andrew replied.

He signaled to Marcus, who began passing out copies of the document to my board of directors.

If the board accepted this document, Andrew would have the power to liquidate my company to pay off his cartel debts.

He would leave my daughters and me with absolutely nothing.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep, stabilizing breath.

I had anticipated a betrayal, but I had never expected it to come from Marcus.

"You have five minutes to clear out your desk, Lauren," Andrew ordered, pointing toward the door.

I opened my eyes and looked directly at Marcus.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to play this card, Marcus?" I asked softly.

Marcus did not flinch, keeping his face entirely devoid of emotion.

"I am only doing what is legally required of me, Mrs. Vance," Marcus replied.

I reached into my designer handbag and pulled out a small black flash drive.

I plugged it into the boardroom projector system and hit the play button on my laptop.

A high-definition video appeared on the massive screen behind Andrew.

It was security footage from the Aspen hotel room where Andrew was supposedly staying with his pregnant fiancée.

The entire boardroom went completely silent.

The video clearly showed Andrew's fiancée, Elena, handing a massive stack of forged federal documents to a cartel lawyer.

"I may not have paid Marcus enough to stay loyal," I said, projecting my voice across the room.

"But I definitely paid Elena enough to turn against you."

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

Andrew's face drained of all color as he realized he had been played by his own mistress.

Suddenly, the heavy glass doors of the boardroom were shattered inward by a tactical battering ram.

Chapter 7 - The Forgery