Chapter 1 - The Awakening
I lowered the phone slowly as my father's fierce words echoed in the quiet bedroom.
The man who had built a financial empire from absolutely nothing was finally coming for me.
I walked over to the massive walk-in closet and pulled out a simple leather travel bag.
I did not bother packing the expensive shoes or the designer handbags that Spencer had purchased for my birthdays.
I only packed the few cherished photographs I had of my late mother and a book she had given me.
Mrs. Gladys appeared in the doorway, her hands trembling nervously as she watched me.
"Ma'am, what exactly are you doing?" she asked softly.
"I am leaving this house, and I am never coming back," I replied with a strange sense of calm.
Tears welled up in the old housekeeper's eyes because she had always been kind to me.
She had silently watched Spencer treat me like an invisible ghost for three agonizing years.
I gave her a warm hug and thanked her for everything she had done for me.
Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the glass windows of the massive mansion.
The unmistakable sound of heavy helicopter blades chopped through the silent night air.
I walked out the front door and stood confidently on the manicured front lawn.
A massive, sleek black helicopter landed right in the center of Spencer's prized rose garden.
The wind from the rotors whipped my worn navy-blue dress around my ankles.
Six towering men in immaculate black suits stepped out, forming a protective wall around me.
The lead security officer, a tall and handsome man named Carter, approached me with a respectful bow.
"Ms. Harrell, your father sent us to bring you home," Carter said with a gentle smile.
He handed me a glowing digital tablet.
My father's face appeared on the high-definition screen, looking both furious and determined.
"Phoebe, there is something you need to know before we destroy your husband tonight," my father said.
I looked at the screen, my heart pounding in my chest.
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"Spencer's entire company is heavily funded by a shadow corporation," my father explained.
"And that shadow corporation is entirely owned by me."
