Chapter 1 - The Crystal Cage
The crystal chandelier above our table at L'Espalier cast fractured, brilliant light across the white linen tablecloth.
I watched the light catch the heavy gold rim of my husband's champagne flute as he raised it toward his most important client.
"To new partnerships, Daniel," Richard said smoothly, his clumsy Korean slipping slightly on the vowels.
Daniel Han clinked his glass against Richard's, his expression politely neutral.
"To transparency, Richard," Daniel replied.
I took a slow sip of my sparkling water, my face a carefully practiced mask of pleasant ignorance.
Richard’s hand slid back under the table, coming to rest heavily on my knee.
It was a gesture he used to feign affection in public, a physical reminder that I was his property.
He turned back to Daniel and continued digging his own grave with stunning arrogance.
"My wife doesn't really have a head for numbers," Richard bragged in Korean, squeezing my knee affectionately.
"She is a wonderful woman, but she prefers her little translation projects and her garden."
Grace Han, Daniel’s elegant wife, paused with a piece of lobster hovering near her lips.
Her dark, intelligent eyes flicked directly to my face.
I offered her a soft, vacuous smile, pretending I was merely enjoying the ambiance of the $1,400 dinner.
"It is a blessing to have a partner who trusts you so completely," Daniel noted dryly.
Richard laughed, a harsh, dismissive sound that echoed over the soft jazz playing in the background.
"Trust is easy when you don't understand the complexity of the world, Daniel."
He leaned closer, dropping his voice as if he were sharing a locker-room secret.
"Margaret thinks our house in Weston and my primary brokerage account are the sum total of my wealth."
My breath hitched slightly, but I forced my muscles to remain perfectly still.
"She has absolutely no idea about the shell companies in Wyoming," Richard continued blindly.
"Or the offshore accounts I set up in the Cayman Islands last year."
The Cayman Islands.
That was entirely new information.
My private investigator had found the Wyoming LLCs, but he had completely missed the offshore accounts.
Richard was literally handing me the financial roadmap I needed to destroy him.
"You have been preparing for a long time," Daniel observed, his voice completely devoid of judgment.
"A man has to protect his legacy," Richard replied smoothly.
"Especially when he is planning to leave his wife for a younger, more dynamic partner."
He actually smiled when he said it.
"Brooke is thirty-two, incredibly sharp, and she understands corporate strategy in a way Margaret never could."
Grace Han set her silverware down with a sharp, deliberate clink.
She looked directly into my eyes, abandoning all pretense.
She knew I understood every single word.
Her gaze shifted slightly, looking past my shoulder toward the entrance of the private dining room.
May you like
I followed her gaze.
Standing near the maitre d's podium, wearing a stunning red dress and looking impatiently at her phone, was Brooke Ellis.
