She smiled into her phone as red wine poured down the front of my white shirt

The threat of eviction hung in the air like toxic smoke.

I refused to let Lauren see how much her words terrified me.

This flagship location generated sixty percent of my company’s total revenue.

Losing it would cause a catastrophic chain reaction that could bankrupt my entire restaurant group.

Ethan immediately stepped forward and threatened to bury her firm in endless litigation.

Lauren simply smirked and walked out of the dining room without looking back.

I left the mess on the floor and rushed straight to my private office upstairs.

Ethan followed closely behind me as I frantically unlocked my filing cabinet.

I pulled out the original commercial lease agreement and slammed it onto my desk.

I read through the complicated legal jargon while my heart pounded in my chest.

I finally found the landlord transfer clause hidden on page forty.

The lease clearly stated that a new owner could only break the contract if the restaurant failed three consecutive health inspections.

I let out a massive sigh of relief because my kitchens were absolutely spotless.

We had never failed a single inspection in the history of the company.

Suddenly, my office door swung open without a knock.

My general manager walked in looking completely pale and covered in nervous sweat.

He was holding an official clipboard from the city health department.

He told me we had just failed a surprise inspection an hour ago.

I stared at him in complete shock because I had been on the floor all day.

I grabbed the clipboard and saw the critical violations listed in red ink.

Someone had intentionally left raw chicken sitting on top of the fresh vegetable crates.

I looked at my manager and demanded to know how this could happen under his watch.

He refused to meet my eyes and started backing toward the door.

He quietly confessed that someone had paid him a fortune to sabotage the kitchen.

I screamed at him and asked if Lauren had bribed him to ruin me.

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

He shook his head and said Lauren had nothing to do with it.

He told me the bribe money came directly from an executive account inside Ethan’s company.

Chapter 2 - The Inside Man