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The air in the crowded terminal felt thick, heavy with the noise of rolling luggage and chatter, but around us, time seemed to freeze. Daniel stood there, wrapped in his glossy fantasy of a glamorous new life, looking at me with undisguised contempt. He thought he held all the cards. He thought he had successfully traded his exhausted, postpartum wife and three infant daughters for a trophy companion who reeked of expensive perfume and poor life choices. / Chapter 3 / 38

Chapter 2 - The Billionaire BloodlineThe color drained entirely from Daniel’s face. The woman in the white silk blouse—whose name I would soon find out was Jessica—stepped back half a pace, sensing the sudden seismic shift in the atmosphere.

"Helen, put the phone down," Daniel hissed, his voice dropping an octave as he lunged forward, trying to snatch the device from my hand.

I didn't flinch. I simply hit speakerphone and dialed a direct, private extension that wasn't listed in any corporate directory.

Before the first ring finished, a deep, commanding voice answered on the other end. "Report."

"Hi, Dad," I said sweetly, keeping my eyes locked on my trembling husband. "I'm down at the arrivals terminal. Daniel just got back. But it looks like he brought a bonus passenger. And—oh—he’s demanding a divorce and the house."

A glacial silence fell over the phone line. When Arthur Vance—founder and CEO of Vance Global Enterprises, and my fiercely protective father—spoke next, his voice was dangerously calm.

"Put him on."

I extended the phone toward Daniel. His hands were shaking so violently he could barely grasp the device. He brought it to his ear, his lips parting in silent terror as he recognized the voice of the man who held absolute power over his career, his salary, and his entire future.

"A-Arthur... Sir..." Daniel choked out, his golden tan looking ridiculous against his ashen skin. "It’s... it’s a misunderstanding! Helen is just—she’s confused—"

"You miserable, ungrateful parasite," my father roared through the speaker, loud enough for half the terminal to hear. "I gave you that cruise to bond with my daughter while she was pregnant with my grandchildren. Instead, you humiliate my family, abandon your newborns, and try to throw my daughter on the street?"

Daniel swallowed hard, looking wildly around the airport as if searching for an escape tunnel. "Sir, please, let me explain—"

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My phone was still pressed against my ear. On the other end, Marcus—my most trusted lieutenant—was breathing heavily. The sound of muffled police radios and shouting filtered through the speaker.

My phone was still pressed against my ear. On the other end, Marcus—my m...

Detective Maria Santos tapped her fingernail against the glossy photograph spread across the metal interrogation table. The overhead fluorescent light hummed, casting a sterile, buzzing shadow over the room.

Detective Maria Santos tapped her fingernail against the glossy photogra...

Katherine did not cry when she walked into their immaculate suburban home. The silence of the empty house, which usually felt lonely on the nights Reginald claimed to be working late, now felt like a tactical advantage.

Katherine did not cry when she walked into their immaculate suburban hom...

"There is nothing to explain," my father interrupted, ice in his tone. "You are fired. Effective immediately. Security is meeting you at Terminal 4 right now to escort you off the premises. And as for the house? That house was bought with Vance family trust funds. You don't own a brick of it."

The phone went dead with a click.

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