Chapter 3 - The Mistress’s DesperationLater that evening, Iris returned to her private hotel room overlooking the downtown skyline. She refused to stay in the grand mansion—that house was a graveyard of terrible memories, and she had already instructed her legal team to put it up for public auction, with every cent promised to local women's shelters.
A frantic knock echoed at her door.
When Iris opened it, she found Nicole Harper standing in the hallway. The sleek white dress Nicole had worn in court was wrinkled and ruined at the hem. Her blonde hair was disheveled, her eyes bloodshot from crying.
"Iris... please," Nicole sobbed, trying to push her way into the room. "You have to help me! You have to tell the police I had nothing to do with this!"
Iris stood in the doorway, her expression unreadable. "You put your hand on his arm in court today, Nicole. You laughed while he told me I would leave with nothing."
"He lied to me!" Nicole cried out, reaching into her purse and pulling out a handful of legal notices. "The federal agents raided my apartment an hour ago! They froze my personal accounts! Jason used my signature to set up shell companies that owe $18 million in back taxes! They are going to send me to federal prison!"
"He did the same thing to me for ten years," Iris said coldly. "He makes you feel like you are the center of his universe while he builds a cage around you. You thought you were winning his empire. In reality, he was just selecting his next sacrifice."
"Please, Iris! You have the files! You have the evidence!" Nicole begged, falling to her knees on the hallway carpet, grabbing the edge of Iris’s suit trousers. "I can help you destroy him completely! I know where he keeps his secondary offshore drives! I know where his hidden safe is in the hill country cabin!"
Iris looked down at the woman who had spent months sending her taunting text messages, photos of her with Jason, and threats to throw her out on the street.
"Where is the safe, Nicole?" Iris asked softly.
"In the basement of the estate in Fredericksburg," Nicole stammered frantically. "It’s hidden behind the wine cellar wall. The combination is his corporate registration date. But he moved something into that safe three nights ago! Something he swore would ruin anyone who tried to put him in prison!"
Iris narrowed her eyes. A secret safe in Fredericksburg. That was a location Jason had strictly forbidden her from visiting throughout their marriage. He had always claimed it was a private hunting lodge reserved for corporate investors.
"Get up, Nicole," Iris ordered.
"Will you clear my name with the prosecutors?" Nicole pleaded, pulling herself up.
"I won't lie for you," Iris replied evenly. "But if the information in that safe proves that Jason committed major corporate sabotage, I’ll instruct my legal team to recommend leniency for your cooperation. Give Michael the exact coordinates and access codes tonight. If you try to double-cross me, I’ll let the federal prosecutors take everything you own."
Nicole nodded frantically, wiping away her tears before turning and rushing down the hallway.
May you like
Iris closed the door, her pulse racing. She picked up her phone and dialed Michael immediately.
"Michael, we need to go to Fredericksburg tonight," Iris said into the receiver. "Jason has a hidden safe at the hill country estate. And whatever is inside it... it’s the real reason he was so confident he could never be destroyed."
