My husband threw divorce papers into my face while I cradled our newborn daughter. “I need a son, not a useless girl,” he sneered. His mother nodded. “We need a grandson. Someone else has already done what you couldn’t.” Months later, at his wedding to the mistress supposedly carrying his baby boy, I walked in holding my daughter and one sealed envelope. When I revealed what was inside, the groom went pale—and revenge had only just begun.

Six months later, the dust had finally settled over the ruins of Grant Sterling’s life.

The divorce was finalized on terms that were so unfavorable to Grant they were studied in law schools. Because of his documented corporate fraud and commingling of assets, he was ordered to pay back every dollar he had stolen from Vanguard’s accounts. His penthouse was sold to pay off his debts, and his custom gold tuxedo was reportedly auctioned off to a collector for a fraction of its cost.

He was currently living in a cramped, one-bedroom apartment in New Jersey, working as a junior sales representative for a third-tier logistics firm. He had no car, no driver, and no friends.

Vivian had moved back to her small hometown in Ohio, her social circle in New York having completely erased her from their invitation lists.

Celeste and Marcus had split up shortly after the wedding disaster. Celeste’s child was born in a public hospital, and she was reportedly suing Marcus for child support, though Marcus had filed for bankruptcy after his assets were frozen during the Vanguard investigation.

Vanguard Holdings, however, was thriving.

Under the new name of Aegis Global, the company had transitioned from a traditional logistics firm into a clean-tech supply chain leader. I had taken over as the active chairperson, with Daniel acting as general counsel.

“The quarterly reports are in,” Daniel said, walking into my office on the top floor of the Aegis building. The room was bright and filled with plants, with a large, beautiful playpen in the corner where Lily was playing with a set of wooden blocks. “Our revenue is up forty percent since we rebranded. The tech investors are thrilled.”

I smiled, signing the final page of a new contract with a major European shipping conglomerate. “People like stability, Daniel. They like knowing that the person running the company is actually looking at the books.”

Lily let out a happy squeal, holding up a blue block. I stood up from my desk and walked over to the playpen, picking her up and kissing her warm cheek.