“What are you talking about, you delusional girl?” Lawrence snapped as he reached out to grab my arm, but he was interrupted by the arrival of a tall man in a sharp charcoal suit. This was my lead attorney from the firm of Locke and Associates, and he stepped between us while holding a thick leather folder containing the documents that would change everything.
“Mr. Blackwood, I believe you should take a look at these filings before you make a scene that will destroy what is left of your reputation,” the lawyer said as he handed the papers to my father in law. Lawrence began to flip through the pages with a look of confusion that quickly turned into a mask of pure terror as he realized what he was reading.
“The prenuptial agreement was very specific about pre marital assets, but it did not cover the private shares that Garrett acquired independently during your expansion,” I explained while the surrounding guests began to whisper and lean in to hear the drama. My husband had seen the corruption in his father’s heart and he had spent years quietly transferring his controlling interest in the company into a trust that was left entirely to me.
Madeline gasped and dropped her designer clutch on the floor while Skylar’s phone actually slipped from her trembling fingers and shattered against the polished marble. Lawrence looked up from the documents with a face that had turned a sickly shade of gray because he knew he was looking at the end of his reign.
“You might have been the CEO yesterday, but as of twenty minutes ago, that title is now a thing of the past,” I said as I stepped closer to him so he could see the resolve in my eyes. I walked toward the stage at the front of the ballroom and took the microphone from the podium while the room fell into a stunned and expectant silence.
“Garrett Blackwood loved this company and the people who worked for it, but he was not blind to the greed that was rotting it from the inside out,” I announced to the gathered elite of Rivercrest. I looked directly at Lawrence and Madeline who were standing in the center of the floor like statues of a forgotten era.
“I have spent the last six months documenting the systematic drainage of corporate funds into offshore accounts, and I am here to ensure that the healing begins tonight,” I continued with a voice that was steady and clear. The room erupted into chaos as investors began to check their phones and reporters scrambled to get the first quote of the scandal.
“Effective immediately, Lawrence Blackwood is removed from all positions of power pending a full federal investigation into his financial misconduct,” I declared as I signaled for the hotel security team to step forward. Victoria rushed toward the stage with tears of desperation streaming down her face and she tried to reach out to me as if we were still family.
