CHAPTER TWO
1484 Words
Emily barely remembered how long she stayed on the couch after the call ended.
Her lawyer’s words replayed in her mind.
Control claims.
Control of all her properties.
Emily slowly wiped the tears from her
face, forcing herself to sit up. Crying wouldn’t solve anything.
She had built her empire from the ground up.
She knew how the system worked.
If Gael had filed something against her, she needed to understand it immediately.
She grabbed her bag and car keys quickly and rushed down to the office.
How could Gael even try something like this??
Yes, he had access, but not control.
Unless…
Unless the documents he had asked me to sign months ago weren’t what he claimed they were, she said to herself.
Emily arrived at the office, quickly entered the lobby, and headed straight for the elevator.
By the time she reached the top floor, her lawyer, Daniel Hart, was already waiting near the conference room.
The moment he saw her, the expression on his face made Emily’s stomach sink.
“Emily,” he said, walking toward her.
“Thank God you came.”
“What’s going on?” she asked immediately. “Explain everything.”
Daniel gestured toward the conference room.
“Sit first.”
“I don’t want to sit,” she said sharply.
“Just tell me what exactly is going on.”
Daniel hesitated.
That hesitation alone told her the situation was worse than she imagined.
He finally sighed and opened a file on the table.
“Gael submitted documents to the court this afternoon claiming shared executive authority over your companies.”
“What!!!!!”
“That’s impossible.”
“That’s what I thought too,” Daniel replied quietly.
“Until I saw the signed agreements.”
He slid several papers across the table.
Emily’s eyes moved over them quickly.
Her signature was very clear and undeniable.
But the titles of the documents were nothing like what Gael had told her months ago.
Executive Authority Transfer Agreement.
Temporary Asset Control Authorization.
Her pulse pounded in her ears.
“These aren’t the papers he gave me,”
she whispered.
Daniel looked at her carefully.
“Did you read them before signing?”
“I trusted him,” she said softly.
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“Emily… legally speaking, these
documents give him the right to temporarily manage several of your companies.”
“How many?” she asked.
Daniel paused.
“More than half.”
Emily froze.
“That’s impossible.”
“I wish it were.”
She looked down again at the documents, her mind racing through the past few months.
Gael bringing papers into her office.
His casual voice.
Just routine restructuring, Em.
She had barely glanced at them before signing.
Because why would she question her own husband?
“What else?” she asked with a teary eye.
Daniel hesitated again.
“Emily…”
“What else?”
“He also submitted evidence claiming financial mismanagement.”
“He’s accusing you of making reckless investments that endangered company stability.”
She stood up angrily and snapped her hand on the table.
“What???”
That’s impossible!
I can never do such a thing.
“I know that,” Daniel said calmly. “But court proceedings take time. While the case is under review, Gael can legally remain in control of those companies.”
Emily’s hands slowly curled into fists.
“So he plans to take everything…”
Emily sat and leaned back in the chair, her thoughts spinning.
Seven years.
Seven years of trust.
And Gael had been planning this behind her back.
“How long?” she murmured.
Daniel looked confused.
“How long, what?”
“How long has he been preparing this?”
Daniel flipped through another page.
“The earliest signed document dates back eight months.”
Eight months???
Emily felt something inside her break quietly.
Eight months ago she and Gael had been celebrating their anniversary.
Eight months ago he had taken her on a trip and told her how lucky he was to have her.
All the while he had been building a trap.
Her hand instinctively moved to her
stomach.
Daniel noticed the gesture and asked,
“You’re not feeling well?”
Emily quickly lowered her hand.
“I’m fine.”
He studied her face but didn’t push further.
“What are my options?” she asked.
Daniel sighed.
“Legally? We fight.”
“And if we lose?”
“You could lose temporary control of most of your companies until the court finishes reviewing everything.”
“How long would that take?” she asked.
“Months.”
Months???
That’s plenty of time for Gael to destroy everything I built.
Emily stood up slowly.
“No,I’m not going to sit quietly while he rips my life apart piece by piece.” she said angrily.
Daniel crossed his arms.
“What are you thinking?”
Emily picked up the documents again, studying them carefully.
“Gael thinks he’s already won.”
Daniel didn’t respond.
“Which means he won’t expect me to fight back so soon.”
“You are going to fight back.”
Emily looked up at him.
“I built my empire before Gael ever walked into my life.
If he thinks he can steal it from me…” she said quietly, “he doesn’t know me as well as he thinks.”
Daniel allowed himself a small smile.
“That’s the Emily I know.”
But before either of them could say more, Emily’s phone buzzed again.
She glanced at the screen.
It was another message from her financial manager.
This time the message made her blood run cold.
Several company accounts have been transferred under Gael’s authorization.
Emily stared at the words.
Transferred?
“That’s fast,” she murmured.
“What?” Daniel asked.
She handed him the phone.
His expression darkened.
“He’s already moving the money.”
Emily felt a wave of anger surge through her chest.
Gael wasn’t just planning to take control.
He was already doing it.
He had waited until tonight, the same night he handed her the divorce papers.
Which meant everything had been prepared long before she walked into that house.
Her jaw tightened.
“He planned every step.”
Daniel nodded grimly.
“Yes.”
Emily reached for her bag.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Home.”
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea tonight.”
“I need something first.”
“What?” Daniel asked.
Emily’s eyes darkened slightly.
“Proof.”
Daniel frowned.
“Proof of what?”
“That he didn’t just betray me tonight.”
She walked toward the door.
“He’s been planning this for months.”
Daniel followed her into the hallway.
“And you think you’ll find evidence in the house?”
Emily stopped walking.
“Yes.”
Because she suddenly remembered something.
Three weeks ago, Gael had locked his office drawer when she walked in.
At the time she thought nothing of it because he had never done such a thing before.
But now it feels different.
Daniel spoke carefully.
“Emily… if you’re right, what you find might make this situation worse.”
Emily gave a quiet, bitter smile.
“I think that ship has already sailed.”
Forty minutes later, Emily stepped back into the house.
The house was dark and empty.
Gael wasn’t there.
He had delivered the papers and disappeared, like a man who knew his work was already done.
Emily walked slowly toward his office.
For years she had respected that space but tonight,she opened the door without hesitation.
The room smelled faintly of his cologne.
His desk stood near the window.
The drawer she remembered was locked.
Emily pulled at it once, but it was still locked.
Her eyes moved across the desk until they landed on a small metal key lying beside a stack of folders.
A strange feeling settled in her chest as she slid the key into the drawer.
The lock clicked open.
Emily pulled the drawer out slowly.
Inside were several documents.
A black folder.
And something else.
A photograph.
Emily picked it up, and she couldn't believe what she saw.
It was a photo that showed Gael standing beside a woman.
They looked so close.
The woman’s hand rested lightly on his arm, her smile bright and confident.
Emily felt completely devastated because she had never seen this woman before.
But what shocked her the most was what was written on the back of the photograph.
A single sentence.
“Soon everything will belong to us.”
Emily stared at the words, her heart pounding.
And for the first time that night, she realized something even worse than betrayal.
Gael hadn’t acted alone.
Someone else had been planning this with him.
And Emily had no idea who she was.
- Writer
