Her Billion Dollar Exit

LITTLE RAY OF SUNSHINE

EVELYN

Getting into the back of my sleek, black sedan, I finally let out the breath I had been holding since the start of the meeting.

For three years of marriage, I had been the one trapped, dismissed, and discarded. Today, the tables hadn't just turned, I had completely flipped the entire darn table!

And it felt so good, even as this was just the very beginning of all his troubles.

Driving back to my penthouse, I thought about what was waiting for me at home and my chest warmed.

Arthur thought he knew the price of my disappearance, believing it was only about the money, but he didn't know the half of it. He didn't know about the real reason I had fought so hard to build an empire from the ashes of our broken marriage.

The moment I unlocked the door to my apartment, my boy came rushing down the hallway.

"Mommy!" Toby squealed, throwing his small arms around my legs. At just five years old, he was perfect. Too smart for his own good, sometimes, and full of love for me.

I scooped him up into my arms, burying my face in his soft hair.

My child was my entire world, the secret I had guarded with my life, and the sole reason I would never let the Hayes family tear me down again.

"Hey there, my little architect," I murmured, kissing his cheek as I carried him over to the living room couch, where his nanny gave me a warm smile before excusing herself.

"Did you have a good day with your blocks?"

"I built a tower bigger than the TV, Mommy! But it crashed," Toby explained with wide eyes, gesturing with his hands.

I laughed, the armor I had worn all day finally melting away. I sat on the rug with him, completely forgetting about my expensive suit as I helped him piece his building blocks back together.

For a whole hour, I wasn't Miss Carter, the cutthroat CEO. I was simply… Toby's mom.

The peace we’d built was shattered by my personal cell phone ringing on the coffee table. I frowned, reaching for it while Toby remained entirely engrossed in balancing a green block on top of a yellow one.

The caller ID displayed an unknown local number, but many clients liked to stay anonymous so I had no problem with it. I slid the bar to answer and pressed the phone to my ear.

"Evelyn Carter," I stated.

"Listen to me, you opportunistic little b***h," A screeching voice hissed, taking me by surprise.

I paused, my grip tightening on the phone as I immediately recognized the frantic tone.

"Samantha," I said, my voice dropping lower than ice. "I see all these years hasn't improved your vocabulary or your manners."

"Shut up! Just shut your mouth!" She shouted, though she sounded like she was trying to muffle her voice. "I know you were at the office today. I know you're trying to worm your way back into Arthur's life. He came home looking like he'd seen a ghost, refusing to talk to me, and I asked around. It’s you! You think you can just walk back into this city with stolen money and take what's mine?"

I laughed mockingly, leaning back against the sofa. The sheer desperation radiating from her was pathetic. "Take what's yours? Samantha, I wouldn't take Arthur back if he came wrapped in gold and kneeling on broken glass. I am here for business. Your husband's pathetic little expansion project is dependent on my signature. I don't want your man, trust me. He’s even too broke at the moment.”

"You're a liar!" Samantha screamed, her voice cracking with pure panic. "You stay away from him, Evelyn! I mean it! If I see you anywhere near my husband again, if I find out you're trying to ruin my marriage, I will make your life a living hell. I'll destroy you. I’ve done it before, and trust me… I won’t hesitate to do it again. Leave my man alone, or you will regret the day you ever came back to this city."

Toby looked up from his blocks, his brows furrowing. I offered him a reassuring smile, placing a gentle hand on his head to soothe him, while my voice hardened,

"Let me make something entirely clear to you, Samantha," I whispered into the receiver. "You and your sister-in-law have bled Arthur’s company dry, and you are currently sitting on top of a mountain of debt that can take you down anytime. You don't have the power to threaten me. You don't even have the power to pay your own credit card bills without Arthur's permission. If you ever call this number again, or if you even look in my direction, I will make sure that your comfortable little life vanishes into thin air. Lose this number.”

I ended the call before she could utter another sound, tossing the phone onto the cushion beside me. My chest heaved slightly as I forced the anger back down, refusing to let that woman's toxicity pollute the safe haven I had built for my son.

"Mommy? Are you okay?” Toby asked in a soft tone.

I leaned down, pulling him into a warm, tight embrace, finding solace in his arms.

They could threaten me all they wanted, but they were playing a game they had already lost. I had the money and the power now.

And with it, I would ensure the Hayes family never took another thing from me.

"Just a light misunderstanding, sweetheart," I whispered, kissing the top of his head as I smiled into the quiet room. "Don't worry about it. Okay? I love you.”

He smiled. “I love you too.”

I kissed his cheek and pulled back.

He blurted out a minute later. “Can I have ice-cream and the pie, mom?”

I burst out laughing. Of course, he’d try to get me to do something after a love confession.

With laughter in my voice, I said, “No, Toby.”

He grinned. “I had to try.”