He Chose Her, I Seized Their Firm

Chapter 2

She set down her coffee and warned me in the same maddeningly calm voice.

"The Lawson family has a reputation to protect in this town. If word gets out about what happened at the wedding, both families will be humiliated. Nora, you've always known how to behave. I shouldn't have to spell out what comes next."

Her words hit me like a blow.

"If this was your plan from the beginning, why didn't you tell me?"

My stepmother smiled.

"Would you have worked yourself to death for the Lawson family if we'd told you?"

The memory of that morning came rushing back.

I pulled myself back to the present and smiled at Caleb and Sienna.

"You're right, Caleb. I should be generous and let her have you."

I pulled a plain brown envelope from my canvas bag and placed it on the table. It was the cheapest kind sold at an office supply store.

Caleb picked it up with a puzzled look. Inside was a card bearing a single line:

Sooner or later, you have to give back what you stole.

Once Caleb understood, he hurled the card to the floor and jabbed a finger at my face.

"Nora, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what it says."

I smiled.

"Best wishes for a thriving business and a long, happy marriage."

Then I turned and walked off the stage.

For about three seconds, no one made a sound. Then the room erupted.

Caleb shouted after me.

"Nora, stop right there and explain yourself!"

I didn't answer. I only glanced over my shoulder with a smile before walking out of the venue.

By the time I reached the underground parking garage and sank into the driver's seat, exhaustion had settled over me.

My phone wouldn't stop vibrating. Calls came one after another, and messages flooded the screen.

I answered one call at random. It was Owen Mitchell, one of Lawson Group's vice presidents, who had joined me at countless client dinners years ago.

"Nora, is this what you promised me? I invited you to Lawson Group's IPO bell-ringing ceremony to show your support, not to wreck the entire event!"

I leaned back in the driver's seat and answered calmly.

"Mr. Mitchell, you wouldn't be calling me unless you knew exactly who built that company."

Owen fell silent.

I hung up and drove back to our rental without a word.

The moment I opened the door, my phone rang again. This time, it was my stepmother.

"Nora, have you lost your mind? That was Lawson Group's IPO bell-ringing ceremony! Do you have any idea how many reporters were there? Are you trying to ruin my daughter?"

Her shrill voice made me wince, and I held the phone away from my ear.

I tightened my grip on the phone and answered flatly.

"Angela, don't forget that Sienna stole the life she's living from me."

My stepmother flew into a rage.

"Stole? Whoever gets there first gets to keep it! Besides, I did it for your own good!"

She gave a dismissive laugh.

"You were never as capable as Sienna. She's a much better match for the Lawson family than you could ever be. Now that she's married to Caleb, she can help you out someday. Then both of you can live comfortably. Isn't that the best outcome for everyone?"

"So your idea of helping me was letting your daughter sleep with another woman's fiancé?"

"How dare you say that?"

She sputtered with rage before her voice rose another octave.

"No matter what you say, it's too late! Let's see what you can actually do about it!"

I drew a slow breath. My hand trembled around the phone.

"The only reason I'm still being polite to you is because of my father. For the past 3 years, did either of you ever ask how my mother and I survived? We picked through a grocery store's discarded produce for anything we could still eat. We lived in a run-down apartment with a roof that leaked whenever it rained."

My grip tightened as the memories rushed back.

"Last winter, my mother's fever reached 104°F. I had only 30 dollars to my name, nowhere near enough for an urgent-care visit. The woman who ran the food truck on the corner took pity on us and covered the bill. Tell me, Angela. Was currying favor with the Lawsons really worth throwing away every shred of decency you had?"

I hung up without waiting for an answer.