Her confidence cracked. “She deserved to know,” Camila snapped. “You told me the marriage was dead. You said you’d divorce her after the merger closed.”

“I say a lot of stupid things!” he shouted.

Camila went pale, because in that instant she understood the truth. She had never been the chosen woman. She’d been a convenience.

But I understood men like Julian completely. That was why I hadn’t cried. That was why I’d disappeared before sunrise carrying the one thing my husband feared more than any scandal: evidence.

Phase Three — Total Exposure

By 9:30 a.m., Sterling Global headquarters in downtown Los Angeles had turned into a bunker of panic. Executives whispered in the hallways. The financial press began reporting an executive scandal involving the CEO.

By 10:40, company shares had fallen twelve percent.