“The board is waiting for the official toast.”
I took a deep breath and walked toward the stage, leaving behind the life I’d tried to save.
I picked up the microphone.
“Tonight we celebrate our company’s growth,” I said. “But I want to remind everyone of something important: no success is worth it if you lose your humanity on the way up.”
Real applause filled the ballroom.
From the stage, I watched Grant being escorted out—defeated—finally understanding too late who he’d chosen to look down on.
And for the first time in years…
I felt free.
But as I stepped down from the stage, my personal assistant rushed over, her face tight with worry.
“Madam Chairwoman… we have a problem.”
“What is it?”
She lowered her voice.
“One of our subsidiaries in Austin was just hit with a cyberattack. And everything points to someone on the inside… someone very close to you.”
My heart kicked hard.
Because only three people had access to that level of information…
and one of them had just lost everything tonight.
The real battle was only beginning.
The news hit like ice water.
“Who else has access?” I asked as we walked quickly toward a private room.
My assistant answered, “You, the CFO… and your husband. His permissions were still active.”
I stopped.
Of course.
Grant had tried to take something before he fell—money, data, leverage… revenge.
I exhaled slowly. I didn’t feel rage.
Just a quiet sadness—and certainty that this chapter had to close properly.
“Shut down all access and activate the security protocol,” I ordered. “And call our legal team.”
Thirty minutes later, the tech team confirmed the sabotage attempt had been blocked in time. No losses—only a digital trail leading directly back to Grant’s user credentials.
The company was safe.
So was I.
That same night, I went home—our home. Or rather, the house we used to share.
The lights were off. A suitcase open in the living room told me he’d come back for his things.
When I stepped inside, he appeared from the hallway—broken, eyes red.
No arrogance left.
Only fear.
“Isabella… I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just… desperate.”
I looked at him quietly.
“You didn’t lose your job tonight, Grant,” I said calmly. “You lost the person who believed in you the most.”
His voice cracked.
“I love you… I just got carried away.”
I shook my head gently.
“No. You fell in love with the version of yourself you thought was superior. And to feel big, you needed to make me small.”