Right after the divorce, my husband hugged his mistress and mocked her: “Now you’re just an old rag!” But 5 minutes later, 10 Rolls-Royces arrived and someone shouted: “Get in the car, ma’am!” The surprise was total, the end of it all came quickly.

Silas presented his five hundred million dollar hotel project with eloquent jargon that seemed to dazzle the corrupt board members. When he finished, he suggested a vote immediately, but I broke the silence with a voice that commanded attention.

“I have a few questions regarding the contractors who are currently facing bankruptcy and lawsuits,” I said while opening my files. Silas stiffened as I pointed out that the land was valued at three thousand dollars less than what he reported.

“Where is the extra one hundred and fifty million dollars going, Mr. Vance?” I asked coldly while the room fell into a deathly silence. Silas began to sweat and stammered about appraisals, but I didn’t let him finish his lies.

I revealed that he directed the appraisal department himself and that his projected returns were mathematically impossible. The board members shifted from disdain to absolute respect as they realized I was not a puppet but a lethal adversary.

By noon, the news of Silas’s defeat had spread through the building and the employees looked at me with newfound admiration. My secretary informed me that a man named Gavin was in the lobby claiming to be my family.

I told her to have him wait in the busiest part of the lobby because I wanted everyone to see this encounter. I went down the executive elevator and saw Gavin standing there with a cheap bouquet of roses and tattered clothes.

“Audrey, or Serena, I am so sorry about everything because Penelope seduced me and I lost my mind,” Gavin pleaded while dropping to his knees. The employees watched in shock as the man who had insulted me days ago begged for another chance.

I didn’t argue but instead had my security guard connect an audio file to the lobby speakers for everyone to hear. It was a recording of Gavin and Penelope laughing about how they were going to squeeze every cent out of the “country idiot.”

The lobby went silent as Gavin’s own words exposed his true nature to the world. “You remember those words, right? Now get out because you are not welcome here,” I said with a frozen stare.

Security dragged him out like a sack of garbage while he babbled in humiliation, and I finally felt a sense of liberation. However, that night I found a note on my car in the parking garage written in blood red ink.