Blog

Chapter 3: The Boardroom Execution

When I gave birth to Mia, I suffered a massive hemorrhage. I was on the operating table for five hours, technically flatlining twice. I bled for my daughter. I built an empire so she would never know the sting of needing a man for survival.

To see the child I nearly died for hugging another woman—a woman who had infiltrated my marriage—and calling me an ugly workaholic… it snapped whatever fragile thread of mercy I had left.

I turned on my heel and walked away. I dialed my lawyer from the elevator.

“Gather everything. I don’t just want a divorce. I want them obliterated.”

At 10:00 PM, I heard the front door of my estate open. Footsteps padded up the stairs.

“When is she leaving again?” Mia whispered loudly in the hallway. “When she’s gone, we can go back to Sienna’s house.”

Alistair hushed her, his voice tight. “Mia, stop it. Remember what we talked about?”

I sat up in bed, turning on the bedside lamp just as the door cracked open. Alistair and Mia stood there, looking like deer caught in headlights. Panic flashed across Alistair’s handsome face before he smoothed it into a mask of polite concern.

“You’re awake? Did we wake you?” he asked smoothly.

I rubbed my eyes, feigning exhaustion. “No, I was just reviewing some contracts. Actually, I have to fly to Chicago in two days for a regional merger. I’ll be gone for the week.”

Alistair let out an exhale so relieved it was almost comical. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll hold down the fort here.”

Mia peeked out from behind his leg, a massive grin splitting her face.

I looked at my family, feeling nothing but cold, sterile detachment. “Goodnight,” I said.

The moment the door clicked shut, I heard Mia cheer, “Yes!” followed by Alistair quickly shushing her.

The next morning, my phone rang. It was Richard Caldwell, a slimy, aggressive client who controlled the Midwest distribution lines my company desperately needed.

“Victoria,” Caldwell purred. “Meet me at the Azure Club at 10 AM. We need to finalize this regional contract.”

I arrived precisely on time. The Azure Club was a dimly lit, VIP-only establishment. When I walked into the private room, Caldwell was already three drinks deep. Before I could even sit, his heavy, clammy hand dropped onto my shoulder.

“I’m tired of playing with naive college girls, Tori,” he slurred, leaning in close enough for me to smell the scotch on his breath. “An untouchable CEO like you… that’s a real prize.”

I shoved my chair back, standing up sharply. “If you aren’t here to sign the distribution contract, Richard, we are done here.”

“Oh, come off it,” Caldwell sneered, standing up and loosening his tie. “You sent me the photos. You laid the bait. Why play the icy virgin now that my pants are practically off?”

I stared at him, bewildered. “What photos? Are you out of your mind?”

“Still playing the game?” Caldwell yanked out his phone and shoved the screen in my face.

My breath caught. It was a gallery of private, intimate photos of me—photos I had only ever sent to Alistair years ago, securely stored on a private cloud drive.

Before I could even process the violation, the private room doors flew open with a violent crash.

“Victoria! How could you?!”

It was Alistair. And standing right behind him, looking perfectly distressed, was Sienna.

“Alistair, wait, please don’t look,” Sienna cried, grabbing his arm as he stared at Caldwell, who was awkwardly trying to fix his unbuckled belt. “I knew she was doing whatever it took to close deals, but I didn’t want you to see this!”

Alistair looked at me, his eyes wide with theatrical betrayal. “Is this how you run a company, Tori? I gave you everything! I sacrificed my own career so you could play boss, and you’re sleeping with clients?!”

“Alistair, calm down,” Sienna pleaded, stepping between us like a saintly mediator. “Tori just got confused. The pressure of the merger…”

I watched Alistair pull Sienna into a protective embrace, shielding her from my “toxicity.”

The sheer audacity of the setup was breathtaking. They had leaked my photos to a predatory client, tracked me here, and staged a moral intervention so Alistair would have leverage in the divorce.

I took a slow breath, raised my hand, and slapped Sienna across the face with everything I had.

The crack echoed through the room like a gunshot. Sienna shrieked, stumbling backward into Alistair’s chest, a red welt instantly blooming across her cheekbone.

Alistair’s face twisted into genuine fury. “Are you insane?! Apologize to her right now!”

I smoothed out the front of my blazer, my hand stinging. “Apologize to the woman who organized a sexual assault? I don’t think so.”

I stepped around them and walked out, leaving the contract and Caldwell in the dust.

By the time I reached corporate headquarters, my mind was made up. I called an emergency all-hands meeting for the executive floor. With fifty people watching, I stood at the head of the glass boardroom table.

“Effective immediately, Sienna Blake is terminated for gross misconduct and corporate espionage. Security is boxing up her desk.”

The room erupted into shocked whispers.

The glass doors banged open. Alistair stormed in, bypassing security, with a teary-eyed Sienna trailing behind him.

“Victoria, you have lost your mind!” Alistair yelled, his academic composure entirely gone. Sienna gripped his sleeve, looking like a fragile, victimized dove.

“Alistair, please, don’t let me ruin your marriage,” she whimpered loudly enough for the executives to hear.

“There is no marriage left to ruin!” Alistair shouted back. He pointed a finger at me. “If you don’t explain yourself and reinstate her right now, I’ll go to the press about your… extracurricular activities.”

I leaned casually against the leather back of my chair. “Explain what? That someone hacked my private drive to send photos to a client? My cyber-security team is already tracing the IP address. Whoever did it is looking at federal felony charges.”

Sienna’s breath hitched. A flash of pure terror crossed her eyes. “Alistair, maybe it’s a misunderstanding… let’s just go.”

“The Midwest deal is dead,” I told the room calmly. “The firm lost eight million dollars today. Sienna should be thanking me that I am merely firing her, rather than suing her for the damages.”

“Eight million is nothing to this company!” Alistair scoffed aggressively. “You think we care about your pocket change?”

The boardroom fell dead silent. Even the executives looked at him like he was an alien.

I looked at the bespoke Tom Ford suit he was wearing—a suit I had bought him for $6,000 last month.

“I am not short on money, Alistair,” I said softly, my voice carrying to every corner of the room. “But I absolutely refuse to fund parasites.”

His face flushed crimson. “You—!”

He spun around and stormed out. Sienna scurried after him like a frightened rat.

Five minutes later, my phone pinged. A text from Alistair: [You have two choices. You reinstate Sienna and apologize to her publicly, or I file for divorce and take half of everything, plus full custody of Mia. Your move.]

I stared at the message. The sheer, blinding entitlement. He was sleeping with my best friend, spending my money, traumatizing my child, and he thought he was holding the gun.

My assistant—Sienna’s newly promoted replacement—knocked timidly on the door. “Ms. Sterling? The Aston Martin you ordered just arrived downstairs. Shall I have it sent to the estate?”

A slow, vicious smile spread across my face.

“No,” I said. “Have it brought to the front loop. Toss Professor Thorne the keys on his way out. Tell him it’s a gift.”

(Click ‘Next’ to continue)