I never told my ex-husband or his wealthy family that I was the secret owner of the multi-billion dollar company where they all worked

The panic in the room was palpable. Brendan looked like a man who had just realized the parachute he was wearing was actually an empty backpack.

"Cassidy, please," he pleaded, dropping to his knees. The sight of him, once so arrogant, now begging on the floor of my conference room, should have made me feel pity.

It didn't. It only made me feel disgust.

"I loved you," Brendan lied, his voice cracking. "I was stressed. The pressure of the company... my mother was always in my ear—"

"Brendan!" Diane shrieked. "How dare you blame me!"

"It is your fault!" Brendan yelled back, turning on his mother. "You hated her from day one! You told me she was a gold digger! You told me to treat her like garbage so she would leave!"

"You are a grown man, Brendan," I interrupted, my voice cutting through their screaming match. "You chose to listen to her. You chose to laugh. You chose to cheat. You made your bed, and now, you get to sleep in it. Or rather, in your cheap motel room."

Harold, their lawyer, began packing his briefcase. "Mr. Morrison, Mrs. Morrison... I am withdrawing as your counsel. There is no case here. If you proceed, you will be facing federal fraud charges for the unauthorized use of Aegis corporate funds. Good day."

He didn't wait for them to reply. He practically ran out of the room.

"Now," I said, standing up. "I believe we are done here. Marcus, please escort these two out of my building. And make sure they use the service elevator. We wouldn't want them smelling up the expensive linen in the main lobby."

The look on Diane's face was priceless. She realized, in that exact moment, that her own words had been turned into a weapon against her.

Marcus and his team stepped forward, their massive frames casting long shadows over the disgraced Morrisons. Without another word, Brendan and Diane were ushered out, defeated and broken.

As the door closed behind them, Arthur let out a long breath. "Well, that went exceptionally well. What is our next move, Boss?"

"We rebuild," I said, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the city below. "The Morrison brand is dead. I want every trace of their name scrubbed from our buildings, our stationary, and our products. Rebrand everything under Vance Enterprises. I want the transition completed before my daughter is born."

"Consider it done," Arthur said. "And what about Brendan’s legal situation?"

"File the charges," I said without hesitation. "He stole millions from my company to fund his lifestyle and his mistress. He belongs in jail. And his mother belongs in a place where she can't hurt anyone else."

Over the next three months, the purge of the Morrison family was absolute.

Brendan was officially indicted on charges of corporate embezzlement, grand larceny, and fraud. Because his assets were frozen, he couldn't afford a decent defense attorney. The court appointed him a public defender who was overworked and underprepared.

Diane, unable to cope with the loss of her social status and her home, tried to sue Aegis for wrongful eviction. The lawsuit was dismissed within twenty-four hours, and she was ordered to pay Aegis’s legal fees—debt she could never hope to pay. She was forced to sell her remaining personal jewelry just to pay rent on a tiny, cramped one-bedroom apartment in a rundown part of town.

Jessica, the girlfriend who had laughed so merrily at my misery, vanished from the social scene entirely. Once she realized Brendan was truly broke, she dumped him and tried to find another wealthy benefactor, but her reputation was ruined. No one in high society wanted anything to do with the woman who had helped bully a pregnant billionaire.

Meanwhile, my life began to transform.

I moved into a beautiful, sun-drenched penthouse designed specifically for my growing family. The nursery was painted a soft, calming lavender, with a hand-carved crib and windows that overlooked the park.