Chapter 5 - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
The five days leading up to the Grand Regency Gala passed in a blur of meticulous preparation.
Physically, my baby was growing perfectly. I had attended my sixteen-week checkup at a quiet clinic three towns over under my maiden name. The doctor confirmed the baby was healthy, active, and thriving. Standing in the clinic room, holding the updated ultrasound picture showing a clearly defined little head and tiny fingers, I wept silent, cleansing tears. This baby was my future, my purpose, and the reason I refused to break.
Financially, the trap was fully sprung.
Victoria Chen had finalized the audit. Through legal channels, we had successfully frozen all of Ethan’s personal offshoot accounts due to suspected corporate identity fraud and forgery. The bank had issued an emergency administrative freeze on N&E Management LLC, cutting off the credit lines funding Natalie’s townhouse, her nanny, and her car lease.
Because the freeze was administrative, the notification letters were sent via registered mail to the corporate address of record—which was my personal private post office box. Ethan and Natalie had no idea their financial pipeline had been entirely severed. They were running on fumes, using temporary credit cards that would decline within forty-eight hours.
On Friday night, the evening before the gala, my mother hosted a family dinner at her house to celebrate Natalie’s recovery.
Ethan and I arrived together. He looked dashing in a dark charcoal suit, carrying himself with the unbearable swagger of a man who believed he was twenty-four hours away from becoming a millionaire partner.
My mother greeted Ethan with an exuberant hug, kissing his cheek like he was her own prince, while offering me a brief, tepid nod.
"Ethan, dear! You look wonderful! Sitting in that chair at the head of the table!" Mom gushed, pulling out the head dining chair for him—a chair traditionally reserved for the head of the household.
"Thank you, Eleanor," Ethan said smoothly, stepping into the seat without a second thought. "It’s been a crazy week closing the Harrison acquisition, but everything is right on track."
Natalie sat across from him, holding her baby. Throughout the meal, the silent, disgusting dance between them continued. Secret glances across the table. Brush of shoes beneath the tablecloth. Whispered inside jokes disguised as casual banter.
"Savannah," my mother said suddenly, setting her wine glass down and looking at me with a demanding stare. "Natalie’s luxury townhouse maintenance fee is due on Monday. I assume you’ve already scheduled the automatic transfer from your corporate payroll account?"
I took a slow bite of my salad, chewing thoroughly before answering. I looked around the table—at my mother who viewed me as a wallet, at my sister who had stolen my husband, and at my husband who called me broken while stealing my life’s work.
"I’ve taken care of everything, Mom," I said, my voice sweet as honey. "Every single account has been processed exactly as it deserves to be."
Ethan smiled, raising his wine glass toward me. "Savannah is always so dependable. She takes care of the background noise so the rest of us can focus on the big picture."
"To Savannah," Natalie chimed in, her tone laced with thick, dripping irony as she raised her glass. "The backbone of this family."
"To Savannah," my mother agreed, clinking her glass.
I raised my glass of sparkling water, looking each of them directly in the eyes one by one.
May you like
"To family," I said softly, my smile terrifyingly serene. "And to everyone finally getting exactly what they have earned."
Ethan chuckled, taking a deep gulp of his wine. He had no idea he was drinking to his own execution.
