Chapter 7 - THE MISTRESS’S REAL FACE
When Ryan returned to his Greenwich mansion that evening, he was a broken man. He walked through the front door to find Vanessa sitting in the living room, surrounded by luggage.
"Vanessa?" Ryan called out, his voice desperate. "Thank God you're still here. We have a major crisis, but I’m going to fix it. I just need to call my corporate lawyers—"
Vanessa didn't get up. She was holding her phone, looking at a news alert that had just dropped on financial blogs: BENNETT DEVELOPMENT CEO SUSPENDED AMID EMBEZZLEMENT INVESTIGATION.
"Is it true?" she asked, her voice stripped of all the warmth and glamour she had displayed the night before.
"It's just a temporary setup by Claire!" Ryan insisted, rushing to her side. "She froze the accounts, but my lawyers will clear it up in a few weeks! We just need to lay low—"
"Lay low?" Vanessa snapped, standing up and pulling her hand away from his touch. "Ryan, where is the three million dollars you promised to transfer into my brother's design firm today?"
"The court froze the Cayman account!" Ryan explained, sweat glistening on his forehead. "Claire found out about it!"
Vanessa let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "You told me she was a dumb, hysterical housewife who didn't even know how to open a bank app!"
"She lied to me!" Ryan shouted. "She’s been hiding things!"
"No, Ryan," Vanessa said coldly, grabbing the handle of her designer suitcase. "You lied to me. You told me you owned this house outright, that you had full control of the company, and that your wife would accept a small settlement and quiet down. You’re broke."
"Vanessa, wait!" Ryan begged, grabbing her arm. "I love you! We built a plan together!"
Vanessa yanked her arm free, looking at him with pure disdain. "I didn't risk my reputation for a disgraced executive facing federal fraud charges, Ryan. I came here for a billionaire. Now you’re just a man with a lawsuit and an empty house."
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She turned and walked out the front door, slamming it behind her. The sound echoed through the massive, quiet mansion.
Ryan stood alone in the dark foyer. For the first time in his life, there was no one to clean up his mess, no one to lie for him, and no wife waiting in the kitchen to forgive him.
