To my left, Howard quickly pushed his way through the crowd, apologizing to the senator. His face was turning a dark, dangerous red with suppressed rage.

The confrontation they believed had ended six months earlier, in the rain, had just officially begun.

Chapter 3: The majority shareholder

“You’re a discarded remnant of my son’s poor judgment,” Howard growled, stopping beside his wife and trying to use his size to intimidate me. “This is a private and highly exclusive event for people who truly contribute to society. I suggest you turn around and walk out that door before I have my security team drag you out.”

I didn’t back down an inch. I didn’t break eye contact.

Slowly, I reached for a silver tray held by a motionless, wide-eyed waiter standing nearby and took a crystal glass of sparkling water. I sipped slowly and deliberately, letting the silence linger, letting his panic grow.

Then I smiled. It wasn’t a warm smile. It was the smile of a steel trap finally closing.

“I wouldn’t advise you to do that, Howard,” I whispered, lowering my voice to a dangerously icy tone that could be clearly heard over the soft music.

“And why not?” Howard scoffed, clenching his fists. “Because you’ll run to the tabloids? Do you think anyone cares what a penniless, gold-digging widow has to say?”

“No,” I replied gently. “Because it would be incredibly and devastatingly bad for the company’s stock price if you were publicly seen violently ejecting the majority shareholder from her own charity gala.”

Howard remained motionless. The color immediately drained from his face, leaving him looking like a wax figure.

“Shareholder…what?” Howard stammered, the absolute certainty of my voice shattering his composure. “Have you lost your mind? The prenuptial agreement…”

“The prenuptial agreement she was forced to sign was designed to protect assets acquired before marriage,” interrupted a deep, authoritative voice behind me.

The crowd parted as Mr. Vance, the senior partner at the firm I had been visiting for the past six months, stepped forward. He was accompanied by two other corporate lawyers carrying heavy leather briefcases.

Mr. Vance didn’t look at Eleanor or Chloe. He walked straight to Howard and placed a heavy, legally bound document, sealed with a bright red official seal, into his trembling hands.

“The true and final will of the late CEO, Terrence Washington,” Mr. Vance declared clearly, his voice carrying the undeniable weight of the law. “Executed and notarized exactly three weeks prior to his tragic passing.”

Howard looked at the document as if it were a poisonous snake.

“Terrence was the legal owner of a 51 percent controlling interest in the Washington Shipping Empire, inherited directly from his grandfather,” Mr. Vance continued, explaining the situation to the entire courtroom. “In this document, Terrence legally, permanently, and irrevocably transferred his entire controlling interest, along with all associated voting rights and executive powers, to his wife, Mrs. Audrey Washington.”

Eleanor’s hand, which was holding her evening bag, shook so violently that she dropped it.

“No,” Chloe gasped aloud, bringing a hand to her mouth. The phone she had been using to livestream the event fell to the floor with a sharp thud.

Howard frantically flipped through the thick pages of the document, his eyes scanning the legal jargon for a loophole, a mistake, a forgery. But there was none. It was irrefutable.

“No… no, those assets belong to the lineage! They belong to the Washington family!” Howard roared, completely losing his composure. “Terrence couldn’t do this! I’m the CEO!”

“It was the CEO, Howard,” I gently corrected him, as the full weight of my new reality crashed down on my shoulders.

Chapter 4: Paying Off Debts

The ballroom, filled with the city’s most powerful investors, council members, and politicians, erupted in a chaotic symphony of whispers and murmurs of astonishment. The Washington family’s pristine and untouchable facade had just been torn away in public and with brutal force.

I walked past Howard, ignoring his hyperventilated panic, and gracefully strolled toward the small raised stage at the front of the hall, where the charity auction was supposed to be held.

I climbed the few steps, my emerald dress flowing behind me, and took the microphone from the stand.

The room fell silent again instantly, with all eyes fixed on the woman whom everyone had considered a nobody.