After Sharing Half My Husband with His Mistress Chapter 09

After Sharing Half My Husband with His Mistress Chapter 09

Mia was trespassing in my family’s private drawing room.

Mia collapsed onto the Persian rug. The expensive black trench coat she wore was smeared with dirt from crawling past the garden perimeter.

“Iris, I am begging you,” Mia sobbed, clutching the fabric of her coat. “Tell Evan to stop the short-selling. Monroe Corporation is plunging into the ground.”

“The market decides the stock price,” I replied smoothly, crossing my arms. “Your son made himself a liability.”

“He knelt for you!” Mia screamed, tears streaming down her wrinkled face. “The entire world saw him on his knees! He gave up his dignity!”

“He lost his dignity the day he moved a grifter into his bed,” I countered.

Evan leaned against the marble fireplace. He didn’t intervene. He just watched Mia unravel, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

“His partners pulled their funding this morning,” Mia wailed, shifting her weight to crawl toward my feet. “His so-called friends are laughing at him. They call him a pathetic joke. You have to issue a public statement, Iris. Say you forgive him. For the sake of Bruce’s years of affection toward you!”

The heavy mahogany doors swung open before I could respond.

My father stepped into the room. His presence instantly sucked the air out of the space. He wore a sharp gray suit, his expression hardened into stone.

“Years of affection?” my father repeated. His voice echoed like thunder across the high ceiling.

Mia froze, shrinking back against the rug. “Mr. Kensington, please…”

“My daughter gave up her inheritance to build a life with your son,” my father interrupted, walking straight toward her. “She served your family. She endured your insults. And Bruce rewarded her by funding a professional extortionist.”

“He made a mistake!” Mia pleaded wildly.

“The moment your son chose to betray her, he should have expected the price,” my father stated flatly.

He glanced over his shoulder. Marcus immediately stepped into the room, flanked by two massive guards.

“Remove this woman from my property,” my father ordered. “If a member of the Monroe family comes within a mile of my daughter again, I will personally ensure they never find work in this city.”

The guards grabbed Mia by the arms.

“Iris!” she shrieked as they hauled her backward. “You are ruthless! You will pay for this!”

The doors slammed shut, cutting off her frantic curses.

I let out a long exhale, uncrossing my arms.

“Are you alright?” my father asked, his strict demeanor softening instantly.

“I am fine, Dad,” I answered. “I am just tired of dealing with ghosts.”

Evan pushed off the fireplace and walked over to the coffee table. He picked up his tablet and tapped the screen.

“The ghosts are busy fighting each other,” Evan noted, handing the device to my father. “Look at the morning headlines.”

I stepped closer to read the screen.

The media had entirely eviscerated Judy Evans. Her face was plastered across every major news outlet. The journalists had dug up everything. They found the forged medical records. They interviewed the three other wealthy men she had targeted before Bruce. They even sent reporters to her rural hometown.

“Her own neighbors sold her out,” Evan pointed out. “They gave the press her high school records. She has been running these scams since she was nineteen.”

“She is ruined,” I murmured, reading a quote from a former associate calling her the ultimate scum woman.

“She tried to board a connecting flight out of Geneva this morning,” Evan added. “Julian Thorne’s lawyers froze her accounts. She is stranded at the airport with absolutely nothing.”

My father handed the tablet back. He looked at me, a sharp gleam in his eye.

“The trash has taken itself out,” my father said. “Now, it is time for you to reclaim what is yours.”

Three days later, the Kensington Corporation headquarters hummed with aggressive energy.

I sat at the head of the long glass table in the executive boardroom. Twelve senior directors stared back at me. They were the same men who had doubted my return.

Evan sat in a leather chair in the corner of the room. He wasn’t participating. He was simply observing, his dark suit blending into the shadows.

“Let’s review the numbers,” I announced, sliding a thick file to the center of the table. “I am officially reclaiming my forty percent equity stake in this company.”

Director Miller cleared his throat. He adjusted his tie nervously.

“Ms. Kensington,” Miller began. “You have been absent from the corporate structure for three years. Stepping directly into a majority shareholder position is highly irregular.”

“My absence was personal, not professional,” I shot back, meeting his gaze directly. “During those three years, I managed the shadow accounts for the Monroe logistics division. I doubled their profit margins while my ex-husband played golf.”

Miller opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off.

“Look at page four,” I commanded.

The directors scrambled to flip open their folders.

“I have secured the downtown harbor redevelopment project,” I stated, tapping my pen against the glass. “It is a billion-dollar contract. I negotiated the zoning permits myself yesterday afternoon.”

Silence fell over the room. The directors stared at the signed contracts in absolute shock.

I glanced toward the corner. Evan was watching me intently. His eyes were bright with undisguised pride. He offered a small, approving nod, his lips curving into a genuine smile. He loved watching me dominate the room.

“Are there any further objections to my reinstatement?” I asked, scanning the faces around the table.

No one spoke.

“Excellent,” I said, standing up. “The harbor project breaks ground on Monday. I expect full compliance from every department.”

I walked out of the boardroom. Evan followed right behind me.

As soon as the heavy glass doors closed, Evan caught my hand. He spun me around and pinned me gently against the hallway wall.

“You were utterly terrifying in there,” Evan murmured, stepping into my space.

“Are you intimidated?” I challenged, tilting my chin up.

“I am entirely obsessed,” he corrected.

He leaned down and captured my lips. The kiss was aggressive, sealing his promise right in the middle of the corporate corridor. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. The lingering weight of the past three years completely vanished. I was back where I belonged, and I had the most powerful man in the city backing my every move.

Evan pulled back slightly, his thumb tracing my jawline.

“Dinner tonight?” he asked. “To celebrate your victory.”

“Only if you are paying,” I joked.

Before Evan could reply, Marcus jogged around the corner. The security chief looked unusually tense.

“Ms. Kensington,” Marcus interrupted, holding up a ringing cell phone.

I stepped away from Evan. “What is it?”

“It’s the police department,” Marcus explained, handing me the device. “They need you to come down to the precinct immediately.”

My stomach tightened. “Why?”

Marcus lowered his voice. “Bruce didn’t show up for his bankruptcy hearing this morning. They went to his apartment to bring him in.”

“And?” Evan demanded sharply.

“His apartment was completely empty,” Marcus finished, his eyes darting between us. “But they found something painted on the living room wall. Addressed directly to you, Iris.”