A pregnant woman, scorned and abandoned by her husband and his mistress, unexpectedly inherits the company where her husband works, leading to a dramatic confrontation and his swift dismissal.
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Unaware she owns the company he works
for, rich husband and his mistress
invited his pregnant ex-wife as a joke
to mock her. But when she arrived as the
new CEO,
everyone was stunned and they were both
fired. Her ex-husband and his mistress
had invited her here as a joke, as a
cruel, twisted game to parade their
happiness in front of the pregnant wife
Joel had thrown away like garbage. But
as Miriam's trembling fingers clutched
her purse, as tears threatened to spill
from her eyes for the thousandth time
since he'd abandoned her, she could see
them across the room. Joel in his sharp
navy suit, his arm wrapped possessively
around Vanessa Chen, the woman he'd
chosen over his own child, over the vows
he'd whispered on their wedding night
when he'd said, "You're everything I'll
ever need, Miriam. Everything."
They were laughing.
actually laughing like they hadn't
destroyed her, like Joel hadn't left her
screaming his name 23 times on the
bathroom floor when she'd miscarried
their second baby at 8 weeks while he
was in bed with Vanessa. But what Joel
didn't know, what made Miriam's hands
shake with something between rage and
grief, was that the company he'd bragged
about for 4 years, the company where
he'd just been crowned vice president,
the company where he'd built his affair
in supply closets and late night
meetings. She owned it, not managed it,
not worked for it, owned every brick,
every contract, every single piece of
his so-called success.
In 6 minutes, the MC would call her
name. In 6 minutes, the woman Joel had
called boring, unambitious, just baby
stuff would walk onto that stage as the
new CEO, in 6 minutes, his entire world
would collapse. But as Miriam watched
Vanessa whisper something in Joel's ear,
watched him kiss her forehead the way he
used to kiss Miriam's when she was
pregnant and scared, one question burned
through her chest. When he finally saw
her standing in that spotlight, wearing
the power he never knew she had, holding
the career he thought he'd built on his
own, would he remember the night he'd
said, "I don't love you anymore." and
walked out while their daughter kicked
in her belly. Would he feel even a
fraction of the pain he'd caused? Or
would he just beg for mercy he didn't
deserve? And God help her. Did she even
want him to? Miriam forced herself to
take a step forward. The ballroom
smelled like expensive perfume and
champagne, like success and celebration,
like everything she used to dream about
before Joel turned their marriage into a
nightmare. The floor was marble,
polished so clean she could see her
reflection, a ghost of the woman she
used to be. Her midnight blue gown
hugged her body perfectly. The body
she'd fought to reclaim after giving
birth alone in a hospital room while
Joel was probably kissing Vanessa
somewhere, celebrating his freedom. Her
hair was different now, shorter,
sharper, cut the day after she'd signed
the divorce papers with hands that
wouldn't stop shaking. She looked like
power. She looked like money. She looked
like someone who had never cried herself
to sleep holding a onesie that would
never be worn. But inside, she was still
that woman on the bathroom floor,
bleeding and screaming into the phone
that Joel never answered. A waiter
passed by with a tray of champagne.
Miriam grabbed a glass even though she
knew she wouldn't drink it. Her hands
needed something to hold, something to
keep them from shaking, from giving away
the storm raging inside her chest.
Across the room, Joel threw his head
back and laughed at something Vanessa
said. His hand resting on the small of
her back, the same way he used to touch
Miriam when they were happy, when she
still believed in forever. Vanessa
looked perfect. 28 years old, slim,
sharp, dressed in a red dress that
screamed confidence. Her hair was long
and shiny. Her smile was bright and
cruel. And when she looked at Joel, she
looked at him like he was a prize she'd
won. Miriam wanted to scream. She wanted
to run. She wanted to disappear.
But then she saw it. The banner hanging
above the stage. Congratulations, Vice
President Joel Carter. His name in bold
letters like he'd earned it, like he
deserved it, like he hadn't built his
career on the back of a company his
wife's family owned. The same company
where Vanessa worked in HR, where she'd
approved Joel's promotion while sleeping
with him, where she'd falsified expense
reports to fund their secret trips to
Miami and New York. While Miriam sat at
home pregnant, trusting, blind, Miriam's
grip tightened on the champagne glass. 5
minutes now. 5 minutes until the MC
would step onto that stage and say her
name. 5 minutes until Joel's smile would
crack. 5 minutes until Vanessa's
confidence would crumble. 5 minutes
until the entire room would go silent
and stare at the woman they thought was
nothing. But right now, in this moment,
nobody knew who she was. A few people
glanced at her, curious, whispering. She
looked expensive. She looked important,
but they didn't recognize her. Why would
they? The last time anyone from North
Point saw Miriam Hayes, she was 7 months
pregnant, standing beside Joel at the
company family picnic, smiling like she
believed in him. That woman was dead.
Miriam took another step forward, her
heels clicking softly against the
marble. She could feel her heartbeat in
her throat, in her fingertips, in the
base of her spine. Every instinct
screamed at her to turn around, to
leave, to protect herself from the
humiliation Joel and Vanessa had
planned. But something stronger kept her
moving. Something darker, something that
had been growing inside her since the
night Joel walked out. since the morning
she buried their second child. Since the
moment her father died and left her a
company she never wanted but now wielded
like a weapon. And then Joel saw her.
His eyes locked on hers across the
ballroom. And for one brief beautiful
second confusion flickered across his
face. He didn't recognize her at first.
Not like this. Not dressed like she
mattered. Not standing tall like she
wasn't broken. But then his brain caught
up and his smile faltered and Miriam saw
the exact moment he realized it was her.
Vanessa noticed his reaction and turned,
following his gaze. When she saw Miriam,
her smile grew wider, meaner, hungrier.
She leaned close to Joel and whispered
something, and Joel's face hardened. He
whispered back, and they both laughed
again, but this time it was different.
This time it was performance.
This time it was a message. We won. You
lost. Look at us. Look at you.
Miriam didn't look away. She didn't
smile. She didn't cry. She just stood
there holding her champagne glass,
counting down the seconds until
everything Joel thought he knew about
his life would explode.
4 minutes. A woman in a black suit
approached Miriam, clippered in hand,
Bluetooth earpiece glowing. "Miss
Hayes?" she asked quietly, professionally.
professionally.
Miriam nodded. The woman smiled,
respectful, careful. "We're ready for
you whenever you are. The MC will
introduce you right after the VP
recognition. Are you comfortable with
the remarks we prepared, or would you
like to speak freely?" Miriam's throat
tightened. She'd prepared remarks, safe,
corporate, appropriate. But looking at
Joel now, looking at the way Vanessa's
hand rested on his chest, looking at the
banner with his name on it, Miriam heard
herself say, "I'll speak freely." The
woman nodded and walked away. 3 minutes.
Joel and Vanessa started moving through
the crowd, shaking hands, accepting congratulations.
congratulations.
Joel's colleagues clapped him on the
back. Vanessa beamed beside him like a
first lady. They moved closer to where
Miriam stood, and she realized with a
jolt of nausea that they were walking
toward her. Not because they knew, but
because they wanted to. They wanted her
to see them up close. Joel stopped 3 ft
away from Miriam. Vanessa tucked under
his arm, and for the first time in 5
months, he spoke directly to her.
Miriam," he said, his voice smooth,
confident, almost kind. "I'm surprised
you came." Vanessa's smile was pure
poison. "We weren't sure you'd actually
show up," she added. Her voice sweet
like honey laced with glass. "But I'm
glad you did. Joel's worked so hard for
this. It's important to celebrate
success, don't you think?" Miriam looked
at Joel. really looked at him, the man
she'd loved, the man she'd trusted, the
man who'd held her hand during her first
ultrasound and cried when he heard their
baby's heartbeat. His eyes were the
same. His smile was the same, but
everything underneath was gone. "Congratulations,"
