On the day of my alma mater’s Centennial Gala, my assistant sent me a screenshot of an Instagram Story. The caption read: [Hope my girl kills her first performance tonight. You’re gonna shine, star. ✨] In the photo, a girl I didn't know was standing backstage, looking like a delicate white swan. She was wearing my custom-made haute couture gown. The story was posted by my husband, Julian. And he had blocked me specifically from seeing it. I stared at the photo, fingers hovering over the keypad, ready to demand an explanation. But before I could type a word, the girl from the photo walked onto the stage. I was sitting front row center in the VIP section. She was dressed exactly like the photo. And then, she began to sing. It was the song Julian had written for me. I paused, lowered my phone, and snapped a picture of her performance. I sent it directly to Julian. "Honey, isn't it a small world? I just found my missing couture gown and my diamond necklace right here at the gala." "And this girl... she's singing the love song you wrote for our anniversary." "If I didn't know better, I'd think I had a stalker obsessed with becoming me." "Tell me, if I call the cops right now for grand larceny, how many years do you think she'd get?" The moment the message delivered, a spotlight swept across the audience. It landed squarely on a man holding a neon support sign in the VIP box opposite mine. His face was plastered on the giant auditorium screens. It was Julian. The sign was full of cutesy cheering words for the girl on stage. I didn't hesitate. I stood up, turned around, and waved at my husband across the aisle with a dazzling smile. "Honey! What a coincidence!" 1 Our eyes met. Julian’s face drained of color instantly. I acted completely oblivious, looking at him with mock concern. "Julian? You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you feeling okay?" The University President, sitting next to me, stood up and looked between us curiously. "Ms. Vance, you know Mr. Sterling?" He gestured to Julian with admiration. "Mr. Sterling is our newest major donor! The two new science labs and the library wing? All him. We even named the atrium after him!" The President turned to Julian, beaming. "Mr. Sterling, you should have told us you were coming! We would have seated you in the front row with the Guests of Honor." It was loud. He obviously hadn't heard me call Julian "Honey." I smiled, walked over, and linked my arm through Julian's stiff, freezing arm. "Oh, we know each other, President Miller." I leaned my head on Julian’s shoulder. "We're husband and wife. Right, honey?" Julian flinched. He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "I... I was just passing by. Saw the lights, thought I'd drop in. Didn't want to bother the administration." He stammered through an introduction. "This is my wife, Victoria Vance." He was so guilty he couldn't even look me in the eye. I didn't expose his pathetic lie right there. Instead, I turned my attention to the stage. "President Miller, who is that girl singing? She has a lovely voice." The President’s face lit up. "That's Lily Harper. A real diamond in the rough. She comes from a very difficult background, but she's brilliant. One of our top scholarship students." "Mr. Sterling here is her personal sponsor. Since she enrolled, he's been very generous to the university." I nodded, maintaining my perfect socialite mask. After the gala, the President enthusiastically introduced Lily to us. "Lily, come meet our most distinguished alumna, Victoria Vance! The 'Vance Legacy Scholarship' you applied for? She established it." He chuckled. "And what a small world—your sponsor is Ms. Vance's husband." Lily immediately bowed her head, gushing about how much she admired me and how grateful she was to Julian. She played the part of the humble student well, but she couldn't hide the calculation and jealousy in her eyes. I stared at the dress she was wearing. "Miss Harper, for someone from a 'difficult background,' you have expensive taste. That gown is a custom piece I lost a few days ago. It’s worth six figures." "It's uncanny. It looks exactly like my missing auction item." Lily’s face went pale. She looked at Julian for help. Julian shot her a warning glare. She immediately dropped her head, voice trembling. "The dress... I sewed it myself. I saw a photo in a magazine and copied it. The pearls are fake, too." "I know it's a knock-off, but I just wanted to look perfect for the stage." I didn't press further. I just turned to Julian, smiling dangerously. "Honey, you know how much I loved that dress. If I ever find out who the thief is... I’ll make sure they pay back every cent, a hundred times over." Julian looked like he was about to vomit. He grabbed my wrist, his grip tight. "Tori, the gala is over. Let's go home." 2 The moment the car door slammed shut, I turned on him. "Julian. Explain." He started sweating, his voice frantic. "Tori, it is strictly platonic! She’s just a kid from a poor village. I was moved by her grit and determination. I just wanted to help her succeed!" I laughed, cold and sharp. "She’s in college, Julian. She has hands and feet. She can work." "From next month, you will pay her tuition only. No living allowance. No luxury gifts." "I will contact the Dean and get her a job at the campus library. It won't interfere with her studies." I stared him down, laying out the law. "You will cut all personal contact. No texts, no dinners. The scholarship money goes through the school's finance department, not your personal Venmo." "And," I leaned in closer, "get my things back. The dress, the necklace, the bags. I don't care if you 'gave' them to her." "Lily Harper is a scholarship student, not a sugar baby waiting to be pampered." Julian turned red, then pale. Finally, he nodded, defeated. Our marriage was a business arrangement. The Sterling family needed the Vance family's connections to enter the top tier of society. He was the perfect, gentle husband, and I was the powerful partner. We had a good run, even love, for a few years. I accepted that passion fades, but I have zero tolerance for betrayal. The next day, Julian brought everything back. My dress and necklace were returned in a velvet box, placed carefully on my vanity. "Tori, I made it clear to her. We’re done. No more contact," he swore, raising his hand like a boy scout. I accepted his submission and let it go. But the moment he left for work, my phone pinged. A friend request. Lily Harper. I accepted, thinking she wanted to discuss the scholarship. Before I could type "Hello," a wall of text hit me. [Lily]: Ms. Vance, for a trophy wife who just spends her husband's money, don't you think you're controlling? [Lily]: What gives you the right to take back his gifts? [Lily]: Julian bought them with his money. They belong to him. He can give them to whoever he wants. [Lily]: Bullying a broke student... is that what gives a CEO's wife a power trip? I read the messages and smirked. Not a white lotus after all. A viper. I typed back slowly. [Me]: Julian and I have a prenup and shared assets. His money is my money. But every cent he spent on you? That’s marital misconduct. [Me]: I can sue you for return of property and fraud. I can have you expelled and in debt before lunch. [Me]: Miss Harper, check your attitude. You're a charity case, not a rival. [Me]: I'll let this slide once because you're young and stupid. Cross me again, and I pull your funding and your campus job. The chat went silent. I didn't care. I've seen a dozen girls like her. They want a shortcut to the penthouse. They usually end up in the basement. Just then, my phone rang. My dad. 3 "Tori, your mom misses you. Can you come home for the weekend?" My parents' health hadn't been great lately. Julian and I usually visited together. "Of course," I said. "Julian and I will be there." But the night before we were set to leave, Julian came home with a "crisis." "Tori, I'm so sorry. Emergency merger in Chicago. I have to fly out tonight. I can't make it to your parents'." He looked devastated. "I bought gifts for them—they're in the trunk. Please apologize for me. I'll make it up to them." Business comes first. That was our rule. I agreed and went alone. The next day, I was walking with my parents through a luxury resort near their estate. My mom squinted at a figure in the distance. "Tori... isn't that Julian?" My stomach dropped. I looked. It was him. Even from the back, I recognized the limited-edition trench coat—the one he was wearing in the photo he sent me from the "airport." And hanging off his arm, taking selfies with him, was Lily Harper. I swallowed the rage and smiled at my mom. "Mom, you need new glasses. He's in Chicago freezing his butt off. That guy just has the same coat." "Let's go to the spa. My treat." Once my parents were settled in their massage session, I walked out and sent Julian my location. Then I called him. "Julian. You have three minutes to get your ass in front of me." "Tori?" He sounded confused. "Why are you at the resort?" "I should ask you that. How's Chicago?" He froze. Then the excuses started pouring out. "Lily... she's never been on a vacation. Today is her birthday. She begged me... I just..." "I don't care," I cut him off. "Get here. Now." "I can't!" he snapped, suddenly defensive. "I brought her here. I can't just abandon her. You're with your parents, you're fine. I'll explain tonight." "Julian. Three minutes. Or we are done." He hung up on me. I called back. Straight to voicemail. Then, a notification. Lily Harper posted a Moment. [My BOSS turned off his phone just to focus on my birthday! No more interruptions! ❤️?] The photo was Julian’s back. The dignified CEO was wearing Mickey Mouse ears. I was shaking with fury. I messaged Lily. [Me]: Tell Julian to call me in three minutes. Or you both lose everything. Silence. Three minutes passed. I called my assistant. "Cancel the Vance Scholarship funding for Lily Harper. Get her fired from the library. Now." Then, I screenshot Lily’s post and uploaded it to my own social media—visible to every high-society friend, business partner, and investor we knew. [My husband skipped visiting my sick parents to play Disney Prince with his charity case. He even blocked my number. Thoughts?] The internet exploded. [Comment]: WTF? Julian Sterling? The 'Family Man'? [Comment]: Cheating on Victoria Vance? Is he suicidal? My phone lit up. Julian was calling. I declined. Blocked. The next morning, Julian’s parents dragged him to my doorstep. The moment the door opened, his father kicked him in the back of the knees. "You ungrateful moron! You've shamed the entire family!" His mother was crying, slapping his arm. They beat him and scolded him right in my foyer. It was theater, but it was violent theater. Finally, his mom grabbed my hand. "Tori, please. He’s an idiot, but it’s innocent! He just has a savior complex!" His dad kicked him again. "Kneel! Apologize to your wife!" Julian hit the floor. He looked up, eyes bloodshot. "Tori, I'm sorry." "I swear, I'll never speak to her again. Please. Forgive me." I looked at him. He was pathetic. But... I wasn't ready to burn it all down yet. I sighed. "Julian. This is the last time. Next time, there is no conversation." 4 To prove his loyalty, Julian deleted Lily from everything in front of me. For months, he was the perfect husband. Home by 6 PM. Cooking dinner. Bringing flowers. We were almost back to normal. I threw myself into work. I was launching a new luxury fashion line under the Vance Group. I poured my soul into it. Three days before the launch, I told my team to rest up. The next morning, my lead model, Alice, called me sobbing. "Ms. Vance... I've been cut." "What? The show is in two days." "Mr. Sterling... he moved the launch to today. And he replaced me." My brain short-circuited. I grabbed my keys and sped to the venue. When I burst in, Julian was on stage, mic in hand, beaming at the press. And standing next to him, the "Face" of my brand... was Lily Harper. She was wearing my designs. My jewelry. My hard work. I saw red. I stormed the stage and snatched the mic. "Stop the music!" I pointed at Lily. "Take that off. Now." "You don't deserve to wear my designs." Lily shrank back, tears instantly springing to her eyes. "Ms. Vance, I didn't know... please..." Julian stepped in front of her. "Tori! This was a business decision. Don't take it out on her!" "Business decision?" I laughed hysterically. "Alice 'got sick,' right?" Alice walked out from behind me. "I'm not sick! His secretary fired me this morning!" The reporters went wild. Cameras flashed like lightning. "Julian," I hissed. "You swore on your knees. You crossed the line. This is my project." Julian glared at me. "It's a Vance project under the Sterling Group umbrella! I am the CEO. I decide who the model is!" "You're too controlling, Tori! You cut off a poor girl's funding over petty jealousy! You bullied her so bad she wanted to hurt herself!" "If I didn't step in to help her, her blood would be on your hands! I'm cleaning up your mess!" "Helping her?" I screamed. "You call parading your mistress in my designs 'helping'? You're disgusting." "Victoria Vance!" he roared. "If you make another scene, I will fire you from your own board! You can go be a housewife!" Slap. The sound echoed through the hall. My hand stung. Julian touched his cheek, eyes murderous. "Security! Get these crazy women out of here!" Two guards grabbed me and Alice and dragged us out the side door. I stood on the sidewalk, smoothing my dress. I wasn't crying. I was smiling. "It's okay, Alice," I said to the weeping model. "You're hired by Vance Corp directly. Triple salary." Julian Sterling. You want war? I pulled out my phone and called my father. "Dad. Mom. It's time." "Initiate the hostile takeover. Gut the Sterling Group."
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