Chapter 6: The Price of My Husband's Betrayal
I didn't respond immediately.
For several seconds, I simply stared at the office wall.
Then I asked, “What did you just say?””
Marcus exhaled shakily.
“Victor wants your company.””
“Why?””
“Because of your investment portfolio. Your property holdings. Your acquisition contracts.””
I sat down.
“How does he know about those?””
“I told him.””
The answer landed harder than I expected.
“You told a private lender about my company?””
“I didn't have a choice.””
“You always have a choice, Marcus.””
He sounded desperate.
“Sarah, you don't understand. I was drowning.””
“So you decided to pull me underwater with you?””
“I thought I could fix it.””
“How?””
He hesitated.
Then he said, “Victor offered to clear my debt if I could arrange a controlling interest in your company.””
I felt my hands go cold.
“Controlling interest?””
“Just a temporary arrangement.””
I almost laughed.
“You forged my signature on a seventy-five-million-dollar loan, pledged my private collection, and now you expect me to believe you were only arranging something temporary?””
“Sarah, please.””
“No. Tell me exactly what you promised him.””
Marcus was silent.
“Did you promise him my shares?””
“Yes.””
“Did you promise him access to my accounts?””
“Yes.””
“Did you promise him control of my company?””
He didn't answer.
“Marcus!””
“Yes.””
I closed my eyes.
For seven years, I had shared my life with a man who knew where I kept my passport, where I stored my important documents, and how much I loved our children.
And he had used that knowledge to build a plan to take everything from me.
“When did this begin?””
“About eight months ago.””
“Eight months?””
I remembered that period.
Marcus had started coming home late.
He had become restless and irritable.
He had taken several business trips without me.
Whenever I asked questions, he said his father needed help.
I had believed him.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“I was ashamed.””
“You weren't ashamed when you used my signature.””
He began speaking quickly.
“I never wanted to hurt you. I thought if the development succeeded, I could repay everyone. Then everything went wrong.””
“What development?””
“A residential project outside the city.””
“How much did you invest?””
“Twenty million.””
“And the rest?””
“Borrowed.””
I stared at my phone.
“Forty-two million dollars?””
“Yes.””
“Who else invested?””
“My father. A few family associates.””
I shook my head.
“Why did Victor want my company?””
“Because the project needed more capital. He said your company had enough assets to secure everything.””
I felt sick.
“You tried to sell my business to save a project I knew nothing about.””
“I wasn't selling it.””
“You promised control to someone else!””
“Sarah, I was going to tell you.””
“When? After he took it?””
Marcus began crying.
I had never heard him cry like that.
“Please. I know I made mistakes.””
I looked toward the photograph of Olivia and Noah on my desk.
“Marcus, do you understand what you did?””
“I love you.””
“No. You love what you thought I could give you.””
He said nothing.
I ended the call.
Daniel arrived twenty minutes later.
I told him everything.
He listened, then immediately called the company's external security team.
“Sarah, we need to check whether anyone has accessed your internal systems.””
“Do it.””
He opened his laptop.
“Did Marcus ever visit your headquarters?””
“Once. For a charity event.””
“Did he have access to your office?””
“No.””
“Your personal files?””
“No.””
Daniel typed something.
“Did you ever share your company credentials with him?””
“Never.””
He nodded.
“That's good.””
Then he opened a security report.
“However, there was an attempted login to your executive account yesterday evening.””
I frowned.
“Yesterday?””
“Yes. The request originated from a device registered to Marcus.””
I stared at the screen.
“What was he trying to access?””
“Your corporate ownership records and shareholder agreements.””
“Did he get in?””
“No. The security system blocked the attempt.””
I leaned forward.
“Can we trace what he intended to do?””
“We can examine the access logs.””
Daniel clicked another file.
A list of attempted downloads appeared.
My shareholder agreement.
The board authorization structure.
My private acquisition portfolio.
And one document titled:
*SUCCESSION AND CONTROL PLAN — MITCHELL CAPITAL.*
I stared at it.
“What is that?””
Daniel opened the document.
It was a draft proposal.
The first page described a proposed restructuring of my company.
The second page listed the intended investors.
The third page contained a proposed transfer of voting rights.
At the bottom was a name.
Victor Hale.
And beside it, another name.
Marcus Mitchell.
I read the document twice.
Then I saw the proposed percentage.
Sixty-one percent.
They weren't trying to borrow against my company.
They were trying to take control of it.
“Daniel.””
“Yes?””
“Who else has seen this?””
“According to the access logs, the file was downloaded once from a restricted folder six months ago.””
“By whom?””
Daniel checked.
His expression changed.
“Marcus.””
I stood.
“Six months ago?””
“Yes.””
That was before the first loan application.
Before the birthday party.
Before Evelyn stepped on the Monet.
This had been planned.
Not an impulsive mistake.
Not a desperate decision made in the middle of a financial crisis.
A plan.
My husband had been trying to take control of my company for half a year.
I looked at Daniel.
“Call Rebecca. I want every piece of evidence preserved.””
He nodded.
“And Sarah?””
I turned.
“What's the next step?””
“We should inform the board immediately. We may also need to contact law enforcement depending on what the forensic review establishes.””
“Do it.””
Daniel hesitated.
“There's something else you should know.””
I was beginning to hate those words.
“What now?””
“Victor Hale has requested a meeting with the company's board.””
I frowned.
“When?””
“Monday morning.””
“Why?””
“He claims he represents a major investment group interested in acquiring a controlling stake.””
I looked at the document again.
“They're trying to force the acquisition.””
Daniel nodded.
“That's what it looks like.””
I walked toward the window.
Monday morning was only two days away.
And someone had decided that my company was theirs.
At 7:20 p.m., I returned home.
Marcus was waiting in the living room.
He stood as soon as I entered.
“Sarah.””
I didn't remove my coat.
“What are you doing here?””
“We need to talk.””
“Rebecca told you not to contact me directly about the financial investigation.””
“I'm not here about the investigation.””
“Then what are you here for?””
He looked exhausted.
His shirt was wrinkled.
His eyes were red.
For the first time, I noticed how much older he looked.
“I want to save our marriage.””
I stared at him.
“You should have thought about that before trying to steal my company.””
He flinched.
“I didn't want it to happen this way.””
“How did you want it to happen?””
He walked toward me.
“I wanted to become someone you could respect.””
I almost laughed.
“You could have started by being honest.””
He lowered his head.
“I'm sorry.””
I said nothing.
“I know my mother treated you terribly. I know I should have defended you.””
“You didn't just fail to defend me, Marcus.””
“I know.””
“You watched her hit me.””
“I know.””
“You watched her destroy something worth eighteen million dollars.””
“I know.””
“And then you told me to leave because I embarrassed you.””
He covered his face.
“I was wrong.””
I looked at him.
“Why did you let her believe I was poor?””
He lowered his hands.
“What?””
“Why did you never correct her when she insulted my work?””
He looked away.
“I didn't think it mattered.””
“It mattered to me.””
He swallowed.
“I thought if they believed you had less money, they wouldn't ask you for anything.””
I stared at him.
“That is the worst explanation I've ever heard.””
He stepped closer.
“I was trying to protect our marriage.””
“No. You were protecting your access to my money.””
His eyes filled.
“That's not true.””
I took out my phone.
“Then explain this.””
I showed him the proposed ownership transfer.
He went completely still.
“Where did you get that?””
“From my company's security records.””
He stared at the screen.
“Sarah, I can explain.””
“You've said that three times today.””
“Victor was pressuring me.””
“Did he force you to forge my signature?””
“No.””
“Did he force you to pledge my collection?””
“No.””
“Did he force you to promise him control of my company?””
Marcus looked down.
“No.””
I nodded.
“Then we understand each other.””
He reached for my hand.
I stepped back.
“Please don't.””
His voice broke.
“I still love you.””
I looked at the man I had once trusted with every fragile part of my life.
“I wish that were enough.””
He stood there, unable to speak.
Then his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
I saw his father's name.
Marcus answered.
“Dad?””
Robert's voice came through loudly.
“Where are you?””
“At Sarah's.””
“Get out of there. Victor has called an emergency meeting.””
Marcus frowned.
“Why?””
“Because the bank has frozen the financing.””
Marcus looked at me.
Robert continued.
“And Evelyn is being questioned about the transfers.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
“What?””
“Your mother has received a formal notice. They're asking about the two million dollars.””
I watched my husband's face lose its color.
Then Robert said something that made Marcus grip the phone.
“There's another problem. Victor says he won't wait until Monday.””
Marcus whispered, “What does he want?””
Robert's answer was clear enough for me to hear.
“He wants Sarah at the meeting.””
Marcus looked at me.
I folded my arms.
“Why?””
Robert paused.
Then he replied:
“Because Victor claims Sarah already agreed to the acquisition.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“That is a lie.””
Marcus covered the phone.
“Sarah, please. Don't say anything.””
I took a step forward.
“Put him on speaker.””
Marcus hesitated.
“Do it.””
He slowly activated the speaker.
Robert's voice filled the room.
“Sarah, I know you're listening.””
I said nothing.
“Your company is in danger. Victor has documents showing that you agreed to transfer control. If you cooperate, we can resolve this quietly.””
“Those documents are forged.””
“You can't prove that.””
I looked at Marcus.
Then at the phone.
“Robert, let me make something clear. I will not sign anything. I will not transfer anything. And I will not protect anyone who has participated in this.””
Robert gave a bitter laugh.
“Then you'll regret what happens next.””
The call ended.
Marcus lowered his phone.
For several seconds, we stood in silence.
Then he whispered:
“Sarah, I think my father has done something much worse than the loan.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He swallowed.
“Victor didn't choose our family randomly.””
I waited.
Marcus looked toward the front door, as if afraid someone might be listening.
“He knew about your company before I ever met him.””
My heartbeat quickened.
“What are you saying?””
Marcus took a shaky breath.
“Six months before our wedding, my father showed me a photograph of you.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
He looked directly into my eyes.
“Because he said marrying you was the best investment our family could ever make.””
The room seemed to fall silent.
I remembered our first meeting.
The charity auction.
The accidental conversation.
Marcus's flowers.
His unexpected proposal.
Every detail I had once considered romantic suddenly looked different.
I stepped back.
“Are you telling me your father arranged our relationship?””
Marcus shook his head quickly.
“I don't know everything.””
“But you knew something.””
He looked away.
Then he reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“I found this in my father's office two weeks ago.””
I took it.
At the top was a date.
Six months before my wedding.
Below it was a photograph of me standing outside my company's first headquarters.
Underneath the photograph, someone had written:
*SUBJECT: SARAH WILLIAMS.*
And beneath that, in Robert Mitchell's handwriting, were seven words that made my blood run cold.
Get her into the family. The assets follow.
I looked up at Marcus.
“Did you marry me because of my money?””
He opened his mouth.
But before he could answer, someone rang the doorbell.
Once.
Twice.
Then my housekeeper's voice came through the intercom.
“Mrs. Mitchell, there's a woman here asking for you.””
“Who?””
A pause.
“She says her name is Victoria Hale.””
Marcus suddenly went pale.
He grabbed my wrist.
“Don't let her in.””
I pulled away.
“Why?””
He looked terrified.
“Because she's Victor's wife.””
The doorbell rang again.
And then the intercom crackled.
“Mrs. Mitchell,” the woman said, “I think you deserve to know what happened to the last woman my husband tried to acquire.””
I froze.
Marcus whispered one sentence.
May you like
“Sarah, she's talking about my first business partner's wife.””
And suddenly, the threat against my company felt much more personal than I had imagined.
