Dominic followed me into the hallway.
“You can’t just destroy everything because you’re angry.”
I turned around.
“Destroy?”
“Yes.”
He lowered his voice.
“Whatever Chloe told you, it’s not what you think.”
I almost smiled.
“Dominic, I didn’t come here to argue.”
“Then why are you here?”
I looked at Sophia.
“To surprise my husband.”
His expression fell.
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face went pale.
“Who is it?”
He ignored the call.
It rang again.
Then again.
Finally, he answered.
“Hello?”
I watched his expression change.
“What?”
A pause.
“No. That’s impossible.”
Another pause.
“Call the bank.”
His voice became desperate.
“What do you mean the credit facility is frozen?”
I knew exactly what had happened.
Victor had started pulling the financial support my family had provided.
Dominic looked at me.
“Did you do this?”
I didn’t answer.
His phone rang again.
Then another executive came running down the hallway.
“Dominic, we have a problem.”
“What?”
“The board is calling an emergency meeting.”
“Why?”
“They’re asking about the Sterling accounts.”
Dominic went completely still.
“What Sterling accounts?”
The executive looked confused.
“The accounts that have been guaranteeing our debt.”
Dominic slowly turned toward me.
“Sterling?”
I said nothing.
His eyes widened.
“Vivienne…”
Part 5 — The Name I Hid
He finally understood.
My maiden name.
Sterling.
The name I had deliberately removed from my life after our wedding.
“You’re a Sterling?”
I nodded.
“You never told me.”
“You never asked.”
“You lied to me.”
I looked directly into his eyes.
“No.”
My voice remained calm.
“I protected you from my family’s influence.”
“You knew they were funding the company?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
I didn’t answer.
Victor had never wanted me to know the exact amount.
But Dominic soon would.
His phone rang again.
He answered.
This time, I could hear Victor’s voice from where I stood.
“Mr. Hale, effective immediately, Sterling Capital is terminating all guarantees and credit arrangements.”
Dominic’s knees nearly buckled.
“You can’t do that.”
“We can.”
“Why?”
Victor paused.
“Because my sister asked us to.”
Dominic looked at me.
“Please.”
Victor continued.
“You should also know that we’re auditing every transaction involving your company.”
Dominic’s face went white.
“Why?”
“Because we discovered several irregularities.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“What irregularities?” Dominic asked.
Victor’s voice became cold.
“Payments to shell companies.”
Dominic stopped breathing.
“That’s not—”
The call ended.
He looked at me.
“I can explain.”
I shook my head.
“You don’t need to explain anything to me.”
Then I picked up Sophia.
She wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Let’s go home, Mommy.”
“Yes, sweetheart.”
We walked away.
Behind us, I heard Dominic shouting my name.
I didn’t turn around.
Part 6 — What the Audit Revealed
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