Chapter 4

I turned back to Jessica, my expression grim.

"Jessica. One last chance. Explain yourself. To me. To Lily."

She looked at me, her eyes cold, devoid of any warmth or recognition of the years we' d shared, the child we had.

"I don' t know this man," she announced to the crowd, her voice carrying clearly. "I will not tolerate these slanderous accusations against my husband, David, and my son, Kevin."

Her husband. Her son.

Lily let out a small, heartbroken sob.

"Our company' s legal team will be in touch with you for defamation!" Jessica declared, looking at me as if I were a stranger, a nuisance.

Lily reached for her, her small hand outstretched. "Mommy, please..."

Jessica flinched away as if Lily' s touch was repulsive, then turned her back, pulling David and Kevin closer to her.

David Carter smirked triumphantly at me over Jessica' s shoulder.

The message was clear. He had won. She had chosen.

My phone buzzed again. Another text from Jessica.

"Mike, I told you, it' s just for one day, for Kevin' s sake. If I acknowledged you, how would David and Kevin face everyone? It' s your fault for causing this mess with your outburst. Go home and reflect on your behavior."

My fault.

Reflect.

The audacity was breathtaking.

The gala was moving to its next phase: a "family fun run" in an adjacent cordoned-off area.

As Jessica, David, and Kevin moved towards it, surrounded by fawning admirers, David paused beside me.

He leaned in, his voice a low sneer.

"A leech like you will always get dumped, Thompson. Only a successful man like me deserves a powerhouse like Jessica. Get lost with your brat."

He thought he was successful.

I knew from Henderson, my HR head, that David Carter was grossly incompetent, his VP position a product of pure nepotism orchestrated by Jessica. His performance reviews were abysmal.

He was a liability Starlight Capital was already planning to manage out, before this.

Now, his exit would be far more spectacular.