CHAPTER ONE #2
I contacted every member of the board of directors at Wayne's company. Sent them anonymous packages containing selected emails and photos. Let them draw their own conclusions about their VP's judgment and ethics.
I reached out to Leslie's previous employers. Discovered this wasn't her first affair with a married boss. Documented a pattern of behavior that would make her unemployable in our industry.
And I planned my entrance to the gala with the precision of a military operation.
The night of the gala, I spent three hours getting ready. Hair in an elegant updo that showed off my neck and shoulders. Makeup dramatic and flawless. And the dress—God, the dress.
Red. Blood red. A Versace that hugged every curve and made my skin glow. Cut low enough to be sexy, high enough to be classy. The kind of dress that made people stop and stare.
I wanted them staring. I wanted every eye in that room on me when I burned Wayne's life to the ground.
Memphis picked me up in his Tesla, looking sharp in a custom tux. "You look like a woman on a mission."
"I am." I checked my clutch one more time. USB drive with all the evidence. Printed copies as backup. My lawyer on speed dial. "Let's go ruin some lives."
The gala was held at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art, the kind of venue that screamed money and prestige. Everyone who was anyone in Denver's business community would be there. The mayor. City council members. CEOs and CFOs and all the people who decided who got to play in the big leagues.
Perfect.
We arrived fashionably late, making an entrance that had heads turning. I saw the moment Wayne spotted me across the room. Saw his face go pale, then red, then pale again. Leslie was beside him in a dress that was trying too hard, her hand possessive on his arm.
I smiled at them. Slow and predatory.
Wayne started toward me, but I turned away, greeting the CEO of a rival company with air kisses and small talk. Let him sweat. Let him wonder what I was planning.
The cocktail hour passed in a blur of networking and positioning. I made sure to talk to everyone important, planting seeds of doubt with carefully casual comments.
"Oh, you haven't heard? There might be some changes at Wayne's company soon."
"I'm surprised they're still moving forward with the partnership announcement. Given the circumstances."
"Well, you know what they say about mixing business and pleasure..."
By the time dinner was served, the rumor mill was churning. People were whispering, speculating, watching Wayne with new interest.
He cornered me near the bar during the salad course. "Collins, what are you doing?"
"Having a lovely evening. You?"
"This isn't funny. Whatever you're planning—"
"Planning? I'm not planning anything, Wayne. I'm just here to support my husband's big night." I let the word husband drip with sarcasm. "Isn't that what a good wife does?"
His jaw clenched. "We need to talk. Privately."
"We needed to talk six months ago. Before you stuck your dick in your assistant." I said it loud enough that the couple next to us heard. Saw their eyes widen. "Now? Now we have nothing to say to each other."
"Collins—"
"Excuse me. I see someone I need to speak with." I brushed past him, leaving him standing there with his mouth open.
The keynote was scheduled for after dinner. Wayne would take the stage, announce the new partnership that would make his company a major player in the tech industry, and bask in the applause of his peers.
Except that wasn't going to happen.
I waited until everyone was seated, until the lights dimmed and the CEO was introducing Wayne. Waited until my husband was walking toward the stage, confident and smiling.
Then I stood up.
"Excuse me," I called out, my voice cutting through the polite applause. "Before we hear from Mr. Talbot, I think there's something everyone should know."
The room went silent. Every head turned toward me. Wayne froze halfway to the stage, his face a mask of horror.
"My name is Collins Talbot. I'm Wayne's wife. And I'm here to tell you all about the man you're about to give a standing ovation to."
"Collins, sit down," Wayne hissed, but I ignored him.
I walked to the front of the room, my heels clicking on the marble floor. Someone handed me a microphone—Memphis, bless him, had planned ahead.
"Six months ago, my husband began an affair with his assistant, Leslie Valentine." I gestured to where Leslie sat, her face white as paper. "They've been fucking in our home, in his office, in hotels on the company dime. But that's not the interesting part."
I pulled out my phone, connected it to the presentation system. The first email appeared on the screen behind me, blown up for everyone to read.
She's so focused on her career, she barely notices when I'm gone. Makes this so much easier.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. I advanced to the next slide. A photo of Wayne and Leslie in his office, her bent over his desk.
"The interesting part is that Wayne has been embezzling company funds to support this affair. Fancy hotels. Expensive gifts. All charged to accounts that he thought no one was monitoring."
More slides. Bank statements. Credit card receipts. A paper trail that told the whole sordid story.
Wayne tried to rush the stage, but security held him back. "This is slander! I'll sue you for everything—"
"It's only slander if it's not true, Wayne." I smiled at him, cold and sharp. "And we both know every word of this is true."
I turned back to the audience. "I've provided copies of all this evidence to the board of directors, the SEC, and the Denver Post. By tomorrow morning, everyone will know exactly what kind of man Wayne Talbot really is."
The room erupted. People shouting questions, cameras flashing, the CEO trying to restore order. I saw Leslie crying, saw Wayne's face contorted with rage and humiliation.
And I felt nothing but satisfaction.
I handed the microphone back to Memphis and walked out of that ballroom with my head high. Behind me, I could hear Wayne shouting my name, could hear the chaos I'd created.
But I didn't look back.
I'd burned it all down. His reputation. His career. His future.
And it felt fucking glorious.