Chapter 3

Very soon, Winnie called Brodie.

I could hear her screaming through the phone. “Brodie, do you even care about me at all?

“Your wife’s nothing! I’ve got your baby in my belly!

“If you don’t buy me a house today, I swear I’ll show up outside your office tomorrow and let the whole world know what a lying, two-timing jerk you are!”

I smirked and hit record.

The trap was set. It just needed to snap shut.

Brodie stormed in and slammed the door. He reeked of alcohol and was visibly agitated.

But the moment he saw me, he put on a tired, relaxed expression.

“Elowen, you’re still up? Things have been insane at work. The client dinners never end.”

He tugged at his tie and complained, testing the waters. “The market’s in a slump. Payments on projects are slow. Money’s tight.”

He did not vent like he usually did. He was laying groundwork instead.

I played along. I gently took his coat and handed him a glass of water.

“You’ve had a long day, dear.”

I sat down beside him and put on my best worried face.

“Honey, let’s not talk about work. I heard something today, and it made me feel anxious.”

“What is it?”

Sure enough, his attention was diverted.

I grabbed his arm as I said, “The school board has been doing a big sweep. I heard a bunch of executives got hauled in over their finances. This… isn’t going to affect you, is it?”

I sounded scared and meek.

I felt his body go rigid. An audit scared him far more than Winnie’s threats ever could.

His under-the-table income was what really kept him afloat.

I kept raising the stakes. My voice became a desperate plea.

“Haven’t we been working hard all these years just to be financially secure? If something happens to the money, what are we going to do? What if they freeze our assets?”

I stopped right on cue, letting him panic.

Sure enough, he sat up straight. A calculating look crossed his face.

“A trust! Yes, a trust!” He grabbed my hand, looking excited.

“We can set up a family trust and move all the major assets into it. We can just say it’s an education fund for our ‘future child!’”

He deliberately emphasized “our future child,” thinking this could both reassure me and give him the perfect cover.

“That way the assets are protected. We avoid any audit risk. The money comes out ‘clean!’”

He looked at me like a genius waiting to be praised, convinced he had killed two birds with one stone.

Not only had he resolved the audit risk, but he had also found a “slush fund” to keep Winnie happy.

I pretended to be surprised and looked at him in admiration. “Honey, you’re a genius! We’d be totally safe!”

Then, I paused, pretending to be doubtful. “But I don’t really understand any of this. Do you want me to hire a lawyer?”

“No need!” Brodie waved his hand like he had it all figured out. “I know just the lawyer for this. Better not to let some lawyer we don’t know handle it. I guarantee it’ll be seamless!”

He thought this was his brilliant scheme to fool me. He had no idea I had been waiting for this exact moment.

A few days later, a thick stack of trust documents was placed in front of us.

Kennedy Lawson, the lawyer Brodie hired, was none other than my former classmate. He could end someone’s career with a single move.

Brodie pointed at the complex legal clauses. He explained them with a smug look.

“Honey, look at this. The beneficiary is ‘the future legitimate children of Mr. Brodie Bonne and Ms. Dingle.’ I’m the settlor, and you’re a co-settlor. You’ve got the right to be informed. No need to worry at all.”

He needed the money fast to dig himself out of a hole, so he did not bother reading the details.

I looked at him in affection and faith. “Dear, I trust you. Whatever you decide is fine.”

He was happy that I was being so agreeable. He picked up the pen and signed the papers.

The moment I signed, a clause buried in legal jargon quietly took effect.

[Ms. Elowen Dingle, hereinafter referred to as the “Co-Settlor,” is the mother of the Beneficiary, namely “the future legitimate children of Mr. Brodie Bonne.”]

[During any period in which the Beneficiary is a minor or unborn, the Co-Settlor shall serve as the sole Guardian and shall hold the sole and irrevocable power to manage, control, and dispose of the trust assets.]

Very quickly, the papers were signed. The matter was settled.

The second Brodie moved that seven-figure dividend into the trust, everything he owned and everything he had squeezed out of me for ten years legally became mine.

He had nothing left except the useless right to be kept informed about the trust.

I smiled, put the agreement away, and murmured under my breath, “Brodie, welcome to your reckoning.”