My live-in husband had low sperm motility. The day our ninety-ninth round of IVF failed, I finally broke.
"Forget it. It hurts too much. I can't do this anymore."
Before he could respond, the nanny attending to me let out a piercing shriek. "Mr. Sanchez is the sole heir to Henson Sterling Group! How can he not have a son?"
"The Sanchez family was unlucky enough to marry a barren hen like you. Now you can't even endure a little pain? How shameless can you be?"
She stood there, righteous as a saint, as if I were some unforgivable sinner.
But Brendan Sanchez was the one with the fertility problem.
I barely managed a bitter twitch of my lips before Brendan quietly stepped in front of the nanny, shielding her behind him.
"Debbie, Cindy just cares too much about me. She speaks without thinking. Don't hold it against her."
Then his large, well-defined hand patted my shoulder in consolation, a flash of tenderness crossing his eyes. "Does it hurt that bad? Let me go out and get you something to help you recover."
"Mr. Sanchez!" Cindy Pruitt stomped her foot, her face twisted with exaggerated heartache. "You're too good for her! Does she even know how badly you want a child? She's the one who can't get pregnant, and now she can't even handle a little suffering!"
Cindy scoffed. "If I were her, I'd have died of shame. Married all these years and she still hasn't given you a single child. She's useless!"
The dark amusement in my eyes vanished in an instant. "Cindy Pruitt, is it? I'm officially informing you that you're fired."
"You think you have that power?" Cindy didn't flinch. She planted her hands on her hips and looked down at me. "Mr. Sanchez hired me. Fire me? You don't have the authority."
"Enough." Before I could speak, Brendan cut in with a low, sharp reprimand. "Cindy, go pick up some supplements for Debbie. You're not needed here right now."
The next second, Cindy shot me one last provocative glance and sauntered out the door without a care in the world.
The room fell deathly quiet.
"Brendan Sanchez, explain something to me. Since when did you become the heir to Henson Sterling Group?"
...
Brendan's flawless face was etched with helplessness.
"Debbie, Cindy just misunderstood on her own..."
I didn't soften. I glanced at the message my assistant had just sent to my phone. "Cindy Pruitt. Middle school education. No formal domestic service training of any kind."
I flung the phone down in front of him. "Brendan Sanchez, this is who you're cheating on me with?"
His expression changed instantly, jaw clenched, words grinding through his teeth. "Debbie Henson, after everything, you're still questioning my loyalty?"
"I don't love you? Then why would I have married into your family?"
"Because of this arrangement, I barely speak to my parents anymore. Every relative I have laughs at me behind my back."
Yes. On that count, Brendan truly had been wronged. That was exactly why, when he said he wanted a child, I put myself through ninety-nine rounds of IVF.
I tapped the table and looked at him squarely. Despite everything, something in my chest still gave way.
"Fire Cindy Pruitt, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened."
Brendan had just turned thirty. His handsome face was smooth, unmarked by a single line. Yet for Cindy Pruitt alone, his brows knotted into a deep, tortured furrow.
"Debbie, can you please not put me in this position?"
"Cindy and I really have nothing going on. She's a village girl who barely finished school. You're a graduate from a top university, a CEO who commands boardrooms. I'd have to be out of my mind to have anything with her."
"Besides, it's not like you actually suffered. She said a few words to you. Is that really worth making a young girl lose her job?"
A beat of silence. Then his phone rang. He glanced at me, looking torn. "Debbie, I can't stay with you. Something urgent came up at the office. I need to go."
"Can you manage on your own? I can stay if you need me to."
I waved him off. "Work comes first. Go handle it. Call me if you can't sort it out."
I sat alone for a few minutes, then ignored the doctor's orders to rest and walked out of the clinic.
Right there, in the coffee shop by the entrance, Brendan and Cindy sat side by side.
Cindy was gently blowing on his coffee to cool it. "Mr. Sanchez, you've had it so hard. You gave that old woman the title of Mrs. Sanchez, and she can't even bother to show her husband a little kindness."
Brendan didn't pull away. He sighed. "If only everyone were as gentle as you. Debbie Henson... never mind. Forget I said anything."
Watching the two of them nestled together like that, the pain I'd been fighting so hard to ignore surged back, sharp and relentless, like a thousand needles driving into my skin all at once.
I pulled out my phone. The color had drained from my face as I dialed a number. "Fire Cindy Pruitt. I want her blacklisted across the entire industry." My voice didn't waver. "And start consolidating my assets. I want a divorce."
Chapter 2That evening, Brendan showed up with Cindy in tow, ready for a fight.
"Debbie, you promised me you wouldn't fire Cindy. How could you go back on your word?"
I tossed the photos of the two of them at the café onto the table.
"Brendan, who lied first? You really want to play this game?"
The color drained from his face. Before he could respond, Cindy stepped forward with a scornful laugh. "Debbie, when are you going to get it through your head? The only reason you can stand here with any authority is because of Mr. Sanchez."
"He's the one who gave you money to spend. He's the one who gave you a job. Everything you have was handed to you by Mr. Sanchez out of charity."
"Wanting it all and giving nothing back. Didn't your parents ever teach you manners?" She tapped her chin in mock thought, then flashed a saccharine smile. "Oh, right. How does the saying go? Born with a mother, raised without one. That's you, isn't it?"
I froze. My gaze snapped to Brendan.
My mother had passed away when I was young. It had always been a wound I carried deep inside. I never imagined Brendan would share it with Cindy like it was gossip.
My arm shot up. My palm was already swinging toward Cindy's face.
The next instant, Brendan's hand clamped around my wrist like a vise. Fury blazed in his eyes. "Debbie, lay one finger on her. I dare you."
My body was still weak from just being discharged. I had no time to brace myself before he flung me to the ground.
"You—" He faltered, then bent down to scoop me up. I thrust out a hand to stop him.
"Brendan, you hurt me for her?"
He pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, a flash of weariness crossing his face. "Debbie, can you grow up? You're the one who tried to hit her first."
"Think about what you've done. You got jealous over nothing and cost an innocent girl her job. Now you're trying to assault her. When did you become so unreasonable?"
"Here's what's going to happen. You apologize to Cindy, then arrange a position for her at the company. We put this whole thing behind us."
A laugh tore out of me, sharp and bitter. "She barely finished middle school. You think she's qualified to work at my company?"
"It's fine, Mr. Sanchez." Cindy latched onto Brendan's arm, her voice soft and pitiful. "I don't want you getting in trouble because of me. It's just that I can't make rent anymore, and my landlord kicked me out..."
"Cindy, don't worry about a thing." Brendan pressed her firmly onto the couch. "This is your home now. Stay as long as you want."
"But..." Cindy trailed off, though her eyes kept drifting toward me, as if to say, What about her?
"She owns plenty of properties. She won't miss this one."
Brendan glanced at me, his tone hardening. "Debbie, this is settled. Don't make a scene."
"Sure."
I let out a cold laugh and pulled out the documents I'd prepared long ago. "Sign this, and I promise I won't bother the two of you ever again."
Brendan's lips curved into a smug grin. "Well, look at that. At least you know how to behave. Preparing an apology gift for Cindy. Though if it's anything cheap, I won't accept it on her behalf—" His eyes dropped to the papers. "Divorce papers?"
His pupils contracted. His head snapped up. "Debbie, you want to divorce me?"
Chapter 3"Cut the crap and sign."
"Considering everything we've been through, I've left you a fair share of assets. Enough to live comfortably for the rest of your life."
But before Brendan could say a word, Cindy shot to her feet and ripped the divorce agreement to shreds. "Debbie, you gold-digging tramp! Have you no shame?"
She was practically frothing at the mouth. "You're leaving Mr. Sanchez a couple of properties while you swallow Henson Sterling Group whole? How dare you! That company is Mr. Sanchez's life's work!"
Watching her little performance, I almost laughed. If she only knew that Henson Sterling Group was mine, and the man she'd schemed so hard to get was nothing more than a live-in husband with no stake in any of it. Now that would be entertaining.
"Debbie, will you stop with this nonsense!" Brendan gripped my shoulders with both hands. "I'm going to chalk today up to you being impulsive. But if you bring this up again, I will be genuinely angry."
"Although... you really should learn a thing or two from Cindy. She's gentle, she's considerate, and she'd never fly off the handle the way you do."
There was no getting through to him. I didn't bother trying anymore. My lawyers were already preparing to file.
I gathered my things, ready to leave this house I'd lived in for years. It was time to go home to the family estate and look after my parents.
Brendan saw me packing. He didn't stop me. "Just stay at a hotel for a few days. Once Cindy finds a place of her own, you can move back. After all, it was your little tantrum that cost her the job. You owe her that much."
The moment he left, Cindy dropped the act entirely. "Oh my, isn't Mrs. Sanchez supposed to be so tough? What happened? Slinking off with your tail between your legs?"
"Without Mr. Sanchez, you're just another washed-up old woman. I really don't understand what you've been so high and mighty about all this time."
She taunted me, waggling her ring finger in my face. On it sat a diamond ring. The diamond ring. The one Brendan had used to propose to me.
I didn't indulge her for a second. My palm cracked across her face, and I seized her hand, wrenched the ring off her finger, and tossed it straight into the toilet. "What's mine gets thrown away before it ever goes to you. And for the record, everyone calls me Ms. Henson. Nobody has ever dared call me Mrs. Sanchez."
"Debbie!"
Behind me, Cindy's shrieking curses didn't let up.
The next day, I went to pick up a custom order.
My father's birthday gala was coming up soon. I could never get comfortable in those couture gowns, so months ago I'd commissioned a bespoke suit at considerable expense.
Standing in front of the familiar storefront, I felt a pang. The last time I'd been here, Brendan had come with me. He'd said that once I put on that suit, I'd look so striking he'd have to fight off every man in the room.
And now, in the blink of an eye, he was the one tangled up with another woman.
"Ms. Henson, your suit was already picked up by Mr. Sanchez."
Why would he take my suit?
Baffled, I floored the accelerator and drove straight to Brendan's place.
One look was all it took. I knew exactly what he'd done. The suit that belonged to me was on Cindy's body. She stood in front of the mirror admiring herself, then turned to Brendan with a simpering smile. "Brendan, don't I look so much better in this than that old hag Debbie?"
Brendan dipped his head and tapped the tip of her nose, indulgent as ever. "You're young. Of course everything looks good on you."
A few days apart and she's already calling him by pet names. I could have laughed.
"Sure, it looks good," I said, stepping forward. "But I wonder if people would still compliment you once they found out the suit was stolen."
Chapter 4Brendan's expression darkened. He turned on me with a sharp rebuke. "Debbie, do you have to come in here throwing ugly accusations right off the bat?"
"But it's the truth!" I pulled at the hem of the suit. "My name is stitched right into this jacket. My suit ended up on her body without my knowledge. If that's not stealing, what is?"
Cindy's eyes turned red instantly. She tipped her face up, the picture of wounded innocence. "Brendan, she has so many clothes, and she's singling me out over this one? I honestly don't know what I did wrong!"
"Enough. It's just a suit!" Brendan waved me off. "Cindy starts her new job tomorrow. A decent outfit would help her make a good impression on her colleagues. How can you not see what actually matters here?"
"What actually matters?" I repeated the words slowly.
"You're telling me my father's birthday gala is less important than her job?"
"Debbie, will you stop twisting everything?" Brendan could barely keep the irritation off his face. "You have a closet full of clothes and you're fixated on this one? I'm begging you, just give it a rest. Stop stirring up drama."
"Please, Debbie, I'm begging you, stop fighting with Brendan!"
Cindy wept like a willow in a rainstorm. "You don't care how exhausted he is, but I do. Do you have any idea how draining it is for him to run a company that size every single day?"
"As his wife, you're not gentle, you're not supportive, and you can't even give him children. You are the definition of a failed woman!"
"And yet someone like you still has Brendan's love. What more could you possibly want?"
Brendan looked genuinely moved, as if he'd finally found someone who truly understood him. "Cindy..."
I let out a cold laugh and tossed a bill onto the table. "You two really are a match made in the gutter. I'm here for one thing today. Compensation."
"Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars!" Cindy shrieked. "Debbie, have you lost your mind? What suit costs two hundred and fifty thousand dollars?"
I raised an eyebrow and looked at Brendan.
"Why don't you ask your precious Brendan? On top of the suit itself, factor in the time I've lost and the rush fees for a replacement. Then tell me whether that number is unreasonable."
Cindy turned to Brendan, eyes pleading, desperate for him to call my bluff. Instead, he gave a small nod. "That price is about right."
Her breath hitched. "But I don't have that kind of money! And I was only going to borrow it for a few days. Isn't she being a little too calculating?"
"Cindy, don't worry about it. Consider this suit her apology gift to you. We're not paying a cent."
"But Brendan, if you keep taking my side like this, she's only going to get angrier." Cindy leaned against his shoulder, practically preening. "I'm afraid she'll make things difficult for you."
"Don't worry about that."
Brendan was dismissive, a thread of arrogance running through his voice. "We're husband and wife. What's hers is mine. If I say it's yours, no one can stop me."
"Then I hope you'll both say that to the police when they get here."
I held up my phone and gave it a little shake. The screen glowed with an active call, and the number on it was 911.
Chapter 5"You—" Brendan rushed over in a panic, snatched my phone, and hurled it to the ground. It shattered into pieces on impact. "Debbie, do you really have to be this ruthless?"
That phone was the matching couple's set he'd given me at the start of the year, covered in crystal charms. He'd told me our love would outlast every diamond on it.
"All I know is that someone stole a suit I paid a fortune for. Either replace it with a brand-new one, or pay up."
Even though I already knew where Brendan's loyalties lay, watching him panic on Cindy's behalf still sent a sharp ache through my chest.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and kept my voice cold. "Cindy, are you going to hand it over willingly, or would you rather I take you to court?"
"Enough."
Brendan stood up, his expression dark. "I'll pay for her."
"You?" I'd arranged his position at Henson Sterling myself. His salary wasn't exactly generous. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars was no small number for him.
He disappeared into the bedroom and came back with a card, which he flung straight at my face. "There. Satisfied now?"
The moment I saw that card, I froze.
It was the card my father had given him as a wedding gift. At the time, Brendan had said it was a gesture of goodwill from Dad and that he'd never touch the money on it.
But after I'd put my body through countless rounds of IVF for him, he felt he owed me. He started depositing money into it regularly.
Back then, his eyes had been full of plans for our future. "You cover most of the daily expenses for now, fine. But once you're pregnant, you have to let me step up as a father. This card is going to be the nest egg for our little family!"
Now that same card had become his bankroll for throwing money at Cindy Pruitt.
I bent down and picked it up. "Fine."
Cindy kicked the card out of my hand, her lip curling with contempt. "God, you're pathetic. Nickel-and-diming your own husband."
"She gave you the money. Now get lost."
The suffocating weight in my chest grew heavier. Not because of Cindy's barbs. Because Brendan stood right there, watching her humiliate me, and didn't say a single word in my defense.
It took me days to pull myself together. Eventually, I slipped back into the unfeeling machine I became at work.
I had a decent relationship with most of my staff. During lunch break, a few of them wandered over to gossip.
"Ms. Henson, do you know who Manager Sanchez's wife is? The one he supposedly adores?"
I blinked. Brendan had always insisted on keeping our marriage a secret to avoid any negative attention at the company. Why would he start telling people now, right when we were about to divorce?
"He and I are about to have nothing to do with each—"
"It's Cindy Pruitt!" The girl's face lit up with excitement. "She's a new intern. I've never seen Mr. Sanchez be that gentle with anyone. And after all these years, this is the first time he's ever pulled strings at work, just to get her transferred in as his secretary!"
"It's so obvious he's crazy about her!"
"Honestly, they're adorable together!"
The younger girls kept gushing, one after another.
After lunch, I was heading to a meeting with a group of colleagues when Cindy stepped into our path and blocked the way.
"Hey, you. Who said you could wander around during work hours?"
The people behind me stared in horror at the intern badge dangling from Cindy's lanyard, baffled that she had the audacity to talk down to their boss.
"Debbie Henson, I'm talking to you!"
Cindy had a small entourage of her own, mostly interns who'd never laid eyes on me before. But they seemed to know she was the "manager's girlfriend," and that was enough for them to fall in line.
"Miss Pruitt is speaking to you." A boy with a face full of acne lifted his chin high. "Are you deaf or blind? Do you have any idea who she is?"
My assistant slammed a hand on the nearest desk. "Do you have any idea who Ms. Henson is?"
"Like I care?" Their faces still carried the softness of youth, but the words coming out of their mouths were vile. "Who knows whose bed she climbed into to land some low-level management gig. Miss Pruitt is Manager Sanchez's girlfriend!"
"Are you people so clueless you don't even know who Manager Sanchez is?"
"Let me spell it out for you. Other than the chairman himself, Mr. Sanchez's word is law at Henson Sterling!"
Cindy sauntered up and stopped right in front of me, triumph written all over her face. "Debbie Henson, you're fired."
"Security! Get this woman out of here!"
I turned to my assistant. "Recruitment was your responsibility, wasn't it?"
The assistant lowered her head, sweat beading at her temples. "Mr. Sanchez took over the hiring process after that."
I pointed at Cindy and her little crew. "Fire every last one of them. Bring in replacements."
"Who do you think you are?" Acne Boy sneered. "We're under Miss Pruitt's protection. You don't have the authority to—"
"Oh no. HR just notified me I've been terminated."
"Me too!"
Acne Boy stared at his final paycheck notification, wailing. "Miss Pruitt, what's going on? How did I get fired?"
Cindy had received her own termination notice. Brendan arrived at that exact moment, and she threw herself into her performance, tears streaming down her face like rain on cherry blossoms. "Brendan, I got fired!"
Without bothering to hear a single explanation, Brendan tore into me. "Debbie, do you have to go after Cindy at every turn?"
"There's a limit to how unreasonable you can be. This is a company, not your personal playground!"
"Let every executive standing behind you take a good look at what you're doing. Targeting an innocent girl over a personal grudge. You're not fit to lead. People like you are born selfish. You don't deserve to be at Henson Sterling!"
"Debbie, I'm ordering you. Reinstate Cindy's position immediately. Give her a promotion and a raise. Match her salary to yours, down to the last cent!"
He finished his speech with the righteous conviction of a man who believed the crowd would rally behind him.
No one did. Instead, every pair of eyes in the room turned to him with the same bewildered stare.
"You… don't you all think I have a point…?"
"Mr. Sanchez, have you lost your mind?" A mid-level manager couldn't hold back any longer. "Maybe check the security footage first? Your little girlfriend Cindy Pruitt started the whole thing. She spread disgusting rumors about Ms. Henson and even tried to fire her!"
"Impossible!" Brendan didn't even pause to think. "Cindy is kind-hearted. She would never do something like that."
Naturally, someone was only too happy to fan the flames. "Here, Mr. Sanchez. The footage is right here. See for yourself."
"Fine. Everything they said is true." Seeing that the tide had turned against her, Cindy stepped forward and chose to blow her own cover.
Chapter 6"But Brendan, I just have feelings for you."
Cindy's eyes were rimmed red as she glared at me. "I fell in love with you, Brendan. That's why I got jealous. I was jealous that she had your love, jealous of how good you are to her. It's all my fault!"
She whipped her head toward me, her face dripping with contempt. "Debbie, you win. Go ahead and slander me all you want. The truth will come out."
With that, she burst into tears and ran out.
Brendan stood frozen for a long moment, then swept the room with a cold stare. His voice carried an unmistakable threat. "Cindy has already been fired. Anyone who keeps pushing this is making an enemy of me, and don't blame me when I show no mercy."
Then he rushed out after her, as if terrified she might slip away.
The entire room went silent. Nobody could make sense of what had just happened.
"Wait, I thought Cindy was Mr. Sanchez's girlfriend? Now he's in love with Ms. Henson?"
I cleared my throat and gave my assistant a look, brows pinched, signaling her to explain.
She stepped forward with a crisp smile. "Brendan Sanchez and our chairwoman, Ms. Henson, have been secretly married for years. But as you all just witnessed, he's been having an affair with Cindy Pruitt. Ms. Henson is filing for divorce, and effective today, the board of directors has voted to strip Brendan Sanchez of all positions within the company."
"What?" The guy with the acne stared blankly. "You're the chairwoman? Then why didn't you say so earlier?"
"If she had, would you have shown your true colors?" The assistant let out a cold scoff. "Security, escort these people out."
"It's over. We're actually fired. I worked so hard just to land this internship!"
Someone broke down crying. "Ms. Henson, please, give me one more chance! I know I was wrong!"
"My parents are counting on me to make something of myself. I really can't lose this job at Henson Sterling!"
"This is all Cindy Pruitt's fault!"
"Exactly! She's the homewrecker, and she used us as her attack dogs against the real wife. She owes us compensation!"
I heard later that the whole group actually tracked Cindy down and squeezed a hefty payout out of her.
My assistant suddenly spoke up. "Ms. Henson, you finalized the divorce a few days ago, right? Well, those properties that went to Brendan in the settlement? He sold every single one of them to cover Cindy's damages."
"Honestly, just imagining the look on Cindy's face when she finds out Brendan is completely broke now gives me a thrill I can't even describe!"
I stared at her, incredulous. "Since when did you develop such a wicked streak?"
She dodged the question with a grin. "Heh. Anyway, there's a contract this afternoon that requires your signature in person."
When I arrived at the meeting location, I spotted two painfully familiar faces.
"Debbie." Brendan saw me and instinctively started toward me, then forced himself to stop.
"Let's talk about getting remarried in a few days. Right now Cindy doesn't even have a place to stay..."
I blinked. "Who said anything about getting remarried?"
"If you're not here to chase after us, then what are you doing here?" Cindy sneered. "At the end of the day, you just can't let go of the Sanchez family fortune."
"Drop the act, Debbie." Brendan's tone was strange, almost pitying. "I know you've had people keeping tabs on me these past few days. I'll admit, agreeing to the divorce was me being impulsive. But if going through all this helps you reflect on your own behavior, then maybe it was worth it."
I laughed in disbelief.
I was about to fire back when a wave of scorching heat slammed into me. Someone screamed, "Fire!"
I turned to run, but with a deafening crash, flames engulfed the ceiling beams. A wooden cabinet toppled and smashed down onto my foot.
I choked back a cry, my face draining of color. "Brendan, help me up!"
Brendan pulled me to my feet without hesitation. Then a wail came from behind us. Cindy was sitting by the doorway, paralyzed with fear. "Brendan! Save me!"
Brendan looked at me. Then went quiet.
Dread pooled in my stomach. "Brendan, don't tell me you're going to rescue her. She's right by the door. She could crawl out in two seconds. Even if she just sat there and did nothing, she'd be perfectly fine..."
"I'm sorry, Debbie." His voice was hoarse. "Cindy has no one else to rely on but me. You're strong. Holding on a little longer won't be a problem for you. I'll come back for you."
"Trust me, Debbie. You're my wife. I would never let you get hurt. But I have to save Cindy first."
He let go of my hand without a second of hesitation and walked away.
The fire raged at nearly two hundred degrees, but in that moment, I felt like I'd been plunged into an ice cellar.
I watched Brendan scoop Cindy into his arms and carry her out. I watched Cindy glance back at me, then go limp, faking unconsciousness the second they cleared the door. Brendan didn't think twice. He hailed a cab and left with her, never once looking back, never once remembering I was still inside.
The world blurred as I collapsed to the ground. Through the haze, I saw firefighters rushing in.
Chapter 7After a solid month of recovery, I was finally cleared to leave the hospital.
"If today weren't my birthday, I never would have let you check out." My father's tone left no room for argument.
I gave him a helpless smile. "Your daughter survived a brush with death. That means nothing but good fortune ahead."
Darrell Henson burst through the door like a cannonball. "Sis, I heard you got hurt?"
"How does the entire world already know about this?"
His jaw tightened, something dangerous flickering behind his eyes. "Just wait. I'm going to kill that heartless bastard Brendan Sanchez right now."
"Enough. He and I are done. We have been for a while."
A cold edge crept into my voice. "After the divorce, we're strangers. He had no obligation to save me, so what's the point?"
Darrell nodded in agreement, though a shadow passed through his gaze. "You're right, sis. Which means not a single Henson resource should go to Brendan Sanchez from now on. I already looked into it. The place he's working now only exists because of Henson connections..."
"Fine. Do what you want, just don't make a scene." I shook my head with a sigh, but warmth flickered through me. My little brother had been fiercely protective of me since we were kids. He couldn't stand anyone wronging me, not even a little.
We chatted for a while before a few of the older relatives wandered in, all smiles. "Darrell, when did you start dating? Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Darrell looked completely baffled, pointing at himself. "Me? Dating?"
"That's right! Your girlfriend is quite something." One of the elders gestured toward the floor below. "She's already down there arranging the guests."
My brother, my father, and I all looked down at once.
It was Cindy Pruitt.
"What?" Darrell cracked his knuckles, a cold smirk cutting across his face. "That's the homewrecker Brendan brought in? Then I'd better go have a proper chat with her."
"Not so fast." I smiled and took the first step forward. "This scene is mine to play."
Cindy froze the moment she spotted me. "Debbie? What are you doing here?"
Then something seemed to click. She crossed her arms and let out a scornful laugh. "Oh, don't tell me you still can't let go. I'm warning you, the Sanchez family is already mine. If you have any dignity left, you'll leave now before the hosts show up and throw you out themselves."
"The hosts?" I bit back a laugh. "You don't even know whose party this is, do you?"
"I... of course I do!" Cindy shouted back, puffing herself up as if volume alone could make her right. "The guest of honor is obviously Brendan's father. He told me he'd introduce me today, and he said the birthday boy would definitely love a sweet girl like me."
"Then you're in for a disappointment. He can't stand sycophants. The only people he respects are the ones who actually get things done."
"You and Brendan are already divorced. What his family likes is none of your business." Cindy looked around impatiently. "Security! Someone get security and remove this nobody!"
A guard hurried over, took one look at me, and stopped dead. "You want me to throw her out? Have you lost your mind?"
"You're the one who's lost it!" Cindy drew herself up like the lady of the house, emboldened by the crowd that had gathered to watch. She jabbed a finger at the guard. "She's Brendan's ex-wife. Cast out. Discarded. Do you understand?"
"I am the future mistress of this family. If you don't believe me, go ask your young master!"
"Someone called for me?" Darrell strolled down the staircase, hands in his pockets, taking his time. "I hear you were looking for me."
Cindy eyed him suspiciously. "Who are you?"
Darrell let out a sharp laugh. "The man whose birthday we're celebrating today is my father. You tell me who I am."
Confusion twisted across Cindy's face. "Brendan never mentioned he had a brother..."
"Brendan Sanchez?" Darrell's lip curled with open contempt. "A live-in son-in-law. And you think he gets to call himself my brother?"
"Live-in son-in-law?" Cindy's eyes went wide. "What are you talking about? Brendan is the only son of the Sanchez family! He's the chairman of Henson Sterling Group!"
"Cindy Pruitt. After all this time, you still haven't figured it out." I looked down at her, a slow smile pulling at my lips. "You really are a complete and utter fool."
I held her gaze, letting every word land.
"My name is Debbie Henson. His name is Darrell Henson. Now tell me... what exactly do you think Henson Sterling Group has to do with us?"