Peggy kicked the phone across the room. "Your debt, your problem. Who else is going to pay it if not you?"
Right then, the front door slammed open with a bang.
Alex Swanson stormed in, face twisted with fury. "Ronald Mason, you're a piece of garbage! A hundred million dollars in debt!"
Adeline threw herself into his arms. "Alex, he even has the nerve to say my brother's the one who borrowed the money."
Alex kissed the top of her head. "Why don't you just come stay at my place? If those debt collectors show up again, what if they scare you and our baby?"
When he saw the shock on my face, Alex let out a mocking laugh. "What's so surprising? Where did you think Adeline went every time you were away on business?"
"She was at my place. She's slept in my bed more times than she's ever slept in yours."
After calling me garbage one more time, he took Adeline by the hand, and the three of them walked out of my home without a backward glance.
It wasn't just Adeline's betrayal that stunned me. It was Alex.
Alex and I had been brothers since college. A few years back, when he lost his job, he came to me for a loan. I didn't hesitate. I lent him a hundred thousand dollars on the spot.
When he still couldn't find work, I recommended him to a company. He worked his way up to a senior executive position, pulling in five million a year.
What I never told him was that the company belonged to my father.
I never imagined this ungrateful traitor had been sleeping with my wife.
I was still reeling from the memories when my phone buzzed with a call from one of my employees. "Mr. Mason, you need to get back to the office. Now."
I didn't know what was going on, but I rushed back.
The scene that greeted me was chaos. Adeline had brought Alex and Peggy to my company, and all three of them were causing a scene.
Adeline was at the legal department, filling out paperwork. "Effective immediately, I am no longer a shareholder of this pathetic company. I'm pulling out!"
Alex snatched up the withdrawal agreement. "That's right. Get the shares transferred and the divorce finalized. Then that hundred-million-dollar debt has nothing to do with us."
Peggy marched straight up to the clients waiting in the lobby. "The owner of this company is a crook!" she hollered. "Don't do business here! Leave while you still can!"
One by one, the clients stood up, gathered their things, and headed for the door.