The rain began before I received Victor's next call.
It tapped against the hotel's tall windows.
Sophia stood beside me, watching the drops slide down the glass.
"Mommy, is it going to storm?"
"Looks like it."
"Will Daddy come downstairs before we go?"
I looked at her reflection.
"I don't know, sweetheart."
She nodded.
Then she asked something that made me turn away.
"Did I do something wrong?"
I knelt immediately.
"No."
She looked down at her shoes.
"Maybe Daddy doesn't want my necklace."
My throat tightened.
I held both her hands.
"Listen to me. You made that necklace because you love him. That's something beautiful. Nobody can make that wrong."
She looked at me for a moment.
Then she leaned forward and hugged me.
I held her longer than usual.
When I stood, I saw Chloe coming toward us again.
She was speaking to someone through her earpiece.
Her face was tense.
"Yes, I understand."
She stopped when she noticed me.
Then she ended the conversation.
"Mr. Hayes is asking for you."
I didn't move.
"Tell him I'm here."
"He wants you upstairs."
"Then he can come down."
Her jaw tightened.
"You don't understand how important tonight is."
I looked at her.
"I understand perfectly."
She folded her arms.
"He's surrounded by investors. He can't abandon them because you're upset."
I glanced toward the ballroom.
"Then perhaps he shouldn't have invited another woman to stand beside him as his wife."
For once, Chloe had no immediate answer.
She looked around to see whether anyone had heard.
I didn't care.
She stepped closer.
"You're going to regret making this public."
I kept my voice quiet.
"I didn't make it public. You told me about it in front of everyone."
Her expression hardened.
Then she turned away.
I watched her walk toward the elevators.
My phone rang.
Victor.
"Viv, where are you?"
"Still downstairs."
"Good."
He sounded as if he had been waiting for that answer.
"What have you found?"
"We've confirmed that several important financial arrangements involve Sterling-linked entities."
I closed my eyes.
"How important?"
"Important enough that the company would face serious pressure if those arrangements were no longer available."
I looked toward the reception desk.
"Can you end them?"
"Some can be reviewed for suspension or withdrawal under their terms. Others require formal notice and legal examination."
"Do that."
"We are."
He paused.
"But I want you to understand that this isn't just about money."
"What do you mean?"
"There are questions about how Dominic represented the company's financial position to other people."
I remembered Daniel's warning.
"The reports?"
"Yes. We're checking the original agreements against the presentations made to investors and the board."
I gripped my phone.
"Is he hiding something?"
"We don't know everything yet."
Victor never made promises he couldn't support.
That was one reason I trusted him.
He continued.
"Our legal and financial teams are reviewing the records. Nobody is going to destroy documents, threaten employees, or make decisions outside the agreements."
"Thank you."
"Viv, I need to ask you something."
"What?"
"Did Dominic ever discuss the company's ownership with you?"
I thought about it.
He had mentioned investors.
He had spoken about board members.
He had celebrated when new funding arrived.
But he had never explained who actually held the power behind the company.
"No. He always said he was in control."
Victor was quiet.
"That may be the most important thing we need to establish."
I looked toward Sophia.
She was now sitting on a small sofa near the lobby.
Her feet didn't reach the floor.
"Victor, I want the truth. All of it."
"You'll have it."
"And I want Sophia protected."
"She will be."
I ended the call.
For a moment, I simply stood there.
Then the elevator doors opened.
Dominic stepped out.
He wore a black tuxedo.
His hair was neatly styled.
A white handkerchief sat in his jacket pocket.
He looked exactly as he did in the photographs he sent me from business events.
Successful.
Confident.
Untouchable.
But the moment he saw me, his expression changed.
His eyes moved to Sophia.
Then to my handbag.
Then back to my face.
"Vivienne."
I didn't answer.
He approached us quickly.
"What are you doing here?"
I looked at him.
"I came to see my husband."
He glanced around.
"Not here."
"Why?"
His eyes moved toward the guests.
"Can we talk somewhere private?"
I almost smiled.
He had no problem allowing Chloe to discuss his second family in the middle of the lobby.
But now he wanted privacy.
Sophia stood up.
"Daddy!"
She ran toward him.
For a second, Dominic looked startled.
Then he bent down and gave her a brief hug.
"Hello, princess."
She reached into my handbag.
I hadn't realized she had noticed me putting the necklace away.
She took it out and held it toward him.
"I made you something."
Dominic looked at the paper hearts.
His expression became uncomfortable.
"That's nice, sweetheart."
"Can you wear it?"
He glanced at the guests behind him.
"Maybe later."
Sophia's smile weakened.
I watched him carefully.
He wasn't looking at his daughter.
He was looking at the people who might see him.
Then a woman appeared near the elevator.
She was wearing an elegant cream-colored dress.
A small boy stood beside her.
Dominic turned toward them.
The woman's expression changed when she noticed me.
She looked at Sophia.
Then at Dominic.
Nobody spoke.
I understood immediately.
This was the woman Chloe had described.
The woman being introduced upstairs as his wife.
The little boy was standing close to her, holding a small toy car.
Dominic straightened.
"Vivienne, this isn't the right time."
I looked at the woman.
Then at the boy.
Finally, I looked back at my husband.
"How long?"
He frowned.
"Not here."
"How long have you been lying to me?"
His face hardened.
The woman beside him lowered her eyes.
Sophia looked between us.
"Mommy?"
I immediately turned toward her.
"It's all right, sweetheart."
But I knew it wasn't.
Dominic stepped closer.
"You're embarrassing me."
I stared at him.
That was what he was worried about.
Not his daughter.
Not his marriage.
Not the woman standing beside him.
His reputation.
I took Sophia's hand.
Then I looked directly at him.
"You should have thought about that before tonight."
His phone began vibrating.
He checked the screen.
The color slowly drained from his face.
Another notification appeared.
Then another.
He looked toward the ballroom.
A senior executive hurried out and approached him.
"Dominic, we need to speak immediately."
Dominic ignored him.
His eyes remained fixed on his phone.
I knew who was calling.
Victor.
My brother had begun the formal review.
The executive leaned closer.
"The board is asking questions about the funding agreements."
Dominic looked up sharply.
"What questions?"
The man swallowed.
"They want the original documents. All of them."
Dominic turned toward me.
For the first time that evening, I saw something other than irritation in his eyes.
Fear.
I didn't smile.
I didn't celebrate.
I simply picked up Sophia's necklace and placed it gently back inside my handbag.
Then I took my daughter's hand.
The truth had finally reached the same room as the lies.
And Dominic was beginning to understand that the woman he had spent years underestimating was not standing there alone.
Click here to continue reading: PART 5: My Husband Finally Looked Afraid When the Board Demanded the Original Agreements He Had Been Hiding
The Little Girl With a Handmade Gift Was About to Discover That Her Father Had Built a Second Family
Part 4 of 20
