still trying to understand why she had called Julian her husband when the dining room doors opened.
Julian Bennett walked inside.
My husband.
The man I’d been married to for seven years.
His eyes moved from the cup in my hand to the red mark on my cheek, then to Celeste standing inches away from me.
For one brief moment, his expression changed.
He looked frightened.
“Maya?”
Celeste immediately turned toward him.
“Darling, thank goodness you’re here! This new employee drank from your personal cup. I was just making sure she understood how inappropriate that was.”
I waited for Julian to correct her.
Surely he would explain that I was his wife.
Surely he would ask why his secretary had raised her hand against another employee.
But instead, he adjusted his tie and spoke in a cold voice.
“Celeste, return to your office.”
Then he looked directly at me.
“And
you. Come with me. Now.”
The dining room fell completely silent.
Celeste smiled.
She thought he’d chosen her.
What neither of them realized was that I’d joined Hartwell Industries under my maiden name three weeks earlier for a reason.
And the reason had nothing to do with catching my husband having an affair.
I was investigating the disappearance of $1.8 million from the company my father had built.
My name is Maya Bennett, although the employees at Hartwell Industries knew me as Maya Hart.
My father had founded the company forty years earlier, beginning with a small workshop and gradually transforming it into a successful industrial business.
After his passing, our family’s holding company retained controlling ownership.
Through that structure, I controlled sixty-four percent of the voting shares.
Julian was the chief executive officer.
But he wasn’t the owner.
I’d appointed him to the position because I believed in
his abilities and trusted him to protect my father’s legacy.
For years, our arrangement seemed to work.
Julian managed daily operations, negotiated contracts, and represented the company publicly. I focused much of my attention on our charitable foundation while maintaining oversight through the board and regular financial reporting.
