He introduced his new wife in front of everyone and had no idea the woman he called his ex was about to inherit a billion-dollar empire

While Derek was picking himself up off the grass, Simone was sitting at the head of a twenty-foot glass conference table on the 50th floor of the Vance Global Tower in Midtown Manhattan.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the skyline of New York stretched out under a bright, crisp sun.

Seated around the table were twelve senior executives, heads of international shipping divisions, and legal representatives who collectively controlled billions of dollars in global commerce.

Julian Thorne stood at the head of the table, holding a laser pointer.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Thorne announced, his voice echoing in the grand room. "As per the late Arthur Vance’s explicit directives, I present to you the new Chairwoman and majority shareholder of Vance Global Enterprises—Miss Simone Vance."

A few of the older board members looked skeptical. They had spent thirty years serving Arthur Vance, a man known for his ruthless brilliance and absolute paranoia. To see a twenty-eight-year-old woman in an ivory coat sit in his chair was a shock to their systems.

"Miss Vance," said Marcus Sterling, a sharp-featured executive in his late fifties. "We respect Arthur's legacy, but you have no corporate background. You spent the last three years in North Carolina working as a paralegal and running a residential household."

Simone didn't shrink under his gaze. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the glass table, resting her chin on her laced fingers.

"You're right, Mr. Sterling," Simone said, her voice smooth, calm, and unexpectedly commanding. "I don't have an MBA from Harvard. But for the last three years, I managed a household budget while my husband attempted to steal my inheritance, hide offshore accounts, and run a fraud scheme under my nose."

The board went quiet.

"I caught him," Simone continued, her eyes locking onto Sterling’s. "I traced his shell companies using basic paralegal skills before Mr. Thorne even handed me his file. I know how predators operate, Mr. Sterling. I know how men hide money when they think no one is watching."

She leaned back, opening the tablet sitting in front of her.

"And while we're on the subject of hiding money," Simone said, pressing a button on her screen. "Let's talk about the four percent cost overrun on the Rotterdam port expansion project that you personally authorized last quarter, Marcus."

Marcus Sterling’s face turned bright red. He swallowed hard, adjusting his silk tie.

"Arthur taught me one thing through his final letters," Simone said softly, looking around the room at every single executive. "Vance Global doesn't tolerate weakness. And it doesn't tolerate traitors. Are there any other questions about my qualifications?"