Empty Promises, Full Pockets

The second I found out Neil Schmidt was cheating on me, I wanted to rip him to shreds. But I played it smart. Stayed calm. Had someone dig up the dirt.Cecelia Beech. College girl. Intern at SchmidtCorp. Seemed harmless enough—until six months ago, when Neil dragged his team to Ardenport and ended up in her bed.The private investigator said it was supposed to be a setup. Neil's rivals planned to catch him with escorts and blow his reputation sky-high. But Cecelia? She somehow saved him from that mess.Neil tried to pay her off. She refused. And, of course, she got pregnant.Rowina Dunley, my meddling mother-in-law, wasn't about to let the Schmidt bloodline disappear. Naturally, she swooped in to "save" Cecelia.Suddenly, everything clicked. Neil's constant "work trips," his last-minute dashes to the office—he'd been running to Cecelia. How many times had he bailed halfway through dinner, claiming SchmidtCorp needed him? Even our wedding anniversary had been trashed because of his

Neil didn't seem to realize that when he was nervous, his fingers always fidgeted at the edge of his shirt.I smiled faintly. "I'm visiting a friend. She's hospitalized."Relief washed over his face. "Where are you headed? I'll drive you.""No need. You're busy. It's your employee, after all. Can't have rumors spreading that the Schmidt family mistreats staff. If she miscarried, well, that'd be on us, wouldn't it?"Neil froze, caught off guard, but I didn't wait for his response. I turned and walked out.Once outside, I gulped down a deep breath of fresh air. By the time I got home, I didn't hesitate—I packed up every last one of Neil's things and had them sent straight to that villa.This was my house. My turf. If someone had to leave, it wasn't going to be me.An hour later, Neil stormed in, his face flushed and frantic. He found me in the kitchen, calmly setting down a bowl of soup."Angela, I can explain!" he blurted, his voice desperate.I looked up at him. "Neil, did you

It didn't take long for people to dig up Cecelia's social media account.She was still holed up at the Schmidt house, totally clueless, and couldn't delete anything before the screenshots were grabbed.[Someone mentioned before that she was the mistress, but the posts got deleted so fast. Turns out it was true!][Wow, the audacity. She knew he was married and still went for it.][She's got that innocent college-girl look, but come on—she's nowhere near as stunning as the wife.][As they say, what you haven't had always seems sweeter. After years with a strong woman like Angela, Neil probably thought a little wildflower would feel like a change of pace.]Within hours, I was trending.Rowina's birthday party? Completely ruined. By the time Neil came racing back to the villa, he found it empty.He lost it, pounding on the door, trying to break in. Problem was, the house didn't belong to him anymore. The new owner wasn't having it and called the cops.I helpfully sent a reporter t

Neil knew me too well—once I made up my mind, nothing on Earth could drag me back.Back in college, I had a boyfriend who cheated. I dumped him on the spot, and when he wouldn't take no for an answer, I made sure someone taught him a lesson. He got the message and never looked my way again.Neil should've known better. Even when we were dating, I told him straight up: cheat, and I'm gone. No warnings. No second chances. So now that I knew about Cecelia, he could forget about holding onto hope.I'd made myself clear. Whatever love we'd had? Completely gone—buried under the weight of my hatred. Neil finally sighed, his voice breaking. "I can't give you everything. If I do, my family's ruined. SchmidtCorp will collapse. I can't let that happen.""Then I'll see you in court," I said flatly.I glanced at Maya, who gave me a quick nod. We were done here. No point dragging this out. I stood to leave.Neil lunged, grabbing my hand. "Angela, was there never any love between us?"I ripped

A few busybodies poked around, fishing for details about the settlement. "How much did you get?" someone asked with a forced smile.I just smiled back, all calm confidence, and gave them nothing. That money was mine—rightfully mine—and I didn't owe anyone an explanation.As for the future? I had no plans of settling for anyone older when there were plenty of younger, better-looking options around.When we got home, my dad let out a long sigh as he unlocked the door. "I didn't expect you to turn so many heads tonight. Do you know how many people asked me about you?""Dad, I'm not worried about finding someone. Let's be honest, most of them aren't sincere—they're after the money. I don't want any of that."He nodded knowingly. "Alright. If someone suitable comes along, it's up to you."I was about to respond when I noticed a figure standing by my building. Neil.Scattered cigarette butts littered the ground at his feet—he'd clearly been waiting a while.My dad's face tightened as