Chapter 1

After helping my husband, Grant, build his business from the ground up, I settled into life as a stay-at-home mom.

For my daughter Nina's tenth birthday, I wanted to go all out and booked a luxury banquet at the Ritz-Carlton.

But when I handed over my card, the receptionist gave me a strange look.

"Mrs. Miller, I'm sorry, but this card doesn't even have five hundred dollars left on it."

Embarrassed and confused, I went home to confront Grant. He looked at me with an apologetic smile.

"The company is bidding on a huge project right now. The new Director is incredibly greedy, and I've had to spend a lot under the table to smooth things over."

"Once the cash flow is back, I promise I'll throw Nina the biggest, most glamorous party anyone has ever seen."

I played the part of the supportive wife and told him I understood. But the moment he turned his back, I started auditing our assets.

You see, the new Director he was talking about was actually my father. And I knew for a fact there were no new bids happening this month.

I wanted to see exactly who he was really spending our money on.

This card was meant for our joint family expenses, and it had over two hundred thousand dollars in it just last month.

The transaction history had been deliberately scrubbed, so I went directly to the bank to pull the full records.

The largest expense was actually at the same Ritz-Carlton I had just visited.

One hundred and twenty thousand dollars, listed as a "Birthday Gala Package."

"Daddy must be planning a surprise for us, right? Mommy, let's go see! We can surprise him too!"

Looking into Nina's innocent eyes, I couldn't bring myself to think the worst of Grant just yet.

When we reached the grand ballroom, I immediately saw Grant in a tailored tuxedo, laughing and chatting with guests at the door.

A woman in a stunning red gown was clinging to his arm, looking every bit like his perfect match.

It was Vivian Shaw, Grant's secretary and one of the founding members of the company.

"Mrs. Miller, your son looks just like Grant. He's going to be quite the heartbreaker when he grows up."

"Truly. Everyone in the office envies you two. To have such a beautiful family and still be so head-over-heels for each other is rare."

Listening to the guests' compliments, I realized there was a young boy standing between them.

His features were a near-perfect reflection of Grant's.

"Daddy! The name on the sign is wrong. I'm Nina, not Connor!"

Nina suddenly let go of my hand and ran toward Grant.

I followed her gaze and saw a large welcome sign next to the entrance.

It read: "Happy 7th Birthday to our beloved son, Connor!"

Before I could process it, there was a loud thud. Vivian had reached out and shoved Nina to the ground.

"Where did this brat come from? Have you no manners at all?"

I rushed forward to pick up Nina. When I saw the blood trickling from her scraped knee, my rage instantly incinerated my logic.

"Grant Miller! You're using our family money to support a mistress and a secret son, and now you're letting her hurt Nina?"

My voice trembled with fury as I pulled my sobbing daughter into my arms.

Vivian scoffed, muttering under her breath.

"What family money? Every cent was earned by Grant and me through years of hard work. Some people get so used to being a trophy wife that they forget they're just a guest in this house."

The surrounding guests began to whisper, their eyes darting between us.

"Is this some side piece trying to make a scene? Bringing a kid to crash a birthday party?"

"The audacity of these homewreckers nowadays. Showing up right in front of the real wife... how shameful."

"Exactly. And the kid is just a girl. She'll probably grow up to be just like her mother."

Those judgmental, mocking stares felt like needles stabbing into Nina and me.

I screamed at them, "What are you talking about? Vivian is the mistress! That boy is the one who shouldn't be here!"

A few people in the crowd chuckled.

A pot-bellied man swirled his drink and spoke up.

"Vivian has been by Grant's side for years. Everyone knows she's the one who really runs the show."

Another woman chimed in.

"Grant and his wife are so devoted to each other. This woman probably just saw how rich he is and decided to try her luck with a scam."

I looked Grant dead in the eye, my voice cold.