"But Brendan, I just have feelings for you."

Cindy's eyes were rimmed red as she glared at me. "I fell in love with you, Brendan. That's why I got jealous. I was jealous that she had your love, jealous of how good you are to her. It's all my fault!"

She whipped her head toward me, her face dripping with contempt. "Debbie, you win. Go ahead and slander me all you want. The truth will come out."

With that, she burst into tears and ran out.

Brendan stood frozen for a long moment, then swept the room with a cold stare. His voice carried an unmistakable threat. "Cindy has already been fired. Anyone who keeps pushing this is making an enemy of me, and don't blame me when I show no mercy."

Then he rushed out after her, as if terrified she might slip away.

The entire room went silent. Nobody could make sense of what had just happened.

"Wait, I thought Cindy was Mr. Sanchez's girlfriend? Now he's in love with Ms. Henson?"

I cleared my throat and gave my assistant a look, brows pinched, signaling her to explain.

She stepped forward with a crisp smile. "Brendan Sanchez and our chairwoman, Ms. Henson, have been secretly married for years. But as you all just witnessed, he's been having an affair with Cindy Pruitt. Ms. Henson is filing for divorce, and effective today, the board of directors has voted to strip Brendan Sanchez of all positions within the company."

"What?" The guy with the acne stared blankly. "You're the chairwoman? Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

"If she had, would you have shown your true colors?" The assistant let out a cold scoff. "Security, escort these people out."

"It's over. We're actually fired. I worked so hard just to land this internship!"

Someone broke down crying. "Ms. Henson, please, give me one more chance! I know I was wrong!"

"My parents are counting on me to make something of myself. I really can't lose this job at Henson Sterling!"

"This is all Cindy Pruitt's fault!"

"Exactly! She's the homewrecker, and she used us as her attack dogs against the real wife. She owes us compensation!"

I heard later that the whole group actually tracked Cindy down and squeezed a hefty payout out of her.

My assistant suddenly spoke up. "Ms. Henson, you finalized the divorce a few days ago, right? Well, those properties that went to Brendan in the settlement? He sold every single one of them to cover Cindy's damages."

"Honestly, just imagining the look on Cindy's face when she finds out Brendan is completely broke now gives me a thrill I can't even describe!"

I stared at her, incredulous. "Since when did you develop such a wicked streak?"

She dodged the question with a grin. "Heh. Anyway, there's a contract this afternoon that requires your signature in person."

When I arrived at the meeting location, I spotted two painfully familiar faces.

"Debbie." Brendan saw me and instinctively started toward me, then forced himself to stop.

"Let's talk about getting remarried in a few days. Right now Cindy doesn't even have a place to stay..."

I blinked. "Who said anything about getting remarried?"

"If you're not here to chase after us, then what are you doing here?" Cindy sneered. "At the end of the day, you just can't let go of the Sanchez family fortune."

"Drop the act, Debbie." Brendan's tone was strange, almost pitying. "I know you've had people keeping tabs on me these past few days. I'll admit, agreeing to the divorce was me being impulsive. But if going through all this helps you reflect on your own behavior, then maybe it was worth it."

I laughed in disbelief.

I was about to fire back when a wave of scorching heat slammed into me. Someone screamed, "Fire!"

I turned to run, but with a deafening crash, flames engulfed the ceiling beams. A wooden cabinet toppled and smashed down onto my foot.

I choked back a cry, my face draining of color. "Brendan, help me up!"

Brendan pulled me to my feet without hesitation. Then a wail came from behind us. Cindy was sitting by the doorway, paralyzed with fear. "Brendan! Save me!"

Brendan looked at me. Then went quiet.

Dread pooled in my stomach. "Brendan, don't tell me you're going to rescue her. She's right by the door. She could crawl out in two seconds. Even if she just sat there and did nothing, she'd be perfectly fine..."

"I'm sorry, Debbie." His voice was hoarse. "Cindy has no one else to rely on but me. You're strong. Holding on a little longer won't be a problem for you. I'll come back for you."

"Trust me, Debbie. You're my wife. I would never let you get hurt. But I have to save Cindy first."

He let go of my hand without a second of hesitation and walked away.

The fire raged at nearly two hundred degrees, but in that moment, I felt like I'd been plunged into an ice cellar.

I watched Brendan scoop Cindy into his arms and carry her out. I watched Cindy glance back at me, then go limp, faking unconsciousness the second they cleared the door. Brendan didn't think twice. He hailed a cab and left with her, never once looking back, never once remembering I was still inside.

The world blurred as I collapsed to the ground. Through the haze, I saw firefighters rushing in.

After a solid month of recovery, I was finally cleared to leave the hospital.

"If today weren't my birthday, I never would have let you check out." My father's tone left no room for argument.

I gave him a helpless smile. "Your daughter survived a brush with death. That means nothing but good fortune ahead."

Darrell Henson burst through the door like a cannonball. "Sis, I heard you got hurt?"

"How does the entire world already know about this?"

His jaw tightened, something dangerous flickering behind his eyes. "Just wait. I'm going to kill that heartless bastard Brendan Sanchez right now."

"Enough. He and I are done. We have been for a while."

A cold edge crept into my voice. "After the divorce, we're strangers. He had no obligation to save me, so what's the point?"

Darrell nodded in agreement, though a shadow passed through his gaze. "You're right, sis. Which means not a single Henson resource should go to Brendan Sanchez from now on. I already looked into it. The place he's working now only exists because of Henson connections..."

"Fine. Do what you want, just don't make a scene." I shook my head with a sigh, but warmth flickered through me. My little brother had been fiercely protective of me since we were kids. He couldn't stand anyone wronging me, not even a little.

We chatted for a while before a few of the older relatives wandered in, all smiles. "Darrell, when did you start dating? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Darrell looked completely baffled, pointing at himself. "Me? Dating?"

"That's right! Your girlfriend is quite something." One of the elders gestured toward the floor below. "She's already down there arranging the guests."

My brother, my father, and I all looked down at once.

It was Cindy Pruitt.

"What?" Darrell cracked his knuckles, a cold smirk cutting across his face. "That's the homewrecker Brendan brought in? Then I'd better go have a proper chat with her."

"Not so fast." I smiled and took the first step forward. "This scene is mine to play."

Cindy froze the moment she spotted me. "Debbie? What are you doing here?"

Then something seemed to click. She crossed her arms and let out a scornful laugh. "Oh, don't tell me you still can't let go. I'm warning you, the Sanchez family is already mine. If you have any dignity left, you'll leave now before the hosts show up and throw you out themselves."

"The hosts?" I bit back a laugh. "You don't even know whose party this is, do you?"

"I... of course I do!" Cindy shouted back, puffing herself up as if volume alone could make her right. "The guest of honor is obviously Brendan's father. He told me he'd introduce me today, and he said the birthday boy would definitely love a sweet girl like me."

"Then you're in for a disappointment. He can't stand sycophants. The only people he respects are the ones who actually get things done."

"You and Brendan are already divorced. What his family likes is none of your business." Cindy looked around impatiently. "Security! Someone get security and remove this nobody!"

A guard hurried over, took one look at me, and stopped dead. "You want me to throw her out? Have you lost your mind?"

"You're the one who's lost it!" Cindy drew herself up like the lady of the house, emboldened by the crowd that had gathered to watch. She jabbed a finger at the guard. "She's Brendan's ex-wife. Cast out. Discarded. Do you understand?"

"I am the future mistress of this family. If you don't believe me, go ask your young master!"

"Someone called for me?" Darrell strolled down the staircase, hands in his pockets, taking his time. "I hear you were looking for me."

Cindy eyed him suspiciously. "Who are you?"

Darrell let out a sharp laugh. "The man whose birthday we're celebrating today is my father. You tell me who I am."

Confusion twisted across Cindy's face. "Brendan never mentioned he had a brother..."

"Brendan Sanchez?" Darrell's lip curled with open contempt. "A live-in son-in-law. And you think he gets to call himself my brother?"

"Live-in son-in-law?" Cindy's eyes went wide. "What are you talking about? Brendan is the only son of the Sanchez family! He's the chairman of Henson Sterling Group!"

"Cindy Pruitt. After all this time, you still haven't figured it out." I looked down at her, a slow smile pulling at my lips. "You really are a complete and utter fool."

I held her gaze, letting every word land.

"My name is Debbie Henson. His name is Darrell Henson. Now tell me... what exactly do you think Henson Sterling Group has to do with us?"