To save a few dozen dollars on airfare, my husband's secretary had switched my in-laws' direct flight to one with a layover in Ravelia. The moment they landed, they were stranded.

They were terrified and frantic, calling me in tears, begging me to get them out.

I immediately reached out to contacts I had in the area, trying to arrange a charter flight home. But the secretary refused to approve the funds.

"Have you lost your mind? A charter flight costs millions. Are two old lives really worth that kind of money?"

"Besides, being stuck there is a unique life experience. Maybe they'll come back and thank me for it."

I was livid.

But I didn't have time to argue with her.

So I barged into the conference room and demanded that my husband wire the money immediately.

He was completely dismissive.

"Christine already told me everything. The situation there is perfectly stable. It's all just internet fearmongering."

"You should learn from Christine and think about saving money instead of chartering planes at the drop of a hat."

"And your parents will be fine. Lucky people always are."

That was when it hit me.

They thought the ones stranded at a foreign airport were my parents.

……

"Hubert, something's wrong."

"Your parents' direct flight was changed to a layover in Ravelia. They landed right in the middle of flight restrictions, and now they're stranded."

"I've arranged a charter flight, but my bank cards aren't working for some reason..."

Before I could finish, the leather executive chair behind Hubert Delgado's desk swiveled slowly around, and the face that appeared wasn't his.

It was Christine Fox's.

The moment I saw her, I knew this wasn't going to be simple.

I was the one who'd booked my in-laws' direct tickets. But Hubert knew my account login and password, which meant Christine knew too. She could have logged into my account and deliberately changed the tickets. Then, knowing I'd try to charter a flight, she froze my cards.

I wasn't making this up.

Ever since Christine joined the company, she'd appointed herself the lady of the house. She ignored her actual duties as a secretary and focused entirely on monitoring my spending.

I'd fought with Hubert about it. More than once.

But he always took her side. He told me I needed to learn to be more frugal, to appreciate how hard he worked for his money. Even his parents agreed with him.

I'd thought about divorce. But our son was still so young. And at best, I'd walk away with half. That would only hurt the people who loved me and delight the ones who didn't. So I kept swallowing it.

With all of that running through my mind, I narrowed my eyes at Christine.

"My cards being frozen. That was you, wasn't it?"

She didn't deny it. She flashed me a smug little smile.

"I knew the second you heard about the unrest in Ravelia, you'd panic. I knew you'd want to charter a flight."

"I was just trying to keep you from blowing Mr. Delgado's money. And honestly, sending a charter flight in would only turn your in-laws into sitting targets. So I froze your cards. You're welcome."

"Don't worry. I'll reactivate them in a few days. Though I might need to rethink your spending limit."

I was furious. Absolutely furious.

But I wasn't going to waste my breath on Christine Fox.

Instead, I pulled out my phone and called Hubert again.

Same result as before.

No answer.

Christine's smile widened.

"Mr. Delgado is at the new subsidiary's shareholder meeting. He won't pick up for anyone except me."

"And just so we're clear, freezing your cards wasn't my idea alone. I reported it to Mr. Delgado, and he approved it. You don't really think I'd have the authority to do that on my own, do you?"

"Relax, the situation over there is actually pretty stable. The airport has security guards and a lounge. Your in-laws can rest there for a bit, and they'll be home in a few days."

"By then, they'll have a great story to brag about!"

I was speechless.

What my in-laws needed most right now was time.

They had just called me, so terrified they could barely string a sentence together.

But they didn't need to tell me anything.

I'd already looked up the situation online myself.

Missiles were streaking across the sky.

All flights had been grounded. The entire airport was in chaos. People were looting and attacking others in the mayhem.

My in-laws didn't speak the language.

And they were dressed expensively.

In that airport, they might as well have had targets painted on their backs. Worse still, they both had high blood pressure and needed their medication on schedule. But they couldn't even find their luggage. They were splitting each pill in half to make them last. If I waited a few more days, I wouldn't be chartering a flight to bring my in-laws home. I'd be chartering one to bring back their bodies.

The thought sent ice through my veins.

I grabbed Christine by the arm, hauled her out of the desk chair, and picked up the office phone to call my sister-in-law, Mavis Delgado, who worked as the company's finance director.

After all, it was her parents who were trapped. She'd be just as desperate.

As long as she could push the funds through on an emergency basis, we could still charter a flight to bring them home.

Mavis arrived quickly.

"Wanda, what are you doing at the office?"

I didn't have time for pleasantries.

"Mavis, I need you to get two hundred thousand dollars together. Now."

"Your parents are stranded at Ravelia Airport. The situation is extremely dangerous. I've already contacted a friend over there, and he's found us a plane and a security team."

"The moment the money hits the account, he can send people to the airport to get your parents and fly them somewhere safe before bringing them home—"

Before I could finish, Mavis cut me off.

"Absolutely not!"

"Two hundred thousand dollars, and you toss the number out like it's pocket change?"

"You've been away from this company so long, you clearly have no idea how hard it is to make money."

"And what do you mean, I should find a way to get you two hundred thousand? Are you asking me to embezzle company funds? Do you have any idea that's a crime? That I could go to prison for it?"

"You want me to go to prison just to save two old—two elderly people? How dare you even suggest that!"

I never expected Mavis to refuse me.

She knew perfectly well that even though the company was in Hubert's name, I was one of its co-founders. Getting the business to where it was today had taken years of my blood and sweat.

And I hadn't stepped away because I wanted to play trophy wife. I'd left because after I had my son, they were the ones who convinced me to stay home.

Yet now, just like that, Mavis had erased every bit of it.

No wonder she'd treated me with so little respect these past two years, while growing closer and closer to Christine until they were practically best friends.

I couldn't hold back any longer.

"Mavis, have you lost your mind?"

"The charter flight is to rescue your parents, not to buy me a shopping spree!"

"And when did I ever ask you to embezzle anything? You have savings of your own. Using them to save your own mother and father—how is that even a question?"

I thought those words would snap her out of it.

But instead, she laughed.

"Drop the act."

"Christine already told me everything. The people stuck at Ravelia Airport are your parents, not mine."

"I talked to my mom and dad just a few hours ago. They're perfectly fine, enjoying their vacation abroad. They said they won't be back until next month."

"Besides," Mavis continued, "if my parents were stranded at the airport, why would they call you instead of my brother or me? Why would they reach out to a daughter-in-law they've never even liked?"

I froze.

Then it hit me.

No wonder Christine and Mavis had been so calm. They thought the ones stranded in Ravelia were my parents.

Though I couldn't really blame them. I hadn't been clear when I explained.

And Mavis had a point. My in-laws had been vacationing abroad and weren't supposed to return until next month. But they'd decided to come back early to give Hubert a birthday surprise.

If they told everyone in advance, it wouldn't be much of a surprise.

So they'd contacted me to book the tickets.

When they got stranded at Ravelia Airport, they chose to reach out to me again, afraid that Hubert and Mavis would worry, and afraid the two of them would blame them for going in the first place.

Besides, in their eyes, I was the one in the family with nothing else to do. If they called Hubert or Mavis and one of them missed the call, that was a wasted chance at getting help.

I explained this patiently. Several times.

But no matter what I said, Mavis and Christine refused to believe me.

I had no choice.

I left the office, spent half an hour driving to the new company, pushed past Hubert's assistant, and burst straight into the boardroom.

This time, I'd learned my lesson from what happened with Mavis and Christine. I got right to the point.

"Hubert, it's bad. Your parents. My in-laws. Charlie's grandparents. They're stranded at Ravelia Airport."

The board members exchanged glances, too alarmed to care that I'd barged into their meeting uninvited.

"Ravelia? Hasn't the news been warning people to stay away from there?"

"Let me make some calls. I've got business interests over there, a security team, a private jet."

"Yes, Wanda, tell us exactly what's going on. We'll figure out a rescue plan together."

I let out a breath of relief.

With this many people willing to help, my in-laws would be saved for sure.

But Hubert shook his head.

"No need for anyone to worry. I already knew about the situation and arranged a plane and a security team to pick them up."

He offered the room an easy smile. "I just forgot to tell my wife, which is why she panicked."

"But let's pause today's meeting for now."

Everyone nodded in understanding and filed out of the boardroom one by one.

Once the room had emptied, Christine and Mavis arrived.

Both of them looked furious.

"Wanda, you've completely lost your mind. Barging into a board meeting?"

"If I'd known you were going to come here and make a scene, I would've stopped you no matter what!"

I had no patience for either of them.

My eyes were fixed on Hubert. Something felt off. I'd gone to the company the moment I received my in-laws' call, and every time I tried calling them back after that, the line was dead.

How had Hubert arranged a plane?

The question nagged at me, and I couldn't hold it in.

"When exactly did you arrange the plane and security team?"

"Have you reached your parents?"

"How are they doing?"

Hubert looked at me, his face full of barely contained rage.

"How could I possibly have sent a plane to get them?"

"I was managing the room. If the board found out I couldn't even handle something like this, they'd lose all confidence in me. Do you have any idea what that kind of thing does to a company?"

The more I listened, the more wrong everything felt.