Severing the Ties

The raw, direct jab hung in the stale air between them. Gideon blinked, frozen for a beat as a flicker of alarm shot through his eyes. The tension crackled heavily around them. His steel grip on her wrist suddenly lost its strength.

He dropped his hand and wiped his palm against his suit trousers, his expression shifting into one of rehearsed apology. "I'm sorry, Audrey. I didn't mean it like that. I had no right getting jealous over you and some stranger. It's all on me."

His eyes reddened as his voice dropped to a low murmur. "But honestly, there's nothing going on between Lila and me. I just brought her along as a thank-you. Can you let this slide?"

Lila ducked her head meekly at his cue. She clutched her small evening bag, her voice catching with practiced fragility. "That's right, Mrs. Sterling. I've been bending over backward to keep my distance from Mr. Sterling so you wouldn't get the wrong impression. I'm not asking for the world, just a decent birthday gift. I didn't grow up with your advantages. You've had everything handed to you and even snagged a catch like Mr. Sterling. Can't I at least pick out something for myself?"

Audrey stared down at the young woman. Her chest tightened with cold fury, but her exterior remained unflinching. She took one deliberate step toward Lila. "Ms. Barton, I've never given a damn about this 'gift' you're going on about. What gets under my skin is you, a Sterling Group employee, crossing lines you have no business crossing."

Gideon stepped in front of Lila, using his broad shoulders to block Audrey's piercing glare. He lowered his voice, offering a coaxing tone. "Audrey, if it's bugging you this much, I'll transfer her to a branch office once the auction's over. But for now, cut me some slack. Let Lila have the bracelet. When we get home, name your price on anything, and it's yours."

Lila bobbed her head in swift agreement. Tears glistened on her lower lashes as she peeked around Gideon's arm. "Audrey, I really adore this bracelet. You've got it all already. Why go after the one thing I want? Or is this just because you hate my guts and can't resist taking shots at me?"

Audrey let out a short, ice-cold snort. "What makes you think I'd ever like you? This belonged to me from the start. Why the hell would I give it up?"

Audrey bypassed Gideon's outstretched arm. She reached toward the nearby auction attendant and took the velvet box containing the sapphires with casual ease. She snapped it shut, offering Lila a sharp, hollow smile. "Ms. Barton, know your place."

Her refusal to budge wore through Gideon's strained patience. The lingering softness erased itself from his handsome face, replaced by an ugly scowl. "Audrey, do you have to humiliate me like this in front of everyone? Where does that leave my dignity? It's just a crappy old bracelet. Am I really worth less to you than some trinket?"

He spat the insulting words with utter conviction. He had wiped from his memory the solemn vow he made when proposing to her. He had sworn on his life that he would hunt down every single one of her mother's sold-off keepsakes, no matter the cost.

Audrey raised her hand and delivered a fast, resounding slap across his cheek.

The sharp crack rang out like a gunshot through the hall. It pulled shocked, wide-eyed stares from every corner of the crowded room.

Gideon's head snapped sideways from the brutal force. He slowly turned his face back, his skin livid and burning with an angry red handprint. He glared at her, his words hissing through clenched teeth. "Audrey, drop the drama already. Have I pampered you too much these days, turning you into this unreasonable nightmare?"

Audrey reined in her temper, locking her features into an impenetrable mask. "Gideon, you better not live to regret today."

She pivoted on her heel and walked down the aisle without sparing him a backward glance.

Lila gently touched the livid mark on Gideon's cheek as Audrey's elegant figure receded into the crowd. Her voice dripped with saccharine worry. "Mr. Sterling, are you okay? Audrey's got no boundaries. How could she hit you with all these people watching?"

Gideon swatted her hand aside. He dug his nails into his palms, staring intensely at the distant lobby doors. "I've spoiled her rotten, letting her forget that everything she has comes from me."

Lila peeked at his stormy expression, carefully testing the waters. "Mr. Sterling, about the bracelet..."

Gideon rubbed his throbbing jaw. He reached into his suit jacket, pulled out a sleek bank card, and handed it over. "1.7 million dollars on there. Buy whatever catches your eye."

Up on the second floor, Audrey rapped her knuckles against the heavy oak door of Box 217. She needed a moment away from the suffocating betrayal, eager to thank her mystery benefactor face-to-face.

Silence answered her knocks.

She caught a uniformed server hurrying down the carpeted hallway and stepped into his path. "Excuse me, any idea where the gentleman from this box headed?"

The server halted, glancing nervously at the empty suite. "He slipped out right after nabbing the last item."

Disappointment flashed in her dark eyes, but Audrey pressed on. "Do you know who he was?"

The server gave her a regretful, tight smile. "Sorry, Mrs. Sterling, we're not allowed to spill on our VIPs. Don't make this harder for us."

Audrey nodded and stepped back. "Thanks all the same."

An hour ticked by before Audrey made the long drive home from the auction house. The dark mansion felt like a sprawling, empty tomb.

She marched straight up the sweeping staircase to her private study, fired up her encrypted computer, and dove straight into the digital ledgers. She pulled up the mass portfolios of assets registered under her and Gideon's names, categorizing every property deed and corporate share.

After tallying up the staggering numbers, she snatched her phone from the desk, scrolled to her lawyer Harvey Finch's contact, and hit dial.

She kept her voice brisk and all-business. "I've sorted out the asset division documents for me and Gideon and sent them over. I need you to handle the property split by tomorrow."

Harvey's professional voice filtered through the speaker. "Of course, Mrs. Sterling. I'll get right on it."

Audrey stared at the glowing monitor, her grip tightening on the wireless mouse. "If Gideon's committed bigamy, how should our assets be divided?"

Harvey replied without hesitation, the rhythmic clacking of a keyboard sounding in the background. "Generally, any property the bigamous party gained through the bigamy can be claimed back by the other spouse."

Half of Gideon's towering wealth came directly from Audrey's aggressive investments and trust funds to support his struggling career early on. He built his empire on her mother's money.

Her expression darkened into a chilling mask of vengeance. With a few swift clicks, she forwarded the scanned copy of the marriage license between Gideon and Lila. "Harvey, please use every legal avenue to recover my half of the assets. I want him stripped bare."

Audrey slumped back in her executive chair after ending the call. She felt drained, the heavy adrenaline crashing into physical exhaustion. She closed her eyes. Sleep was miles away.

Gideon would never agree to a divorce willingly. The Sterling Group's stock would tank if their split went public. Until she had every legal trap locked down tight, she could not let on that anything was wrong.

The heavy mahogany door of the study swung open hard, slamming against the wall with a deafening crack.

Gideon stormed inside, his face twisted in a snarl. He flung his jacket onto her desk, grabbed Audrey's arm, and yanked her forcefully up from her seat. "Do you realize that because of your little outburst, I've become a laughingstock in our circles? What exactly do you want? Are you still obsessing over what happened back then?"

Audrey opened her eyes. Her dark gaze settled calmly on Gideon's flushed face, observing him like he was a pathetic stranger. She remained silent.

A fierce fire raged in Gideon's chest, multiplying under her silence. He lost control of his temper. "Since we got married, have I ever done anything to wrong you? I come home right on time every night after work. I always fill you in on any business dinners, and if there's even a hint of a woman involved, I skip them! I've bent over backward, and it's still not good enough for you?"

He spat the words with intense righteousness. In his twisted mind, these basic dignities were monumental sacrifices.

Audrey found the spectacle absurd. She felt nothing but towering disgust. She yanked her arm free from his grasp, stood up straight, and walked out of the study without bestowing a single glance upon him.

Gideon's voice echoed heavily behind her down the corridor. "Audrey, no matter what you think, my conscience is clear."

Her heart plunged into ice, shattering into jagged fragments. A sharp pain surged through her veins. Her mind buzzed with deafening static, leaving only that hollow phrase repeating in the dark.

She thought, *My conscience is clear?* So, in his eyes, his lies and stolen funds were perfectly justifiable.

The Atherton sunlight streamed through the bedroom window the next morning. When Audrey woke up, Gideon was gone.

Downstairs in the dining room, a lavish breakfast sat on the table. It was tailored to her exact tastes.

Audrey stood in the doorway, staring at the spread. She pressed her lips together into a thin line.

They ended things on a vicious note last night, yet Gideon still made her breakfast this morning. He played the role of the devoted husband to perfection. But this was the exact same man who lied to her face for years. It was time to systematically end things.

She ignored the food and headed straight to the Sterling Group headquarters.

For the past few years, Audrey purposely stayed out of his corporate dealings. Her financial records were obsolete now, and she needed the latest reports.

The head secretary jumped when she saw Audrey marching down the glass corridor. "Mrs. Sterling, are you here to see Mr. Sterling?"

Audrey paused by the desk. "No. Send the finance manager in to see me."

Her shares in the company were second only to Gideon's, outranking almost everyone else. That gave her absolute access to every corner of the corporate machine.

The secretary hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding nervously. Audrey noticed the woman's hand reaching for the phone to punch in a private extension, undoubtedly alerting Gideon. Let her warn him.

Audrey pushed open the glass door to the finance manager's private office and walked in. She settled onto the plush leather sofa, sipping a cup of coffee while flipping through a stack of magazines left on the lower shelf. Most of them were trashy entertainment tabloids, mixed with cheap romance novels and colorful comics.

Audrey frowned in distaste. She tossed the magazine aside and let her gaze sweep across the room, picking up on the glaring, unprofessional details. The massive desk was covered in a bright pink plaid mat. It was cluttered with adorable plush toys.

Right beside the main monitor sat a set of custom intertwined couple dolls. Their tiny knitted outfits were boldly emblazoned with two distinct letters.

S and B.

The brazen cruelty of the setup hit Audrey squarely in the chest. A dark, bitter laugh threatened to bubble up her throat just as the office door behind her swung open.

Lila rushed into the room, her designer heels clicking frantically against the hardwood floor. "Sorry, Mrs. Sterling."

The young woman clutched a massive iced coffee in her hands, her eyes wide as she blurted out the words. "I had no idea you'd drop by like this..."