Mistress Joined the Meeting—Shock Hit When the Billionaire CEO Entered… She Was His Wife

The Final Betrayal

The victory at Wolf’s office should have felt satisfying. Clara had neutralized the threat; she had protected her father’s legacy; she had effectively banished Marcus from her life.

But as the weeks passed, the silence in the penthouse grew louder. Clara threw herself into work.

She took over the CEO role at Vanguard publicly. She graced the covers of Forbes and Fortune.

“The Hidden Heir Rises,” the headlines read. She was celebrated as a feminist icon, the woman who outsmarted a toxic husband and took back her empire.

But inside Vanguard, the waters were choppy.

“We have a leak.” Sarah, her executive assistant, said one Tuesday morning.

Clara looked up from her tablet.

“What kind of leak?” She asked.

“Project Helios.” Sarah said grimly. “The specs for the quantum processor we’re developing.” “A competitor in Shanghai just filed a patent for a component that is identical to ours.” “Someone is selling our R&D data.” She said.

Clara felt a cold chill. Project Helios was top secret; only five people had access to the full schematics.

“Who had access?” Clara asked.

“The board.” Sarah said. “And Marcus did, back when he was doing due diligence for the merger.” “He had access to the data room for forty-eight hours.” She explained.

Clara shook her head.

“Marcus is in Chicago; we tracked him.” “He’s working as a car salesman under a different name.” “He signed the NDA; he knows I’d destroy him.” She said.

“Maybe he didn’t sell it himself.” Arthur suggested, entering the room. “Maybe he made a copy before he was fired and gave it to someone else.” “Someone he trusted.” He said.

Clara’s mind raced. Who did Marcus trust? He trusted no one; he used people.

“Jessica.” Clara whispered.

“The mistress?” Arthur asked.

“She was with him.” Clara realized. “That day in the boardroom, she was an analyst at his firm.” “She has a background in data.” “What happened to her?” She asked.

Arthur tapped on his iPad.

“After the scandal, she was blacklisted; no reputable firm hired her.” “But looking at her financials, she just bought a condo in Miami, cash: three million dollars.” He said.

Clara stood up, pacing the floor.

“She stole the data.” “Marcus must have downloaded it to a drive, and she took it.” “Or he gave it to her as insurance, and she sold it without him knowing.” She said.

“If she sold Helios specs to the Chinese market, she’s committed international corporate espionage.” Arthur said. “That’s federal prison time; twenty years.” He added.

“Get the jet ready.” Clara said, grabbing her coat. “We’re going to Miami.” She said.

Two days later, in a sun-drenched cafe in South Beach, Jessica Vance sat wearing oversized sunglasses, sipping a mojito. She looked relaxed, wealthy, and unbothered.

She didn’t notice the two men in dark suits approaching her table until they were standing over her.

“Miss Vance.” One of them said.

“I’m not signing autographs.” She said dismissively.

“We’re not fans; we’re FBI.” The agent said.

Jessica choked on her drink. She lowered her glasses.

“What?” She asked.

Behind the agents, Clara stepped into view. She looked radiant in a white linen suit, but her eyes were deadly.

“Hello, Jessica.” Clara said pleasantly. “Enjoying the proceeds of Project Helios?”

Jessica’s face went white.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She stammered.

“We found the digital trail.” Clara lied smoothly.

They hadn’t found it all yet, but she needed a confession.

“You used Marcus’s login credentials to download the files while he was driving you to the meeting that morning.” “You knew he was going to get fired eventually.” “You were planning your own exit strategy.” She said.

“He was an idiot!” Jessica blurted out, panic taking over. “He was going to crash and burn!” “I just took what I could!” “It was just a flash drive; I didn’t think it was a big deal!” She shrieked.

“You sold proprietary quantum computing designs to a foreign entity.” The FBI agent said, pulling out handcuffs. “That is a very big deal, ma’am.”

As the agents cuffed Jessica, she started screaming.

“It was Marcus! He told me to do it! Blame him!” She cried.

Clara stepped closer.

“Marcus didn’t even know you had it, did he?” “You stole from the thief.” She said.

Jessica spat at Clara’s feet.

“You think you’re so perfect!” “You have everything: money, power!” “What did we have? Nothing!” “We just wanted a piece of the pie!” She yelled.

“You could have worked for the pie.” Clara said softly. “I did.” “My father left me the money, but I built the company.” “You chose the shortcut, and the shortcut leads here.” She said.

Clara watched as Jessica was dragged away into a waiting black SUV, tourists snapping photos of the scene. She pulled out her phone and dialed Arthur.

“It’s done.” She said. “She confessed.” “The patent filing will be blocked.” She added.

“And Marcus?” Arthur asked. “Does he know?”

“He will when he sees the news tonight.” Clara said. “He’ll realize that the only woman he left me for stole his one leverage and sent herself to prison.” “He really is alone now.” She said.

Clara hung up. She stood on the sidewalk in Miami, the ocean breeze blowing through her hair.

She had won the war; she had defeated the enemies. But as she looked at the empty seat where Jessica had been, she realized the drama wasn’t quite over.

There was one loose end, one emotional thread she hadn’t cut. She needed to see Marcus one last time.

Not to threaten him, not to pay him off, but to say goodbye to the man she had married—the man who existed before the money and the greed destroyed him. She headed to the airport.

Destination: Chicago.