Chapter 5 - What Chloe Really Wanted
Chloe stared at the message.
She looked embarrassed.
Then angry.
“Julian told me those shares were already his.”
His wife slowly turned toward her.
“My shares?”
Chloe swallowed.
“I thought you signed them over.”
“I never signed anything.”
Julian stepped between them.
“Enough.”
His wife looked at him.
“No. Not anymore.”
The ballroom had become painfully quiet.
She took the phone from Leo.
She read the conversation herself.
Julian had promised Chloe a future.
A house.
A new life.
A position inside the company.
But beneath those promises were repeated questions about his wife’s ownership stake.
When would she surrender it?
Would she demand compensation?
Could Julian force the transfer before the divorce?
The messages made one thing clear.
The affair had financial consequences.
Julian had not simply betrayed his wife.
He had expected her to walk away quietly.
His wife looked at him.
“Did you think I would leave with nothing?”
Julian shook his head.
“That wasn't the plan.”
“Whose plan?”
Julian remained silent.
Leo watched him.
Then he spoke.
“Dad.”
Julian looked down.
“Did you lie to Mom because you wanted her money?”
Julian’s face tightened.
“No.”
Leo waited.
Julian looked at the crowd.
“No,” he repeated.
His voice was weaker this time.
His wife placed the phone back in Leo’s hand.
“Show them the last message.”
Leo hesitated.
His mother nodded.
He tapped the screen.
A message from Julian appeared.
It had been sent two weeks earlier.
“If she refuses, I’ll make sure she looks unstable enough that nobody believes her.”
His wife stopped breathing for a second.
Chloe covered her mouth.
Julian immediately said:
“That was taken out of context.”
His wife stared at him.
“What context makes that sentence better?”
Julian had no answer.
Then Marcus Reed stepped forward.
“Julian.”
Everyone turned.
Marcus looked terrified.
“There’s something you need to know.”
Julian’s eyes narrowed.
“What?”
Marcus looked toward Leo’s phone.
“The account that paid those hotels wasn't the only account.”
His wife’s expression hardened.
“What other account?”
Marcus swallowed.
“The trust account.”
Julian went completely still.
May you like
👉 The trust account had been untouched for years—and its existence meant Julian had been hiding something even from his own wife.
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