“What?”
“My mother’s real diamond bracelet has been inside a bank vault for eight months.”
I almost smiled.
“The one you took from our safe last night is a two-hundred-dollar cubic zirconia copy.”
I heard Chloe curse in the background.
Daniel’s voice immediately softened.
“Audrey, listen. We can fix this. We can talk like adults.”
“No.”
“You’re overreacting.”
“You sent me a photograph of yourself leaving the country with property you took from our safe and assets belonging to my company.”
I paused.
“You thought you were leaving me with nothing.”
Then I added,
“Your mistake was assuming I wasn’t paying attention.”
I ended the call.
By 8:10 that morning, Daniel and Chloe still hadn’t boarded a plane.
And by then, corporate attorneys and federal fraud investigators were already entering the terminal.
I never went to the airport.
Daniel had spent years turning private disagreements into public performances.
I wasn’t interested in giving him another stage.
I let the lawyers, compliance team, and forensic investigators handle everything.
The records spoke loudly enough.
Unauthorized transfers.
Blocked wires.
Personal expenses charged to Sterling Global.
Questionable invoices from Chloe’s firm.
Company property removed without authorization.
Recorded conversations documenting their plan.
And, of course, Daniel’s airport photograph.
Smiling beside Chloe.
The replica bracelet on her wrist.
His own message underneath:
