I called Spencer right away.
“Before you trust your new wife, you should take her to a doctor and check if that baby photo is real,” I said on the phone.
He got angry and shouted back, “You are just jealous because Brenda can give me a real family!”
“You should also check the money you sent out to buy fancy apartments, trips, and jewelry,” I added. “You used the money that belonged to my company’s building projects.”
There was complete silence on the line. “How do you know about that?” he asked, his voice shaking.
“Because all those paper reports end up on my desk every day,” I said.
Spencer gave a nervous laugh. “You are just a simple office worker. Stop lying to me.”
“Tomorrow at ten o’clock, come to the Apex Holdings office building downtown. Ask to see the top boss, bring your project papers, and explain where the missing money went,” I told him.
The next morning, Spencer walked angrily into our big office building on the forty-second floor. He shouted at the receptionist, demanding to go inside right away and saying he was a very important boss who should not be kept waiting.
But when the big boardroom doors opened, he stopped completely when he saw me sitting at the head of the big table under the company sign.
On the table in front of me were three folders: one to end his work contracts, one showing all the money he stole, and one legal paper ready to send to the police.
Spencer dropped his bag on the floor. “Laura… are you really the top boss here?”
I stood up and looked at him. “The woman you looked down on is the only reason you could ever call yourself a businessman.”
I pushed the first folder toward him. As he read the pages, his face turned completely pale, but the worst truth was still waiting for him.
PART 3
Spencer turned the pages with shaking hands. There were fake bills, payments to fake companies, double checks, and money moved straight into his personal account. For two years, he had been taking money from projects paid by Apex Holdings to buy nice cars, go to expensive restaurants, buy gifts for Brenda, and pay for their secret wedding.
“These are just accounting mistakes,” he said, sweating heavily. “My accountant can explain everything.”
“Your accountant already talked to my lawyers,” I answered. “He gave us the emails where you ordered him to change the numbers and hide the spent money.”
Spencer sat back in his chair, unable to say a word.
I had started Apex Holdings with a business partner right after Spencer’s car accident years ago. I began by buying small old houses, fixing them up, and saving every dollar I made. Over the years, the company grew big, building large apartments, hotels, and business centers in many cities.
Spencer never understood how big my work was because I let him believe I was just an ordinary worker. I came home early, cooked meals, and never talked about big money so he would not feel small. I even created Salgado Construction just to give him a simple job to start his career.
At first, I gave him small building jobs. I helped him get bank loans, introduced him to rich clients, and quietly fixed his mistakes behind his back. Every success he bragged about was made possible by me.
But that success made him feel bigger than he was, until he thought he was better than the woman who helped him.
“I gave you that job because I wanted us to grow together,” I said. “I did not give it to you so you could steal my money and spend it on another woman.”
Spencer covered his face with his hands. “Brenda told me she needed to show her family that I was rich.”
“Brenda does not have a rich family,” I said plainly.
I showed him photos of the actor going into a talent agency, the rental bill for the wedding dress, text messages between Brenda and her singer boyfriend planning to run away with his money, and medical papers showing she was never pregnant.
Spencer kept shaking his head. “No, this cannot be true. I saw her big belly.”
“She wore a fake belly made of rubber,” I told him. “She used a fake name and a fake story to trick you. You wanted a young wife and a baby so badly that you never asked any simple questions.”
Right then, his phone rang loudly. It was Evelyn. Spencer picked up and put it on speaker mode.
“She is gone, Spencer! She took all my money, my gold jewelry, and all the wedding gift envelopes! She even left female pads in the bathroom… She was never pregnant!” Evelyn screamed in tears.
Spencer sat completely frozen.
I did not feel happy seeing him like this. I only felt calm, because the lie he chose over our marriage had broken apart all by itself.
“Laura, please help me,” he whispered, looking at me with sad eyes. “She tricked me. I was just confused.”
“She did not force you to marry her while you were still married to me,” I said coldly. “She did not force you to let your mother insult me, and she did not force you to steal my money.”
I pushed the second folder toward him.
“All business contracts with your company are ended today. You owe my company thirty-six million dollars for missing money and broken rules. The red folder has enough proof to send you straight to prison.”
Spencer fell on his knees on the floor. “I will give everything back to you. I will work for you for free. I will do anything you want.”
“You were already working for me, and you chose to steal from me instead,” I replied.
“Please think about the eight years we lived together,” he begged.
“I think about those eight years every single day,” I answered. “I think about the cold hospital, the baby I lost on the stairs, the tired nights taking care of you, and all the times I stood up for you. That is why I know how hard it was for me to learn who you really are.”
I left the room with my papers and walked away, giving him no promises.
However, Spencer’s failing company put many simple workers at risk of losing their pay. Before ending the contracts, I ordered my company to take over the project sites, pay the workers their full wages, and give jobs to those who worked hard. I was not going to let simple builders and workers suffer for Spencer’s bad choices.
Our full check also showed something even more painful: while Spencer always claimed we did not have enough money to try medical help for me to have a baby, he had spent over two million dollars buying luxury cars, expensive bags, and a boat for Brenda.
He had even used cheap, weak concrete on a new apartment building project just to save money for himself. Luckily, our engineers stopped the building work before anyone got hurt.
