But last night was the final straw. The freezing water was still dripping from my hair, pooling around my flats on that stupid, expensive rug. The room was dead silent, save for Jessica’s muffled giggles.
“Maybe that will cool your attitude down, dear,” Diane said, setting the silver bucket back on the sideboard with a satisfied clink. “You’ve been sour all evening.

We provide the roof over your head, the least you can do is show some respect when we’re talking about the company.”
I looked at Brendan. “Are you going to say anything?” I asked, my voice trembling from the cold, but my eyes perfectly dry.
Brendan sighed, adjusting his cuffs. “Honestly, Chloe, you brought this on yourself. You’ve been complaining about your back and your feet since we got here. Mom spent all day on this dinner. You’re being dramatic. Just go upstairs, dry off, and apologize so we can finish eating.”
That was the moment the marriage died. Any lingering hope I had that Brendan was a good man trapped under his mother’s thumb evaporated. He wasn’t trapped; he was just like them.
I pulled my phone out of my soaked maternity pocket. Miraculously, the screen lit up. I didn’t look at any of them. I bypassed my personal contacts and dialed a number I hadn’t called in three years: Arthur Pendelton, the Chief Executive Officer of Vanguard Global, and the trustee of my grandfather’s estate.

He answered on the second ring. “Ma’am? Is everything alright? We haven’t heard from you since the Q4 budget approvals.”
“Arthur,” I said, my voice steady, echoing clearly in the silent dining room. “I need you to initiate a complete structural audit and immediate termination protocol for three employees at Vanguard Global. Effective immediately.”
Diane scoffed, loudly pouring herself another glass of wine. “Oh, listen to her. Who are you calling, your shifting manager at the boutique?

Put the phone away, Chloe, you’re embarrassing yourself.”
I ignored her and looked directly into Brendan’s eyes. “Terminate Brendan Vance, Senior VP of Logistics. Terminate Diane Vance, Regional Director of Operations. And terminate Jessica Vance, Marketing Manager. Revoke their corporate credentials, wipe their access to the servers, and cancel their corporate leases. Do it right now.”
Arthur didn’t hesitate. “Understood, Ma’am. The board has a clause for immediate executive restructuring under your signature. I will have HR process the terminations and lock their accounts within five minutes.”
“Thank you, Arthur,” I said, and hung up.
The dining room erupted into laughter. Jessica was practically crying. “Are you insane? You’re going to fire us? From Vanguard? Do you even know who the CEO is? Brendan, your wife has finally lost her mind. The pregnancy hormones have broken her brain.”