Chapter 3 - The Mistress’s Reality Check
The romance of a scandalous affair relies entirely on the illusion of power and the comfort of endless money. When you strip both away, the romance dies an incredibly ugly death.
Erin Cole had spent the weekend complaining to Michael about Emma’s "disrespect," demanding that he force his children to accept her. She was lounging in the two-million-dollar penthouse, drinking expensive champagne, convinced she had won the ultimate prize. She thought she was the new queen of the Bennett House empire.
She woke up on Monday afternoon to a nightmare.
At exactly 2:00 p.m., the corporate property management team for Bennett House Collection arrived at the penthouse, accompanied by a locksmith and a legal courier. Because Michael had illegally purchased the property using corporate funds, the deed technically belonged to the company. I had immediately ordered an eviction notice.
Through the grapevine of my legal team, I heard the glorious details of the fallout. Erin had answered the door in a silk robe, screaming at the property managers that she was Michael's fiancée and they had no right to be there. The courier simply handed her a notice giving her forty-eight hours to vacate the corporate asset.
When Michael finally arrived at the penthouse—having been thrown out of his own company and stripped of his corporate credit cards—he didn't come home to lavish her with apologies and gifts. He came home frantic, broke, and facing federal prison time.
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The illusion shattered instantly. Erin realized she hadn't stolen a billionaire CEO; she had tethered herself to a disgraced, unemployed felon. The screaming match that followed was reportedly loud enough for the neighbors to call the concierge. Erin demanded to know how he was going to pay for her lifestyle. Michael, suffocating under the reality of his ruin, turned his vitriol on her, blaming her for pushing him to confront Emma and triggering my wrath.
Three days later, Erin packed her designer bags and abandoned him. She realized there was no trust fund, no corporate jet, and no high-society future. She left Michael sitting alone in an empty, locked-out apartment, possessing absolutely nothing but the clothes on his back and the terrifying weight of his own consequences.
