Jason pressed a trembling hand against his burning cheek.
The ballroom remained completely silent.
No one could believe I had struck him.
My mother struggled to sit up.
Blood slowly trickled down the side of her forehead.
I immediately helped her onto a nearby chair.
My mother-in-law pointed at me with fury.
“You ungrateful woman!”
“You’ve lost your mind!”
She rushed toward me as if she intended to slap me.
My bodyguard stepped directly into her path.
She froze.
Confusion spread across the faces of the guests.
Bodyguard?
Jason frowned.
“What is this?”
I calmly removed a slim black phone from my purse.
For the first time in three years…
I dialed a number I had promised never to use unless everything was truly over.
The call connected almost instantly.
A respectful voice answered.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Thornton.”
The entire ballroom fell even quieter.
Jason stared at me.
His face slowly drained of color.
I spoke only one sentence.
“Terminate every line of financial support connected to Jason Carter, effective immediately.”
There was no hesitation.
“Already processing.”
“His company’s operating accounts, venture financing, corporate guarantees, and private credit facilities were all established under Thornton Group authorization.”
“They will be frozen within sixty seconds.”
Jason laughed nervously.
“What ridiculous game is this?”
“You don’t even know anyone at Thornton Group.”
Before I answered, every phone in the front row began vibrating.
Jason’s chief financial officer looked down first.
His face instantly turned white.
He hurried toward Jason.
“Sir…”
“Our payroll account…”
“It’s frozen.”
Another executive checked his phone.
“Our investment line was canceled.”
A third looked ready to collapse.
“The acquisition loan…”
“The bank just withdrew approval.”
Jason grabbed his own phone.
One notification appeared after another.
Corporate Credit Suspended.
Bridge Financing Revoked.
Investor Escrow Frozen.
His hands began shaking violently.
“This…”
“This can’t happen.”
“It belongs to my company.”
I looked directly into his eyes.
“It never did.”
“For three years, Thornton Group secretly financed every stage of your business.”
“You believed investors admired your talent.”
“They trusted my recommendation.”
Gasps echoed throughout the ballroom.
One elderly businessman slowly stood.
He had invested millions in Jason’s startup.
He looked at me in disbelief.
“You…”
“You’re Isabella Thornton?”
I gave a slight nod.
“I am.”
The room erupted into shocked whispers.
Jason staggered backward.
“No…”
“You told me your father died broke.”
“My father died protecting our family’s privacy.”
“You never cared enough to ask another question.”
At that moment, my attorney entered the ballroom carrying a leather portfolio.
He handed Jason several legal documents.
“Mr. Carter.”
“You’ve been served.”
Jason stared blankly.
“Served?”
“Petition for divorce.”
“Civil claim for financial fraud.”
“Recovery of concealed marital assets.”
“And a personal lawsuit for assault against Mrs. Eleanor Brooks.”
My mother-in-law screamed.
“You can’t destroy this family!”
I slowly wrapped an arm around my mother.
“No.”
“You destroyed it the moment you decided humiliating a woman who spent her life sacrificing for her daughter was entertainment.”
Just then, another woman walked into the ballroom carrying a thick folder stamped with the seal of the State Attorney General.
She looked directly at Jason.
“Mr. Carter…”
“We’ve just received evidence that your startup didn’t merely misuse Thornton Group funding.”
She placed the folder on the table.
“It appears your company has been falsifying government technology contracts for nearly two years.”
Jason’s knees finally gave out.
Because he realized losing his marriage…
Was about to become the smallest problem of his life.
Read the entire Part 3 below.
