My Husband Told Me I Looked Like Catering at His Promotion Gala — Then I Stepped Onto the Stage as the New Owner of His Company
The following afternoon, chaos erupted at Apex Maritime headquarters. A team of state tax authorities, led by stern-faced agents, swarmed Marcus’s personal executive suite. They carried binders and a court order for a surprise audit. Sirens wailed softly in the distance.
I watched from my own office, the glass wall giving me a clear view of the commotion down the hall. Marcus, flanked by his new lawyers, was trying to argue, his face red with indignation.
Then, I saw Chloe Albright. She burst out of her own office, her face ashen, clutching a document. She looked absolutely panicked.
She shoved the paper into Marcus’s chest. “What is this, Marcus? What did you do?” she shrieked, her voice high and strained enough that it echoed down the hall.
One of the tax agents, a woman with sharp eyes, stepped forward. “Ms. Albright, we have reason to believe you are the sole corporate officer listed on a shell company, ‘Coastal Holdings LLC,’ associated with significant unpaid back taxes.”
Chloe’s eyes went wide with horror. “Coastal Holdings? Marcus, you said that was just for ‘tax optimization’!”
Marcus grabbed her arm, hissing, “Chloe, not now! This is nothing. A misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?” she screamed, wrenching her arm free. “They’re saying there’s over $300,000 in back taxes, and *my* name is on the paperwork! My professional credentials! My entire career!”
She turned to face the tax agents, her composure completely shattered. “He told me it was a minor administrative role! Just a formality! He said he’d handle everything!”
The agent looked at Chloe, then at Marcus. “We have a subpoena here for a sworn statement, Ms. Albright. We believe you have information relevant to a broader investigation into tax fraud and wire fraud involving Marcus Delaney.”
Chloe stared at Marcus, her face a mask of furious betrayal. He had used her, just as he had tried to use Gabe, and just as he had tried to use me. He’d made her the fall person for his offshore tax evasion, putting her name, her reputation, and her entire future on the line.
She snatched the subpoena from the agent’s hand. Her gaze locked with Marcus’s for a moment, a look of pure venom. Then, without another word, she nodded at the tax agent and walked away with them, towards a private interview room.
Her defection was swift, brutal, and utterly predictable. Marcus watched her go, his arrogant façade finally crumbling, replaced by raw fear.
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