My seven husband and me

I was there with my husband when we started from scratch, moving from a rundown shack to a massive mansion.

On the day the company went public, he showed up at the celebration with a young woman on his arm.

He introduced her to the crowd, "This is my love, Ms. Barrett."

Someone asked, "What about your wife?"

He just smiled. "That old ball and chain at home? She doesn't belong at an event like this."

I stood quietly at the back of the crowd, holding a glass of champagne.

Then the screen behind him lit up, starting a video about the company's history.

At the end of the video, a chart of the company's ownership structure appeared.

My name and photo were clearly under the "Largest Shareholder" section, with a 51% stake.

A clip started playing. A younger version of my husband, looking shy, said, "Everything I have, I owe to my wife. Without her, none of this would exist."

...

The smile froze on Nikolas's face.

The room went quiet for a second, then erupted into a wave of whispers.

All eyes were darting between Nikolas Davis, me, and Lydia Barrett beside him.

Everyone was watching the drama unfold.

"Did they mess up?" "I thought Ms. Barrett was Mr. Davis's love?"

"Willow Cooper... I've never heard the name, but that's definitely her in the photo."

"51%? So she's the real boss? Mr. Davis just works for her?"

Lydia's face went pale, and she let go of Nikolas's arm.

Nikolas was quick. He grabbed the mic and forced a laugh.

"Looks like our tech guys had a bit too much to drink and played the wrong video. That was just a joke from way back when we started out. Don't take it seriously."

He said it while staring straight at me, his eyes full of warning.

I set my glass down. The clink of the glass hitting the surface was sharp and clear, cutting through the noise.