LAPDOG HUSBAND IS A TRILLIONAIRE HEIR

CHAPTER 17

Katherine's face contorted with fury as she spotted Faye emerging from Group A's headquarters, clutching what was unmistakably a signed contract.

The smile on Faye's face was like salt in an open wound—a contract that should have been hers, a triumph that had been stolen from her.

"Look at her," Katherine spat, grabbing James's arm. "Grinning like she's accomplished something impressive."

James scowled. "She probably slept her way to that contract. There's no other explanation."

Faye noticed Katherine and James standing near the entrance. Her smile faltered as guilt washed over her. Taking a deep breath, she approached them.

"Katherine, I—"

"Save it," Katherine cut her off, voice dripping with venom. "Enjoy your little victory while it lasts. We both know your pathetic company doesn't have what it takes to fulfill a contract of this magnitude."

Faye winced at the harshness. "I didn't plan for any of this to happen. I just came to present my proposal and—"

"And what?" Katherine stepped closer, her designer heels clicking against the marble floor. "You batted your eyelashes at the CEO? Or was it that worthless ex-husband of mine who convinced them to throw me scraps?"

"Morgan had nothing to do with—"

"Oh please!" Katherine laughed, a cruel, hollow sound. "Don't pretend you two haven't been scheming behind my back. I saw how cozy you were together. Was he warming your bed while he was still in mine?"

James placed a hand on Katherine's shoulder. "Let's go, Katherine. She's not worth our time."

Faye's face flushed with embarrassment. "That's not true. I've never—"

"You know what's funny?" Katherine interrupted again, her voice rising enough to draw attention from passersby. "Morgan couldn't even help himself. What makes you think he could help your failing business?" She looked Faye up and down with contempt. "But I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures."

With that parting shot, Katherine turned on her heel and walked away, James at her side, leaving Faye standing alone, the joy of her contract signing thoroughly dampened.

Meanwhile, at the Shaw mansion, Yemin faced a different kind of hostility.

"I'm telling you," he explained patiently to Mrs. Shaw, "I just need to collect some personal belongings. I won't take long."

Mrs. Shaw blocked the doorway, her arms crossed firmly over her chest. Her face was a mask of disdain, eyes narrowed to slits.

"And I'm telling you to get lost! You think I don't know what you're really after? My daughter told me everything about you—a leech who contributed nothing to this family for years!"

Yemin maintained his composure, though irritation flickered across his features. "Mrs. Shaw, these are my personal items. I have every right—"

"Rights?" she scoffed, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. "The only right you have is to disappear from our lives! Katherine finally has a real man now, someone who can give her everything you couldn't."

Her words were designed to wound, but Yemin barely reacted. His thoughts remained fixed on the ring—his mother's ring—that remained inside.

"I'll come back with the proper documentation," he said calmly.

Mrs. Shaw let out a derisive laugh. "Documentation? What are you going to do? Sue us? With what money?" She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Everyone knows you've been living off my daughter's success. Without her, you're nothing but street trash."

Yemin's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. He thought of the empire he had built, the power he wielded that this woman couldn't begin to comprehend. Yet revealing his identity now would serve no purpose.

"I'll be back," he stated simply, turning to leave.

"That's right, run away!" Mrs. Shaw called after him. "That's what you're good at, isn't it? Running away when things get difficult!"

Yemin walked to his car without looking back, his mind already formulating alternative solutions to retrieve the ring. The irony wasn't lost on him—he could acquire multi-billion-dollar companies with a single phone call, yet here he was, unable to collect a small personal item from his former home.

Katherine's phone rang as she and James entered her office at Shaw Enterprises. Seeing her mother's name on the screen, she answered immediately.

"Mother, what is it?"

"That good-for-nothing ex-husband of yours just tried to break into the house!" Mrs. Shaw's voice was shrill with indignation.

Katherine's eyes widened. "What? Yemin came to the house? What did he want?"

"He claimed he wanted to collect some 'personal belongings,'" Mrs. Shaw said with a sneer in her voice. "As if he owned anything worth taking! I told him to get lost before I called the police."

Katherine's lips curled into a smirk. "I knew it. The moment things go south, he comes crawling back, looking for handouts."

"He had the nerve to say he'd return with 'documentation.' Can you believe it?"

James, who had been listening in, shook his head in disgust. "Pathetic."

"He's desperate, Mother," Katherine said, pacing the room. "Now that he can't mooch off me anymore, he's probably looking for anything valuable he can pawn."

"I told him exactly what I thought of him," Mrs. Shaw declared proudly. "I said he was nothing but street trash without you."

Katherine laughed, a cold sound devoid of any warmth. "You should have seen him today, Mother. Standing there like a lost puppy while that whore Faye signed a contract with Group A—the contract that should have been mine."

"Don't worry about that contract, darling. We'll find a way to fix this," Mrs. Shaw assured her. "By the way, have you made arrangements for your birthday celebration next week? It's the perfect opportunity to show everyone that you're doing just fine without that deadweight."

Katherine's expression brightened. "Yes, I've booked the Grand Pavilion. It's going to be spectacular—everyone who matters will be there." A malicious smile spread across her face. "Everyone except Morgan, of course."

"Perfect! Let him read about it in the society pages while he's scrounging for coins."

 "We need to destroy Faye's reputation before this contract is fully implemented. And as for Morgan—" her eyes gleamed with cruelty, "—I want him to regret the day he ever crossed me."

James nodded, pulling her close. "Don't worry, my dear. By the time we're done, they'll both be ruined."

Katherine leaned into his embrace, but her mind was already racing with plans for revenge. She had spent years building her image and her company. She wouldn't let Yemin or Faye take that away from her.