I unexpectedly showed up at the company party and accidentally saw my hubby kneeling to propose to his secretary, who was also my stepsister. In silence, I canceled all the payments, then withdrew 90% of the company’s shares…

I was not supposed to attend the company holiday party that evening because my husband, Dylan Harper, had described it as nothing more than a routine corporate mixer filled with dull speeches and forced smiles. I planned to stay home and finish several investor reports until I realized I had left an important folder in my office upstairs, which made me grab my coat and drive to the downtown venue.

The ballroom at the Riverton Grand Hotel shimmered with golden light and polished glass, while music drifted softly and servers carried trays of champagne between carefully arranged conversations. For a brief moment I felt nostalgic, because Northgate Systems had once felt like something we truly built together from nothing into a respected company.

Then the crowd shifted near the stage, and I saw a floral arch that clearly had not been arranged for a simple gathering. Dylan stepped forward holding a microphone and a velvet ring box, and I initially assumed it must be some staged performance until I saw the woman standing before him.

Her name was Alyssa Morgan, my stepsister and also his executive assistant for the past eighteen months. She covered her mouth in dramatic surprise while he dropped to one knee, and the room erupted into cheers as if I had never existed.