"Alright, that's enough. Whether you've had one abortion or ten, you're still Mrs. Gilbert. That hasn't changed."
The dismissal cut sharper than any insult. Ignoring my frozen expression, Jesse steered me toward the exit.
"She's just a young girl, inexperienced and eager. It's no big deal if she misdiagnosed you. Don't make a scene."
Something inside me shattered. The love I'd harbored for Jesse turned to ash. The suffocating possessiveness I once felt evaporated into cold air.
"Fine," I said, voice hollow.
After that day, Jesse began parading Joanna at every major social event. He handed the entire medical equipment division to her.
When she lost hundreds of millions through sheer incompetence, he shrugged it off.
"A beauty's smile is worth a fortune. She's young and naive. Mistakes are part of the learning curve."
But I followed the paper trail. The funds hadn't vanished—they'd been funneled into offshore accounts controlled by the Fox family.
Joanna wasn't as simple as Jesse claimed.
I hadn't planned to engage with her. But now she was encroaching on my territory. Since we were both after money, I couldn't let her stay.