Chapter 3 — The Woman Behind the Lie
Brenda believed she could still win.
She called reporters.
She cried on camera.
"I loved Andrew."
"I never wanted to hurt anyone."
But the internet had already found something else.
Security footage.
Hotel records.
Financial transfers.
Private messages.
Brenda hadn't entered Andrew's life by accident.
Margaret had hired her.
Months before the affair began.
She had promised Brenda a fortune if she could convince Andrew to divorce Mariana before the ownership structure became public.
The scandal exploded.
Sponsors abandoned Brenda overnight.
Luxury brands canceled every contract.
Friends stopped answering her calls.
Even Andrew stared at her with disbelief.
"You planned this?"
She burst into tears.
"It was your mother!"
Margaret screamed.
"You liar!"
The police entered the mansion moments later.
They weren't there for Brenda.
They were there for Margaret.
Investigators had discovered she had staged the missing necklace.
The emerald had never been stolen.
She had hidden it inside a private safety deposit box.
Her goal had been simple.
Humiliate Mariana.
Force a divorce.
Protect the Lawson fortune.
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She forgot one thing.
It had never been the Lawson fortune.
