My Husband Let His Mistress Hurt Our Five-Year-Old—Then He Discovered Who I Really Was / Chapter 1 / 10

Chapter 1 - The Gathering StormThe night air outside the Bel Air mansion was cool and biting, but Gwen felt nothing. Holding Hazel tightly against her chest, she carried her daughter down the long, winding driveway toward a sleek black Maybach idling quietly under the shadows of the eucalyptus trees.

The rear door opened before she reached it. Thomas, her father’s most trusted advisor, stepped out into the night, his face grim with restrained fury. He bowed his head respectfully.

"Miss Gwen," he said gently, taking the heavy coat from his shoulders and draping it carefully over Hazel. "The young lady...?"

"Two baby teeth knocked out, Thomas," Gwen replied, her voice dangerously calm. "Physical assault on a five-year-old child. Document everything. Get a private medical team to meet us at the estate immediately."

Thomas’s knuckles turned white against the door handle. "Mr. Crawford is already at the Grand Pinnacle. When I informed him of what happened, he wanted to level the Albright mansion to the ground tonight. I had to personally remind him of your instructions."

"My father's patience was tested for six years," Gwen said, stepping into the back seat of the Maybach. "He gave me space to try a quiet, normal life. I thought Spencer was just weak and arrogant. I didn't realize he was a monster."

She looked back at the sprawling estate receding in the distance. Lights flickered in the second-floor master suite where Cassandra was likely trying on her diamond necklaces, preparing to parade herself as the new queen of the Albright family.

"Is the audit complete?" Gwen asked, stroking Hazel’s soft hair as the child slept fitfully.

"It was complete three years ago, Miss Gwen," Thomas answered, turning in the passenger seat to hand her a secure tablet. "We simply waited for your command. Albright Enterprises hasn't made a legitimate profit since 2021. Spencer has been using Crawford Capital’s subsidiary credit lines to cover his offshore debts. He owes our banks three hundred and forty million dollars."

Gwen slid her finger across the screen, reviewing the long list of shell companies, fake invoices, and illegal transfers signed by Spencer and his mother, Patricia.

"And Cassandra?"

Thomas smiled, a cold, sharp expression. "Cassandra Vance. Real name: Cassandra Jenkins. She isn't an heiress from Chicago, Miss Gwen. She’s an unregistered escort with two active arrest warrants in Nevada for extortion and identity theft. Spencer has been paying her hush money using his daughter’s trust fund."