The Last Threat

PART 3 — THE SECRET DANIEL NEVER KNEW

Two weeks later, Daniel discovered something that changed everything.

My attorney had arranged a meeting with his legal representatives to discuss the divorce settlement.

I had requested nothing from him.

No mansion.

No cars.

No monthly allowance.

Not even a share of his businesses.

All I wanted was my freedom.

Daniel arrived at the meeting with his chief attorney, looking as confident as ever.

He barely glanced at the documents.

“Emily, stop this nonsense. I’ll give you whatever you want. Name your price.”

I looked at him.

“I already did.”

“What?”

“My freedom.”

His attorney cleared his throat.

“Mr. Blackwood, perhaps we should review the financial disclosures first.”

Daniel waved him off.

“There’s nothing to review. My wife has never cared about money.”

I almost smiled.

He was right about one thing.

I had never cared about his money.

But there was something he didn’t know.

Before marrying Daniel, I had inherited a substantial investment portfolio from my grandmother. Over the years, I had quietly built my own company through investments in technology and international logistics.

It had grown far beyond anything Daniel imagined.

I was the majority owner of Carter Global Holdings, a company with operations across several countries.

And one of its largest competitors was Blackwood Shipping.

Daniel had never bothered to ask about my work.

He assumed I was simply a woman who enjoyed decorating his mansion and waiting for him to come home.

My attorney slid another document across the table.

“Mrs. Blackwood has also requested confirmation that her independent business interests will remain entirely separate from this marriage settlement.”

Daniel frowned.

“What business interests?”

I calmly opened my folder.

“Carter Global Holdings.”

His attorney looked up sharply.

Daniel stared at the company name.

Then he looked at me.

“That’s yours?”

“Yes.”

He turned toward his attorney.

“How large is it?”

His attorney quickly reviewed the accompanying documents.

Then his expression changed.

“Mr. Blackwood, Carter Global is one of the largest privately held logistics investment groups in the country.”

Silence filled the room.

Daniel slowly turned back toward me.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

I gave him a tired smile.

“You never asked.”

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he leaned forward.

“Emily, we can fix this. Whatever happened between us, we can start again.”

I shook my head.

“You don’t want to start again, Daniel. You just discovered that I was never as powerless as you thought.”

His expression tightened.

Before he could respond, his phone rang.

It was one of his senior security officers.

Daniel answered.

“What?”

The man’s voice was loud enough for me to hear.

“Sir, we have a problem. Vanessa has been accessing confidential company information. Some documents have also been sent to a competing shipping group.”

Daniel stood immediately.

“What documents?”

“Contracts, port schedules, and internal financial records.”

His face turned cold.

“Find out everything. Now.”

He ended the call.

Then another message appeared on his phone.

It was a photograph of Vanessa entering a private office with a man who had been Daniel’s business rival for years.

Daniel stared at it.

I recognized the man.

Richard Hale.

He had spent years trying to undermine the Blackwood empire.

Daniel looked at me.

“Did you know about this?”

“No.”

“Emily, I need you to help me.”

I closed my folder.

“Why would I?”

“Because she might have information about your company, too.”

I stood.

“Then hire someone to investigate it.”

“Emily!”

I stopped at the door.

His voice was no longer commanding.

It was desperate.

“Please. Don’t leave while this is happening.”

I looked back at him.

“Daniel, when I was lying in that hospital bed after my accident, you left me to stand outside an operating room for another woman. You didn’t care whether I was frightened or hurt.”

He lowered his eyes.

“That was a mistake.”

“No. It was a choice.”

I walked out.

That night, Daniel finally confronted Vanessa.

And the truth was uglier than he had imagined.

She admitted that she had been sharing confidential information with Richard Hale.

But she also claimed she had done it because Daniel had promised to marry her once his divorce was finalized.

Daniel stared at her in disbelief.

“Did you really think I would destroy my marriage for you?”

Vanessa’s eyes filled with tears.

“You already did!”

He said nothing.

She stepped closer.

“You stopped loving Emily years ago. You only kept her because she was convenient.”

Daniel’s expression became terrifyingly still.

“Get out.”

“Daniel—”

“Get out of my house.”

For the first time, Vanessa realized that her place in his life had never been as secure as she believed.

But Daniel’s problems were only beginning.

Richard Hale had already used the stolen information to launch a legal attack against several Blackwood companies.

And the only person who understood the international logistics contracts involved was the woman Daniel had spent four years ignoring.

His wife.

Or rather, the woman who was about to become his ex-wife.