Once I saw what was inside, I clapped a hand over my mouth in shock.
"Sylvester, how much more have you been hiding from me?"
As it turned out, back in the second year of our marriage, Sylvester had gotten lucky, caught the wave of the moment, and made his first fortune.
Then he'd paid cash outright for the villa he and Wanda lived in now.
On top of that, to reward Wanda for giving him a son, Sylvester had signed over ten percent of the shares in his name to her.
Over the years, the cars, the jewelry, the luxury goods and designer clothes he'd given Wanda added up to nearly a million dollars, at the very least.
Yet the Sylvester he'd shown me all those years was another face entirely.
He'd told me the industry was in a slump, that he'd had no choice but to shut the company down, that he was doing sales for a friend's firm and working himself half to death for five grand a month.
Worried he couldn't handle it, I worked my own job and picked up odd jobs on the side to help make ends meet.
In five years I never bought myself a single new outfit. Lila's clothes and shoes and toys as a little girl were all hand-me-downs from friends.
Watching us, mother and daughter, unwilling to splurge on even one nice family dinner out, Sylvester had slapped himself hard across the face twice.
"It's all my fault. I'm useless. I can't give you two a better life. I've let you both down."
Back then I naively believed love could fill an empty stomach.
That as long as our family stayed together, there was no hardship we couldn't get through.
I never dreamed that the Sylvester crying poor to my face day after day was already living like royalty.
Only I was trapped in that tiny kitchen, foolishly dreaming of earning enough to pay for his treatment, clear his debts, and bring the family back together sooner.
I wiped my tears dry and called a childhood friend I hadn't spoken to in a long time.
"Any interest in doing a little business together?"
The next morning Sylvester was up earlier than usual, and for once in his life he even made breakfast.
"Georgina," he said, feigning offhandedness, "is that buyer you found reliable?"
"It's a family recipe passed down for generations, after all. Be careful you don't get taken in by someone with an agenda."
I said nothing and waited for him to go on.
"I spent all last night looking into several serious, well-backed companies, and I picked out the strongest one of the bunch. They say you should shop around, compare three sellers before you buy. It never hurts to weigh your options."
I finished the last bite of my fried egg and nodded. "Okay. Whatever you say."
Sylvester fought down the corners of his mouth as they tried to curl up, then stepped over and pulled me into his arms.
"Georgina, don't worry. Once I'm well again, I'll make it all up to you twice over."
I stared at the coffee-brown strands of long hair on his collar, hair that wasn't mine, and pulled free of him, swallowing my disgust.
"It's about time. Let's go."
Not long after we reached the teahouse, the heads of both companies arrived.
Ralph Swanson caught sight of me and traded a look with me, his face giving nothing away.
And the head of the other company turned out to be—Wanda.
She came forward, all smiles. "Georgina, what a coincidence. I never imagined the day would come when you'd be begging me for something."
I let out a faint laugh. "It's too early to say that."
Wanda shot a glance at Ralph beside her, in his casual clothes, and named her price with a smug flourish.
Sylvester reached over and tugged at the hem of my shirt, whispering, "Georgina, this price is more than fair. Wanda's someone we know, after all. She'd never cheat us."
I drew a deep breath and, under his watchful gaze, walked slowly forward.
Wanda folded her arms across her chest, chin lifted in haughty triumph. "What's she so cocky about? In the end she still has to come groveling at my feet."
But in the next second, I turned and held out my hand to Ralph.
"I'm willing to sell you the recipe for one dollar."
Sylvester's face changed completely. He rushed forward and grabbed at me.
"Georgina Fox, did you lose your mind? How can you say something so absurd?"
"Withdraw the offer right now. Sell to Wanda."
"Don't forget, you promised the creditors you'd pay them back tomorrow. Do you want to watch them beat me to death?"
I tugged at the corner of my mouth and met his eyes.
"Then go ahead and die."
