"Your husband's secretary took the call!"
Kayla. Coleman.
Rage ignited inside me like wildfire.
By the time I stormed into Sanchez Corp, the receptionist blocked my path.
"I'm sorry, but Mrs. Sanchez has instructed us not to allow unauthorized visitors inside."
I stared at her. Then I pulled out the photo of my marriage certificate. "Garry and I aren't divorced yet. So where exactly did this Mrs. Sanchez come from?"
The receptionist glanced at the photo and scoffed. "That's obviously photoshopped. Everyone knows Mr. Sanchez adores his wife. He can't even bear to be apart from her during work hours, so he created a secretary position just to keep her close."
Her gaze swept over me, head to toe, dripping with contempt. "Someone like you? You think you could be Mrs. Sanchez?"
I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone to call Garry directly. But the voice that answered wasn't his.
It was Kayla's. Lazy. Suggestive. Dripping with something she wanted me to hear.
"He's busy. What do you want now?"
"Kayla, what did you do with Lily's grave?"
"Why do you care?" She let out a light, mocking laugh. "Mr. Sanchez put me in charge of it. Stop making a fuss."
The line went dead.
Seconds later, security appeared and politely escorted me out.
My thoughts spiraled. I had no idea where that woman had put Lily's ashes. But I didn't dare push her too hard either. If I backed her into a corner, she might destroy them entirely. Panic was clawing at my chest when I noticed two shabbily dressed people walking toward the Sanchez Corp entrance. A man and a woman, clearly from the countryside.
Something made me look twice.
The woman was beaming. "That girl Kayla sure works fast. Found a prime burial spot in less than a day. Now your uncle can finally rest easy."
The man hesitated. "I heard the plot used to belong to some little girl who burned to death. Her father's the CEO of Sanchez Corp. Is it really okay that she just tossed those ashes out?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. Mr. Sanchez is head over heels for Kayla. He won't care about something so small."
Every muscle in my body locked. Cold sweat crawled down my spine.
The next thing I knew, I was standing in the conference room. I didn't remember how I'd gotten there. Half a shard of broken glass was clenched in my fist.
Kayla scrambled behind Garry, her face a mask of terror.
Garry's expression twisted with fury. "Ida! What are you doing? There are senior executives in this room. Have you lost your mind?"
A ring of people surrounded the conference table, whispering, pointing.
I didn't see any of them.
"Kayla Coleman!" My voice cut through the room like a blade. "What did you do with my daughter's ashes? Answer me!"
Something in my expression must have shaken him, because beneath the anger, a flicker of doubt crept into Garry's eyes. He turned to Kayla. "Kayla... Lily's ashes. Did you touch them?"
"Of course not!" Kayla's lip trembled, her eyes wide and wounded. "Garry, she's your own daughter. I would've cherished her remains. How could you even ask me that?"
"You're lying!"
I shoved my phone in front of them, the cemetery photo filling the screen. "Then explain this. Who is this man buried in my daughter's plot?"
Garry's breath caught. "Kayla... who is this man?"
"Garry Sanchez, you useless piece of—" Tears burned down my cheeks before I could stop them. "You couldn't protect Lily when she was alive. Now you can't even protect her ashes! Your own daughter's remains were thrown away by this woman, and you just stand there!"
"That's impossible!" Garry shot back reflexively. "Kayla is kindhearted. She would never do something like that. There has to be a misunderstanding."
Kayla nodded, satisfaction barely concealed behind her pitiful expression. "Thank you for believing me, Garry. I truly have no idea what this is about."
"Still denying it?" My voice went flat. Cold. Dead. "I already found your accomplices outside. Let's see how you talk your way out of this."
