Chapter 3

I vanished from public view for three full months.

Everyone assumed I was broken, cowering in some dark corner, waiting to die.

Meanwhile, Linda's star rose to astronomical heights.

She was hailed as the "Heroic Working Mom Who Stood Up to Corporate Tyranny." She landed brand deals, appeared on daytime talk shows, and racked up tens of millions of followers.

Her growing baby bump had become her ultimate armor.

Today, she was hosting a lavish hundred-day baby shower and blessing gala for her unborn child.

The venue was the grand ballroom of the most luxurious hotel in the city, fully broadcasted via livestream.

A-listers and influencers packed the room as media flashes popped without pause.

Linda was draped in a bespoke couture maternity gown, her makeup flawless. Clutching Richard's arm, her smile practically radiated bliss.

She took the microphone and addressed the cameras and guests, her voice catching with emotion.

"Thank you, everyone. Thank you to every champion of justice who stood by me. My baby gets to be born into a world filled with love, and that is all thanks to you."

"As for the person who once tried to destroy me... I choose forgiveness. Because I am a mother now."

The live chat overflowed with adoration and praise.

Right at that moment, I shoved open the heavy double doors.

Dressed in a sharp, tailored black suit, I stood framed by the blinding light of the hallway.

Every pair of eyes in the ballroom snapped directly to me.

The smile on Linda's face froze solid. Instinctively, she shielded her stomach and shrieked toward the streaming camera:

"Sue! What are you doing here?! Are you trying to hurt my baby?!"

Two massive security guards immediately rushed forward, attempting to block me.

"Ma'am, you need to leave right now!"

I didn't even spare them a glance. My eyes were locked entirely on Linda up on the stage.

Calmly, I pulled a crisp legal document from my bag and snapped it open in front of their faces.

"Move."

The guards froze, reading the bold header, and exchanged uneasy glances.

"Court Subpoena and Judicial Search Warrant."

Inch by inch, the color drained from Linda's face.

"What... what is that garbage? It's fake! You forged that!"

I walked right up to the stage, thrusting the warrant right in front of her eyes—and straight into the camera lens.

"Haven't you put on this show long enough, Linda?"

I turned toward the live feed, my voice cutting like broken glass.

"Defamation, corporate forgery, cyberstalking, commercial fraud, aggravated harassment, terroristic threats..."

With every single word I uttered, Linda's body shook violently.

"Did you honestly think that hiding behind a baby bump made you immune to the law?"

"Did you think that by manipulating public opinion, you could rewrite reality?"

Two uniformed detectives stepped out from behind me, taking their positions on either side of Linda.

The livestream chat went utterly haywire, an endless wall of question marks and exclamation points flooding the screen.

Linda stared at the badges, and the last shred of hope in her eyes evaporated.

She collapsed onto the floor, her tears smearing her expensive makeup into a pathetic, muddy mess.

"No... it wasn't me! You can't touch me! I'm pregnant!"

I looked down at her coldly.

"The law does not bow to special status. It answers to criminals."

"I haven't been idle these past three months."

"Your bot farm, your document-forging ring, your phony 'Women's Rights' front, and Richard over there, who helped orchestrate the cyberattacks against my servers..."

My gaze drifted over to Richard, who was standing beside her, looking like a walking corpse.

"Not a single one of you is getting away with this."