Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 116: Confronting Anya

I didn’t try to talk Alec out of coming with me to the Heavenly Estate. Truth be told, I needed his support to go back into that house. Going back was King’s idea. If there was going to be a scene, he wanted it behind closed doors.

So, I put on a 50s retro dress with pearls and button earrings. Ever since the mountain, full skirts and fitted bodices were my jam when I wasn’t busy taking care of Bea or working out with Alec. The ankle was still sore, so heels were out, but soon I’d add them to the ensembles. And, who knows, I might go all out and add some cute little hats as well. But first, I had to get through this evening.

King met us at the door. He didn’t look pleased to see Alec with me, but he didn’t turn him away either. In fact, the men shook hands. I sighed in relief. I only had the patience for one battle tonight.

The house seemed emptier than before. That was because it was. Lettie was in the sanitarium. Maylean and the twins were still at the retreat, and Daniel was a guest of the state. King said he was inviting Min and Ben, but I had no idea if they would show. At least Nan was absent. That was a relief.

The dining table was set for seven, which was almost half as many as usual. A man and a woman I didn’t recognize stood by to serve us.

I predicted that as soon as Anya saw me, the meal would be forgotten. Too bad. I was hungry.

"If you are set on doing this, you might as well do it right," King said as he pulled out the chair at the head of the table. This was traditionally the seat from which Lettie reigned over her family.

He motioned for Alec to sit to my left, and King sat to my right. Together, we presented a united front as a reminder of where the Heavenly power lay now. Divorced or not, King, as the head of the family, was making it clear that he favored me over her.

Ben and Min joined us. They looked like a couple down to the way Min pulled out a chair for Ben and moved Ben’s wine glass closer. I hoped they were happy. They looked happy.

"How much do you know?" I asked Ben.

"Same old, same old. Anya is a vindictive bitch. You’re with Alec now. Oh, and I love the dress. Worth every penny you paid for it."

"Thanks. And do you know the plan for tonight?"

"No idea! I’m here for the show, though. If you and Anya are squaring off against one another, my money is on you to win, but Anya won’t go down without a fight."

"Teela isn’t worth my time to fight. She’s not even family," Anya said as she stormed into the room only to stop short when she saw the seating arrangement. Joshua followed behind her, ducking his head in a silent hello.

"I may not be family, but I’m still a guest of this house."

"Not by my choice," Anya said as she took her normal seat at the table.

"Fortunately, the decision isn’t yours."

Anya said, "King, exactly why did you bring your trash back into the house."

King said, "Watch yourself, Anya. As Teela said, she is a guest in this house."

"Of course, King. My apology to you."

Like I wasn’t smart enough to realize that her apology to King and not me wasn’t a slight in and of itself. Eh, let her. I’d have the last laugh today.

"Let’s start over," I said. "Anya, how are you? What have you been up to these days? Is the design business doing well?"

"Business is terrific. Thank you for asking. It’s very gratifying to be self-sufficient. I love earning my own money and not depending on handouts from others. Why, I would go crazy if I stayed at home the way you do, with nothing to do but wait around for the employed members of the household to return.

"And I see you’ve found a new benefactor. Alec Crest, isn’t it? Your father is a criminal or something?"

Alec said, "And how is your mother-in-law, the human trafficker? Still in need of a drool cup?"

"Touche."

I jumped in before we got too far off-topic. "So, you aren’t experiencing any financial setbacks? I could have sworn my new acquaintance told me you were nosing around for real estate investors."

"Don’t be ridiculous. I’m a designer, not a developer. I don’t have any business dabbling in real estate," Anya said.

"I’d say." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Don’t underestimate me, Teela. If I wanted to invest in real estate, I would. I am part of the Heavenly family. I can afford it."

King said, "Oh, really? Is your allowance so hefty you have that kind of capital? Which reminds me. If your business is so flush, plus you have a successful husband to back you, why are you taking an allowance from the household? We already provide your housing, security, access to the company jet, cars. Need I go on?"

"Lettie said everyone gets a share of the family profits."

"That was when the family owned Heavenly Enterprises. I own it now. The only thing I’m obligated to pay you is dividends on whatever shares you own," King said.

Anya tilted her head in confusion. "King, are you saying you are cutting me off?"

"Isn’t that what you and Mother did to Teela?"

"I had nothing to do with that. That was Lettie’s decision."

I put a hand on King’s hand, which rested on the table. "King, that was in the past. Wouldn’t you rather hear about the most recent information I have about your dear sister-in-law? About how she approached a loan shark for a loan and tried to tie the loan to Heavenly without any authority at all?"

Anya slapped the table and jumped out of her chair. "Teela Heavenly, you stop right there. You have no proof. It’s all lies."

"But I have proof, just like I have proof that you put out a contract to have an accident staged against a woman and two children."

"That bitch tried to set me up. She’s lucky I didn’t kill her myself."

All I could do was shake my head. That was too easy. For such a conniving woman, she should be better at keeping her secrets safe.

"Hey, Anya, do you see this brooch?’’ I pointed out the rhinestone daisy pinned to my dress. "This isn’t just a pin. It is a surveillance device. On the other end of this device are the police, who should be arriving any minute now."

I nodded to King, who got up to open the door for them. At the same time, Anya dropped back in her seat with her mouth open.

Anya gulped a couple of times before she attempted to speak. "How could you do this to me? We are family."

"When have you ever treated me as family, Anya?"

"I always treated you as family. I treated you the very same way my sisters treated me until I married Joshua and had more power than they did."

"Then I feel sorry for you, Anya, but that doesn’t excuse what you did. You paid someone to destroy three lives. It is only by the grace of God they survived. Otherwise, you’d be going to jail for murder. At least this way, you may see prison time, but it won’t end your life."

"You might as well kill me now. I’ll never survive prison." Anya turned to Joshua. "Joshie, you can save me, can’t you? Isn’t there a way to pay off the police or convince them this was a setup? I’m your wife. I don’t want to be away from you."

Joshua jerked away from her. "Why would I do that? This is my out. I’ll finally be free of you and your ridiculous demands. You’ve embarrassed me all over this city with your affairs and attempts to convince people you’ve stepped into Mother’s shoes as the family monarch.

"I’m with King." Josh jutted a chin in my direction. "I’d rather see Teela sitting in that position any day over you. At least she has integrity and decorum. Anyone who can treat me as well as she does after everything I’ve been complicit in doing to her deserves my support."

"But I’m your wife." Anya’s voice was small and weak, like a beaten puppy afraid to ask for a kind hand.

The doorbell rang. King returned with a team of four policemen.

Joshua said, "I never wanted you as my wife. I had someone I loved. Mom made me marry you. She told me I would learn to love you, but Anya, in all these years, all I’ve learned is to accept my fate and just pray you die before me so that I might one day find happiness. Because, unlike you, I’ve been faithful.

"You’ll receive a petition for a divorce in prison. Make sure and sign it promptly."

"I’m pregnant!"