After my husband threw me out of the house after our divorce, I took the old bank card my father had left behind and used it at a branch in the U.S., sending the whole bank lobby into a stir as the staff hurriedly called the manager over, and the words “Look at the name on this account!” revealed a family secret I had never known.

“No, no, it was my fault,” he rushed to correct himself. “I was blind. I didn’t see the diamond I had until I saw you in the meeting room the other day. I realized.”

“Realized what?”

“How fantastic you are. We can be the best team, Zel. We can start over.”

He leaned in.

“I’ve already left Aniya. She’s already out of the apartment.”

It was a lie. Aniya was shopping with his credit card at that very moment.

“We will dominate Atlanta,” he whispered. “You with your land, me with my expertise. Forget Seek. You don’t need him. You only need me.”

Zelica withdrew her hand slowly.

“Your seduction is good, Quacy. Better than your business presentation,” she said coldly.

He was surprised.

“Maybe you’re right,” Zelica continued, as if thinking.

Hope lit up again in his eyes.

“We really have to fix this,” she said, “but I can’t mix personal and business.”

“Sure, sure. Let’s finish the business matter first,” he agreed.

“I’ve already seen the result of your audit,” Zelica said.

“And?” he asked anxiously.

“We need to talk seriously. Tomorrow in my office at 10:00 a.m. Bring your lawyer if necessary. Once that is over, then we can talk about us.”

She stood up, leaving him with a bottle of expensive wine and a sly smile, thinking he had just won.

At 10:00 a.m. the next morning, in the meeting room of the mansion, Quacy arrived alone, without a lawyer. He brought another bouquet of roses. He was very confident. He thought this meeting was just a formality before he and Zelica reconciled.

He entered the room. The atmosphere was far from romantic.

Zelica was already seated in the head chair. Seek was standing beside her. On the long mahogany table, there were no coffee cups, but stacks of thick legal documents.

“Zel, babe,” Quacy greeted, trying to break the ice with the flowers.

“Sit down, Quacy,” Zelica said, her voice cutting.

He sat. His smile faltered.

“Let’s get to the point,” she said. “Mr. Seek.”

Seek stepped forward, placing a binder of documents in front of him.

“Mr. Quacy, this is the list of debts of Quacy Constructions, Inc.,” Seek said. “To Garcia Aggregates, a total of $100,000. To Bolt Hardware, $50,000. To Iberian Machinery, $200,000, and so on. The total verified debt with twelve suppliers is $500,000.”

Quacy’s face paled.