My CEO Husband Left Me in My Old Dress for His Mistress. Then I Called My Billionaire Dad.

By 10:30 PM, the news of Apex Group’s collapse had swept through Cleveland’s financial district like a wildfire.

Outside the Ritz-Carlton, reporters, news vans, and flashing cameras surrounded the main entrance. Inside the private VIP lounge upstairs, the atmosphere was quiet, warm, and scented with fresh espresso.

Phoebe sat on a plush velvet armchair, sipping tea from a delicate porcelain cup. Beside her, her father was quietly reviewing corporate documents with his legal team.

The double doors of the lounge were pushed open violently.

Spencer rushed inside, his hair messy, his bowtie undone, his eyes wild with frantic desperation. Behind him, two security guards tried to restrain him, but Phoebe raised a gentle hand, signaling them to let him speak.

"Phoebe! Phoebe, you have to stop the bank freeze!" Spencer screamed, tumbling to his knees near her chair, grabbing his own hair in agony. "My board of directors just held an emergency meeting! They voted to strip me of my CEO title! The bank is repossessing my house in Shaker Heights! My cars! Everything!"

Phoebe took a calm sip of her tea, setting the cup down on the saucer with a soft clink.

"That sounds like a terrible night for a CEO, Spencer," she said quietly. "Where is Paisley? Shouldn't she be comforting you right now?"

Spencer spat on the floor in disgust. "That snake?! The moment the news hit the floor, she ran off with a junior partner from a rival firm! She stole my watch from the coat check on her way out! She never cared about me!"

"And you never cared about me," Phoebe reminded him, her voice cool and steady.

"I did! I do!" Spencer sobbed, tears streaming down his flushed face as he crawled closer, reaching out to touch her shoe. "Phoebe, I was blind! I was foolish! The corporate world corrupted me! I thought I needed status, but all I ever needed was you! I love you, Phoebe! Please... give me one more chance! I'll wear old clothes with you! We can live in a small apartment! Just don't destroy me!"

Phoebe looked down at him. Three hours ago, this man’s words had the power to make her feel worthless, small, and invisible. Now, looking at him groveling on the floor like a beaten dog, she felt nothing at all.

"Do you remember what you said to Mrs. Gladys before you walked out the door tonight, Spencer?" Phoebe asked softly.

Spencer blinked through his tears, stammering, "I... I don't..."

"'There's no need. I'm going with Paisley tonight,'" Phoebe quoted, her eyes narrowing into cold gray diamonds. "You didn't just break my heart, Spencer. You humiliated me in front of the people who cared about me. You destroyed my trust."

Raymond Harrell stood up from his chair, his tall frame casting a long, intimidating shadow over Spencer.

"My daughter gave you three years of her life, Conway," Raymond growled softly. "And you traded her for a bottle of cheap champagne and a fake diamond necklace. You are done in this city."

Two guards stepped forward, grabbing Spencer by the elbows and lifting him off the floor.

"Phoebe! No! PHOEBE!" Spencer screamed, struggling against the guards' iron grip as he was dragged backward out of the room. "DON'T DO THIS TO ME! PHOEBE!"

The doors closed, cutting off his frantic screams.

Phoebe closed her eyes for a brief second, letting out a long, deep breath.