Chapter 3 Mother-in-Law's Lover

# Chapter 3 – Mother-in-Law's Lover

The Rhodes Media headquarters dominated Boston's skyline—sixty floors of gleaming glass and steel, a monument to Cynthia's ruthlessness and business acumen. As we rode the executive elevator, I studied my mother-in-law's reflection in the polished doors. At sixty-two, she remained striking—silver hair cut in a sharp bob, posture military-straight, her Chanel suit perfectly tailored to her slim frame.

"The board is waiting," she said, checking her watch. "Remember your role, Lillian."

"I always do."

The elevator opened directly into the boardroom antechamber. Cynthia's assistant rushed forward with a tablet displaying news headlines:

*RHODES HEIR CAUGHT IN LIVESTREAM SCANDAL*

*INFLUENCER WIFE CATCHES HUSBAND WITH BEST FRIEND*

*RHODES STOCKS DROP 3% FOLLOWING VIRAL CHEATING VIDEO*

"Damage control is underway," the assistant reported. "We've prepared a statement emphasizing this is a private matter."

Cynthia nodded dismissively. "Leave us."

Once alone, she turned to me with unexpected intensity. "There's been a complication. Vivian called Alaric this morning."

My blood ran cold. Alaric Bennett—Cynthia's husband of five years, twenty years her junior, and a key piece in our elaborate chess game. He wasn't supposed to be involved yet.

"What did she tell him?"

"Enough to be problematic. We need to accelerate the timeline."

Before I could press for details, the boardroom doors opened. Twelve faces turned toward us—eleven board members and Daniel, looking haggard but defiant in the chair beside his mother's empty seat. His eyes narrowed when he saw us enter together.

"Mother. Wife." His voice dripped with venom. "How convenient that you arrive together."

"Daniel," Cynthia replied coolly, taking her place at the head of the table. "I invited Lillian as she's directly involved in this... situation."

I sat at the opposite end, feeling the weight of evaluating stares. These people had attended our wedding, dined in our home, yet now viewed me as either victim or villain—perhaps both.

"As you're all aware," Cynthia began, "a personal matter between my son and his wife became public last night. While unfortunate, this incident raises concerns about Daniel's judgment and readiness to lead this company."

Daniel slammed his hand on the table. "This is absurd! A private marital issue has nothing to do with my business capabilities."

"The Rhodes name is our brand," countered an elderly board member. "Your father built this company on family values."

"Family values?" Daniel laughed bitterly. "That's rich coming from a board that approved my mother's marriage to a man younger than her son."

An uncomfortable silence fell. Alaric's absence from the meeting suddenly seemed conspicuous.

"My personal life isn't relevant here," Cynthia said firmly.

"Neither is mine," Daniel shot back. "Besides, there's more to this story." He looked directly at me. "Lillian accepted three million dollars from my mother as part of a 'test' of my fidelity. This entire scandal was orchestrated."

Murmurs rippled around the table. I felt sweat gathering at my hairline but maintained my composure.

"Is this true?" asked Miranda Chen, the youngest board member.

Cynthia intervened before I could respond. "I offered Lillian compensation as part of the Rhodes family tradition. For generations, we've protected our assets by ensuring that those who marry into this family are committed to our values."

"By encouraging wives to spy on their husbands?" Daniel's voice rose. "By setting them up to fail?"

"Your father was tested the same way," Cynthia replied coldly. "He passed."

The barb landed precisely as intended. Daniel flinched visibly, always sensitive to comparisons with his late father.

"The agreement," I finally spoke, "was that if Daniel remained faithful for six months after our second anniversary, he would receive his full inheritance without restrictions. If not, certain... conditions would apply."

"Conditions that benefit you, no doubt," Daniel snapped.

"Conditions that protect this company," Cynthia corrected. "Your behavior has only confirmed my concerns about your impulse control."

The meeting deteriorated from there, with legal counsel being called in to review the inheritance terms. Two hours later, I slipped away to the executive bathroom, desperate for a moment alone.

As I splashed cold water on my face, my phone buzzed with a text from my private investigator: *DNA results confirmed. Ready to proceed?*

I texted back: *Send it.*

The bathroom door swung open, and Vivian stepped in, her eyes red-rimmed but her expression determined.

"We need to talk," she said.

"I have nothing to say to you." I reached for the door handle, but she blocked my path.

"I'm pregnant."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I stepped back, gripping the marble counter for support.

"Congratulations," I said coldly. "I assume Daniel is thrilled."

"That's what I need to tell you." She lowered her voice. "It's not Daniel's."

For a moment, I thought I'd misheard. "What?"

"The baby... it's not Daniel's." Her voice cracked. "It's Alaric's."

The bathroom seemed to spin around me. Alaric—Cynthia's husband. The implications cascaded through my mind, rearranging everything I thought I knew about our situation.

"That's impossible," I whispered, though I knew immediately it wasn't.

"It happened three times," Vivian confessed, tears streaming down her face. "Daniel was just... a distraction. Something to make me feel less guilty about Alaric."

I laughed—a hollow, disbelieving sound that echoed off the marble walls. "So you slept with my husband to distract yourself from sleeping with his stepfather? That's quite a coping mechanism, Viv."

"I know how it sounds—"

"It sounds like you've destroyed multiple marriages for your own selfish desires." My shock was hardening into rage. "Does Alaric know?"

"I told him this morning. That's why I came to see you—he's going to tell Cynthia."

As if on cue, a commotion erupted in the hallway outside. We rushed out to find Cynthia confronting Alaric near the elevator bank, her face contorted with fury unlike anything I'd seen before.

"How dare you come here!" she hissed. "After what you've done!"

Alaric—handsome in that artificial way of men who spend too much time at luxury gyms—looked genuinely distressed. "Cynthia, please. We need to discuss this privately."

"There's nothing to discuss!" Her voice rose, drawing attention from nearby offices. "You've humiliated me for the last time."

Daniel emerged from the boardroom, confusion evident on his face. "What's happening?"

Alaric spotted Vivian behind me and blanched. "Viv, I told you to stay away."

Daniel's gaze darted between them, comprehension slowly dawning. "What the hell is going on?"

The moment hung suspended, four lives intersecting in a perfect storm of betrayal. Then Cynthia turned to Daniel, her composure cracking.

"Your friend," she spat the word, "has been sleeping with my husband."

Daniel's face went blank with shock. "What?"

"And now she's pregnant," Alaric added quietly. "With my child."

The silence that followed was deafening. Daniel staggered back as if physically struck, his eyes finding Vivian's.

"You... and him?" His voice was barely audible. "All this time?"

Vivian nodded, tears streaming down her face.

Daniel turned to his mother, incredulity giving way to bitter laughter. "You accused me of poor judgment? Your husband is sleeping with my... with her!"

"This is different," Cynthia insisted, though her usual authority had crumbled.

"Is it?" I stepped forward, unable to contain myself. "You set up tests for Daniel while your own husband was betraying you. You wanted to prove Daniel couldn't be trusted with the company, but it seems trust issues run in the family."

Cynthia's glare could have frozen fire. "You're overstepping, Lillian."

"No, I'm finally seeing clearly." I turned to Daniel, whose expression had shifted from shock to something like devastation. "You accused me of plotting with your mother to ruin your reputation. Look around, Daniel. This family was ruined long before I entered the picture."

Security guards appeared, summoned by Cynthia's ever-vigilant assistant. "Mrs. Rhodes, should we escort them out?"

Cynthia straightened her jacket, a reflexive gesture toward control. "Yes. All of them."

"Cynthia," Alaric pleaded, "we need to talk about this."

"My lawyers will talk to you," she replied icily. "Expect divorce papers by morning."

As security led Alaric and Vivian toward the elevator, Daniel caught my arm. "Did you know about this?"

"No," I answered truthfully. "This part wasn't in the script."

His eyes searched mine, looking for deception. "What does that mean?"

"It means you're not the only one who's been played." I pulled away from his grip. "But unlike you, I never broke our vows."

As I walked toward the elevator, Daniel called after me, his voice softer than I'd heard in months: "Lillian, wait. Maybe... maybe we could start over. Try again."

I turned, surprised by the vulnerability in his expression. For a moment, I glimpsed the man I'd fallen in love with—uncertain, genuine, without the Rhodes armor.

"You destroyed my trust, Daniel," I said quietly. "We can never go back."

In the descending elevator, my phone buzzed with an email notification. Subject line: *Updated Inheritance Agreement*.

I opened it to find Cynthia's revised will, transferring 49% of Rhodes Media Group shares to "future grandchildren of Daniel Rhodes."

I closed the email, thinking of the pregnancy test I'd taken that morning, hidden in my bathroom cabinet at home. Positive.

The game had just changed again, and I needed to make my next move very carefully.