Santos Holdings’ year-end party was held at a luxurious hotel in Makati, the warm yellow lights, music, and laughter blending together.

Sitting at a table near the stage, Maria Cruz clutched her glass of water, her eyes fixed on her husband, Daniel Cruz. He was giving a speech, his voice full of confidence:

“Thank you all for your support of the company. Especially my wife – who has always been there to support me.”

Maria’s throat tightened.

Just a few days earlier, she had seen the intimate messages between Daniel and his new assistant, Angelica Reyes.

But she held back.

She thought: I’ll wait until the party is over, then we’ll talk things out at home.

Until the MC called Angelica’s name to perform.

She wore a tight-fitting red dress and walked up with a knowing smile. After her song, instead of returning to her seat, Angelica took a glass of wine and walked straight down.

She stopped right in front of Maria.

Her voice was sweet but sharp:

“Maria… I’ll toast you. Thank you for… keeping my husband safe all this time.”

The whole table fell silent.

Maria stood up, intending to throw the glass of wine away.

But Daniel unexpectedly grabbed her wrist, holding her back.

His voice was cold:

“Maria, what are you doing? Save me some face.”

In a split second.

Angelica tilted her hand.

The glass of red wine spilled directly onto Maria’s head, down her hair, onto her face, soaking into her white dress.

A few tables around them burst into laughter.

Some even raised their phones to film.

Maria trembled with humiliation.

She looked up at her husband – hoping for a word of defense.

But Daniel… still held her hand, as if she were the one at fault.

Angelica leaned closer and whispered,

“Know your place and leave. Don’t make me make a big fuss.”

Just then—

The banquet hall door burst open.

A cold, icy female voice rang out:

“Who gave you permission to humiliate my sister here?”

Everyone turned.

A tall woman in a white shirt walked in decisively.

Behind her was a man in civilian clothes, his eyes sharp and cold.

Maria froze.

“Sister… Ate Sofia…?”

The woman walked straight towards them, her gaze settling on Angelica and Daniel.

Her voice lowered:

“I am Sofia Cruz, legal counsel for the PNP (Philippine National Police).”

The entire hall fell silent.

The man behind them stepped forward, pulling out his badge:

“Chief Superintendent Ramon Delgado. We received a report of public humiliation and the filming and distribution of the video.”

No one laughed anymore.

Angelica’s face turned pale.

Daniel immediately let go of Maria’s hand.

But it was too late.

Sofia looked directly at the two of them, her voice devoid of emotion:

“You have just ruined your own lives.”

Daniel hastily stepped back, his voice trembling:

“Sister… you’ve misunderstood. This is just a small internal misunderstanding—”

Sofia chuckled, but her eyes were icy cold.

“Misunderstanding?”

She turned to the man beside her and nodded slightly.

Immediately, several plainclothes police officers entered from outside. The atmosphere in the banquet hall instantly froze.

Chief Superintendent Ramon Delgado raised his hand:

“Lock all videos in this area. Anyone recording, please keep your devices on.”

Several people fumbled, quickly turning off their phones. But it was too late.

Sofia took a small USB drive from her bag and held it up in front of Daniel.

“Do you think it’s just that one clip?”

Daniel’s face turned pale.

Sofia emphasized each word:

“For the past three months, I’ve reviewed all company emails, financial transactions, and… even the internal security camera footage from your office.”

The room buzzed with activity.

Maria froze, turning to her sister:

“Sister…?”

Sofia didn’t look at her, continuing:

“Daniel Cruz, you used company funds to buy gifts for your mistress. You transferred money through a secondary account under someone else’s name. And—”

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Angelica:

“—staging this ‘relationship’ to force Maria to sign the share transfer papers, right?”

A collective “oh” echoed through the room.

Angelica stammered:

“No… no… I just—”

“Just a pawn,” Sofia interrupted. “But unfortunately, you overacted.”

Ramon Delgado stepped forward, his voice stern:

“We have sufficient evidence of embezzlement and financial fraud. Please come to the police station.”

Daniel panicked:

“No! I’m the director! You can’t—”

Click!

The cold handcuffs locked onto his wrists.

The entire banquet hall fell silent.

Angelica burst into tears, but was restrained immediately afterward.

In that moment, Maria remained motionless.

Her hair was still wet with wine. Her white dress was stained red.

But her eyes… were completely different.

Sofia then turned to her sister, her voice softening:

“Do you think I don’t know anything?”

Maria choked out:

“I… I just didn’t want to make a big deal out of it…”

Sofia sighed:

“You’re so foolish. This company—”

She looked around the room, where everyone held their breath.

“—50% of the shares are mine. I’m the biggest shareholder. He’s just my employee.”

The words dropped like a bomb.

Maria was stunned.

“What… what…?”

Sofia smiled faintly:

“Three years ago, when I signed the ‘power of attorney,’ I thought I was helping my husband manage the company. But in reality… the shares are still in my name.”

She placed her hand on her sister’s shoulder:

“I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

Suddenly—

A staff member in the banquet hall spoke up, trembling:

“So… from now on… who will run the company?”

Sofia didn’t answer.

She took a step back.

Looking directly at Maria.

The entire room followed suit.

Maria took a deep breath.

She slowly wiped the wine stain from her face.

Then… she stepped forward.

Her voice was calm, yet powerful:

“From tomorrow, I will take over Santos Holdings.”

She paused, her gaze sweeping across each person:

“And tonight…”

A cold smile flickered across her lips.

“I think this party… should end now.”