The Midnight Alarm: A Disturbance in the Air
As the clock struck one in the morning, the tranquil atmosphere of a lavish apartment in Paris’s 7th arrondissement was shattered by the shrill ring of a phone. Louis, a successful real estate mogul, startled awake and reached for the device.
On the other end, Camille, his frantic yet oddly charming assistant, who had been on board for less than eight months, exclaimed, “Louis, we have a disaster! Our partner in Shanghai has leaked confidential documents! You must rush to the office right away; I’m waiting for you!”
Hanging up, Louis’ expression grew serious. He turned towards Élise, his wife, who lay bundled beneath the covers. “Sleep, my dear. It’s urgent. I probably won’t be back till morning,” he informed her.
Half-asleep, Élise responded, “At this hour? Should I make you a coffee?”
With a cold shake of his head, he replied, “No need. It’s work, not cooking. Sleep, don’t bother me.” He swiftly donned a shirt, spritzed on some Dior fragrance, and exited the apartment, convinced that Élise, who had sacrificed her architecture career for their home, remained a naive woman oblivious to his actions.
However, he was gravely mistaken.
Moments after Louis’s car vanished down Boulevard Saint-Germain, Élise emerged, her eyes now steely and resolute.
She opened a drawer in her vanity, retrieving a set of spare keys and an old black phone that had been carefully hidden away. Swapping her pajamas for a tailored black outfit, she donned a low cap and headed to the garage to borrow the housekeeper’s discreet scooter—ideal for shadowing someone without being noticed.
On her secret phone, a blinking light indicated the GPS she had planted in Louis’s car three months earlier. The tracking led her to a luxurious resort on the shores of Lake Annecy, nearly 50 kilometers from Paris.
This destination was frequented by wealthy businessmen and clandestine couples alike.
Concealing herself behind the trees, Élise watched as Louis entered villa number 12, the estate’s most secluded unit. The door swung open, revealing Camille—not in a business suit, but in a satin nightgown, a glass of red wine in hand. She threw herself into Louis’s arms.
“My love, at last! Your little wife must be sound asleep, right?”
Louis scoffed, “Forget her. She’s foolish and useless. Once the money is transferred to your account, I’ll kick her out. Then, it will be just you and me—Europe awaits us.”
Élise overheard everything, feeling no jealousy but rather an overwhelming sense of disgust. Louis was not just cheating on her; he was planning to embezzle 1.2 million euros from the family business.
She dialed a number on her old phone. “Dad… initiate Plan B. Louis is trying to transfer funds tonight. Freeze his and Camille’s accounts, and send financial investigators to villa 12.”
Her father, the president of the company, responded with calm authority, “Very well, my daughter. It’s time for him to realize who truly runs this business.”
Inside the villa, Louis, in high spirits, opened his laptop. “Here we go, my love. Freedom is ours!” He hit the Enter key.
BEEP! BEEP! A red alert appeared:
“ACCOUNTS FROZEN – Transaction impossible.”
Camille blanched as her phone vibrated:
“Your account has been frozen by decision of the financial authority.”
“My money? Where is MY money?!” she screamed.
Louis turned pale. Moments later, the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, with flashing lights illuminating the villa’s walls. The door was thrown open violently.
Officers entered, followed by a woman dressed in black, her cap pulled low, walking with an icy confidence.
Louis froze. “É… Élise? But… why are you… here?”
Élise removed her cap, letting her hair cascade over her shoulders. She was no longer the soft-spoken woman he believed he could control.
She placed a phone on the table, and Louis heard his recorded voice:
“She’s stupid… once I have the money, I’ll toss her out…”
Louis collapsed, “I… I thought you would never understand…”
Élise smiled, coldly: “In the kitchen, you might have better skills than I do. But when it comes to business management, you can’t compete with me.”
Louis murmured, devastated, “Your father… knew?”
“Of course. And now, your ‘urgent meeting’ concludes with an arrest for fraud and embezzlement.”
Camille sobbed.
Louis begged, “Élise… I still love you… forgive me…”
Élise turned away, calm and composed: “The divorce is already in my lawyer’s hands. The apartment, the car, and all your assets are now in my name. You will leave my life just as you entered it: empty-handed.”
As dawn broke over Lake Annecy, casting a soft light over the mountains, Élise took a deep breath. The air felt purer than ever.
The turmoil was over. She was finally the master of her fate.