At 1 a.m., the ringing of the phone shattered the silence of the luxury apartment in Paris’s 7th arrondissement.
Louis, a successful businessman in the international real estate market, answered immediately.
On the other end, the nervous voice of Camille, his young assistant, burst out. She had been working at the company for six months.
“Louis, we have a huge problem! Our partner from Shanghai leaked the confidential documents! You need to come to the office immediately—I’m waiting!”
Louis hung up, his face turning serious. He turned toward his wife, Élise, still asleep in bed.
“Go back to sleep, darling. It’s urgent. I’ll probably be home in the morning.”
Half awake, Élise murmured:
“At this hour? Should I make you some coffee?”
Louis shook his head coldly.
“No need. This is work, not cooking. Go to sleep.”
He dressed quickly, sprayed himself with a bit of Dior cologne, and left the apartment—confident that Élise, who had given up her architecture career for their family, would never suspect a thing.
But he was gravely mistaken.
The moment Louis’s car disappeared down Boulevard Saint-Germain, Élise sat up in bed.
Her eyes were no longer sleepy.
They were cold. Determined.
She opened a hidden drawer under her vanity. Inside was a duplicate key and an old black phone.
She changed out of her pajamas into a tight black outfit, pulled a low cap over her hair, and went down to the garage.
She took the cleaning lady’s old scooter—quiet, discreet, perfect for following someone without being noticed.
A small light blinked on the secret phone: the GPS tracker she had hidden in Louis’s car three months earlier.
The signal stopped at a luxury lakeside resort on Lake Annecy—about 50 kilometers from Paris.
A place frequented by wealthy businessmen… and secret lovers.
Élise hid behind the trees and watched Louis enter Villa No. 12, the most secluded one on the property.
The door opened.
Camille appeared—not in a business suit, but in a silk nightgown, holding a glass of red wine.
She jumped into Louis’s arms.
“My love, finally! Your little wife is fast asleep, right?”
Louis laughed mockingly.
“Don’t worry about her. She’s stupid and useless. As soon as I transfer the money to your account, I’ll throw her out. Then you and I—Europe awaits.”
Élise heard every word.
No jealousy.
Only disgust.
Louis wasn’t just cheating on her—he planned to steal 1.2 million euros from the family company.
She dialed a number on the old phone.
“Dad… activate Plan B. Louis is attempting the transfer tonight. Freeze all his accounts—and Camille’s. And send financial investigators to Villa 12.”
Her voice was firm, commanding.
The reply came instantly:
“Understood, my girl. It’s time he learns who truly runs this company.”
Inside the villa, Louis cheerfully opened his laptop.
“Here it is, my love. Our freedom!”
He pressed Enter.
BEEP! BEEP!
A red message flashed across the screen:
“ACCOUNTS FROZEN — Transaction impossible.”
Camille turned pale as her phone buzzed.
“Your account has been frozen by financial order.”
“My money? WHERE IS MY MONEY?!” she screamed.
Louis went white as chalk.
And then—sirens in the distance.
Blue lights illuminated the villa walls.
The door burst open.
Police officers entered… and behind them walked a woman dressed in black, low cap pulled low, moving with icy confidence.
Louis froze.
“É… Élise? But… why are you… here?”
Élise removed her cap. Her hair fell over her shoulders.
She was no longer the sweet, quiet woman he thought he controlled.
She placed a phone on the table.
Louis’s recorded voice played:
“She’s stupid… Once I get the money, I’ll throw her out…”
Louis crumbled.
“I thought you’d never figure it out…”
Élise smiled coldly.
“You may cook better than I do. But when it comes to running things… you’re not even close.”
Louis whispered, defeated:
“Your father… knew?”
“Of course. And now your ‘urgent meeting’ ends in police custody—for fraud and embezzlement.”
Camille burst into tears.
Louis begged:
“Élise… I still love you… forgive me…”
Élise turned her back on him, calm and composed.
“The divorce papers are already with my lawyer. The apartment, the car, and all shared assets are now legally under my name. You will leave my life exactly the way you entered it:
with nothing.”
Outside, dawn broke over Lake Annecy, bathing the mountains in soft light.
Élise took a deep breath.
The air felt clear.
The drama was over.
She finally controlled her own destiny.