While I Was Bleeding Out, He Lit Lanterns For Her

The VIP lounge inside UBS was dead silent, save for the soft hum of the climate control. The walls were paneled in dark mahogany, and the leather sofas smelled of pure luxury.

Vera sat rigidly on the edge of the sofa, looking around nervously. She leaned in and whispered, "June, are you sure we're in the right place? They're going to kick us out."

June didn't answer. She took a slow sip of her sparkling water, her posture perfectly relaxed.

The heavy oak door swung open. A man in a bespoke three-piece suit hurried into the room. He was out of breath, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.

Mr. Sterling, the senior wealth manager, stopped and bowed deeply.

"Miss Erickson," Sterling said, his voice trembling slightly with respect. "I apologize for the wait. We have been praying for your return ever since you froze your accounts four years ago."

Vera's jaw practically hit the floor. "Four... four years ago?"

June placed her water glass on the table. "Initiate the unfreezing protocol, Sterling."

"Right away, ma'am." Sterling placed a sleek silver briefcase on the table and opened it. Inside was a retinal scanner and a biometric fingerprint pad. He spoke in a low, conspiratorial tone. "The sovereign offshore jurisdiction and multi-layered cryptographic security you established have kept the account completely dormant and invisible, just as you instructed."

June leaned forward. A red laser scanned her eye, and she pressed her thumb against the glass pad.

The machine let out a sharp beep. A green light flashed.

Sterling turned his tablet around and slid it across the polished wood table toward June. "Here is your current asset overview, Miss Erickson."

June glanced at the screen. Her expression didn't change. She pushed the tablet toward Vera.

Vera leaned over. Her eyes widened as she counted the digits.

"Units, tens, hundreds... thousands... millions..." Vera choked on her own saliva.

The balance read: $128,450,000.00.

"One hundred and twenty-eight million?!" Vera shrieked, jumping up from the sofa. "Did you rob the federal reserve?!"

June calmly crossed her legs. "That is the global licensing dividend for the 'Neuro-X' patent over the last four years."

Vera's knees gave out, and she fell back onto the sofa. "The nerve-blocker drug? You invented that?"

June nodded. "When I married Cole, I buried my name. I gave up the lab. I gave up everything to be the perfect wife. But I'm back now."

Sterling cleared his throat respectfully. "How would you like to proceed, Miss Erickson?"

"Transfer fifty million into my checking account immediately," June ordered, her voice crisp and authoritative. "And issue me a Centurion card."

"Consider it done," Sterling said, tapping rapidly on his tablet. "Also, regarding the Compton family trust allowance..."

June let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Sever the connection. And give me a pair of scissors."

Sterling blinked, then quickly produced a pair of silver shears from his desk drawer.

June reached into her purse and pulled out the gold credit card bearing the name June Compton.

With a swift, violent motion, she cut the card in half. The plastic snapped loudly in the quiet room.

She felt a physical weight lift off her chest. The collar around her neck was finally gone.

"Mail the pieces to Cole's office," June said, dropping the broken plastic onto the table.

Half an hour later, June walked out of the bank holding a solid titanium black card.

Vera walked beside her, staring at June like she was a stranger. "You are a billionaire... and you let him treat you like garbage for four years?"

A shadow passed over June's eyes. "Because I thought it was love. Love makes you blind, Vera. And it makes you pathetic."

Meanwhile, across the city, in the penthouse office of the Compton Empire.

Cole was sitting behind his massive glass desk. His phone buzzed with an automated text message from the bank.

He picked it up. Alert: The supplementary card ending in 4092 has been canceled by the cardholder.

Cole frowned. He adjusted his platinum watch, a habit when he was annoyed. He scoffed, tossing the phone back onto the desk.

"Playing hard to get," Cole muttered to himself. He remembered Alycia's words from the phone call: 'She's just being dramatic... the doctors said it was minor.' "She thinks cutting off her own allowance will make me chase her."

He pressed the intercom button. "Sarah, cut off the maintenance fees for June's phone and car. Let's see how long she lasts on the streets before she comes crawling back."

Back on Wall Street, June slipped the black card into her purse.

She turned to Vera, the cold wind whipping her hair around her face.

"Come on," June said. "Let's go buy a house. I need a new headquarters."