CHAPTER 12"Crash the meeting?" Jane raised an eyebrow. "How will that help?""We'll pitch something to the investors that will blow their minds. Something Marcus wouldn't expect," Caleb explained, his voice steady and confident. "I know this is risky, but it's our best shot."Jane nodded slowly, starting to see his vision. "Alright, but how can we compete with Marcus? He's been planning this for more than a month."Caleb leaned forward, his eyes locking with Jane's. "How well do you know your ex-husband?"Jane paused, a thoughtful look on her face. "Better than anyone. I fed him those results you're seeing."Caleb smiled. "Perfect. Then we can outmaneuver him. I need your insights to craft a pitch that will leave the investors no choice but to side with us."Jane's eyes lit up with determination. "Alright, let's—"Jane’s and Caleb's conversation were interrupted by a protesting Emily and his mother. He saw the worried and scared look on Emily's face, and dismissed her, then she bowed
Chapter 13"Alright... If she needs it badly... but__" he stopped and sucked in air, still mesmerized by Stella's looks. Jane stood in shock, blinking rapidly as she fought to believe what was happening in front of her."Thank you so much, Caleb, you're the best." Stella threw her arms around Caleb and gave Jane an evil grin.It took just one look from the woman who had once broken his heart for Caleb to change his mind.Jane didn’t know the details of what had happened between them, and she didn't think it was her place to ask.But she could tell that Caleb was still hurting from it. The pain was clear in his eyes. You could sense the anger that rose from him every time his eyes met Stella.Jane couldn't take it anymore, so she excused herself, "I'll be going downstairs, got some work to finish." She walked past Rose, Stella, and Caleb."Jane, please come back!" Caleb tried reaching out to her, but Jane paid deaf ears."Can you just focus on me for the moment?" Rose called Caleb bac
CHAPTER 14Marcus finally shifted his gaze from Jane and Caleb and rested it on the man, he smiled broaded and nodded. "Of course" he tried to maintain the smile, ignoring Caleb and Jane which he almost sucked at. "Mr. Marcus Dreame" the glass hat man cleared his throat, "As technology advances, what is the biggest ethical problem the tech industry will face in the next decade? And how will your company handle it?"Marcus hesitated. It was obvious he didn't prepare for this type of question. He kept on looking at Jane and then one other man called Mr. Thomas, with grey who was at the table, the man shifted his gaze uneasily, but since he noticed no one was coming to save him, he had to say something. "Uh, data privacy and cybersecurity," he stammered. Marcus's answer was vague, which earned him silence from the room. Caleb noticed his first flip and whispered something to Jane's ear, making Jane nod and jot down somethings. And Marcus was still distracted by them, then he tried to
Chapter 15"Hello, Marcus. What do you want to talk about? Come to think of it, where's Abigail, your new fleet?" Jane questioned, staring straight into his eyes while resting her weight on one foot."Oh, you wish. Abigail and I are married," Marcus retorted, as a little grin tugged on his lips."I don't actually, I've moved on already," Jane replied."Great, because I had moved on while we were still in the marriage, and right now I think that's the best thing I've ever done." Marcus folded his arms across his chest, happy he had struck a chord, as Jane took a step backward, placing her hands on her stomach."Best thing you've done? You were cheating on me for years and you say it's your best decision. I sacrificed three years of my life, being your dutiful wife. I even placed you on the seat you're enjoying today, Marcus. You are such—""Spare me the pretense, Jane. It's only someone as cheap as you that could decide to stay with you," Marcus spat, referring to Caleb."Don't you dar
Chapter 16"I heard you all have been waiting for me," Caleb strolled in, his head held high, while Jane walked in behind him."Are you kidding us right now, Mr. Lockwood?" One of the board members by name, Jake, spoke.But Caleb shot him a deadly glare that made him not continue his sentence. He's among those who feel Caleb was too young to handle the company and felt he wouldn't want to lose his dough. And he almost in all cases never forget to remind Caleb that he didn't really like him."What Mr. Jake is trying to say is that the company's finances are going down. We can't even embark on a new project because we can't control the cost, and worse, one of our investors just left," an older man responded.Xavier sat down, saying nothing and was just listening. He wanted to see the magic Caleb was going to perform about the situation."We've been losing investors since Xa--" he stopped talking and cleared his throat, then turned to look at Xavier before he continued speaking."We've be
CHAPTER 17 He met Jane conversing with Lilian and her friends and interrupted them. "Are they bothering you, Jane?" He asked immediately he got there. "Oh no, of course not" Jane giggled. "Alright now, Off you go with your friends Lilian" Caleb dismissed them and they left, still chattering. "How's the party going?" He asked her. "Nice" she responded."Are you sure? It seems to me you want the walls to swallow you" he chuckled and she sighed. She took a big gulp from the class again, emptying the glass and placing it on a tray when a waiter passedby.Lilian came out from nowhere, interrupting them as she grabbed Jane's arm. "I'm sorry brother, I have to steal her for a while." Without allowing her to protest, Lilian held her arm and left with her while Caleb only grinned and slowly took a sip from his glass. "So guys, this is my brother's wife, Jane. The one I told you about" Lilian introduced her to her friends and they exchanged pleasantries. The girls complimented Jane as
CHAPTER 18Marcus entered his house, his face twisted in frustration and anger. He slammed the door shut behind him, the noise echoing through the hall, and threw his jacket carelessly onto a chair. His muttered curses filled the room, but Abigail, seated calmly at the dining table, barely glanced up from her manicure."You don't have to slam the door so loud," she said nonchalantly, examining her freshly painted nails. "One day the building might just come crashing down on us.”"Do you have any idea how terrible my life has been?" Marcus ranted, pacing back and forth. "I lost a major deal because Jane and Caleb showed up!”Instead of the sympathy he craved, Abigail’s next words were light, almost dismissive. "Did you block my credit card? I was trying to purchase a product online and they told me it was frozen.”Marcus's face turned red with anger. He slammed his hand down the table. "Are you even listening to me?" he yelled. "Yes, I blocked it. Your excessive spending is part of the
CHAPTER 19*THE NIGHT BEFORE*AFTER THE NIGHT PARTYCaleb led a stumbling, drunk Jane into the house, carefully supporting her weight. "Easy," he whispered, his voice gentle. "You shouldn't have drank so much.”He had only taken his eyes off her for a moment before discovering she had overindulged. He guided her up the stairs to her bedroom, her soft murmurs barely audible. As soon as they entered, Jane lurched forward and vomited. Caleb groaned, holding back her hair as the liquid splashed onto his shoes and her dress.Disgust crossed his face, but he held her tightly. "If only Lilian had listened and kept an eye on you," he muttered under his breath. He called out for the maids to clean up the mess, his gaze fixed on Jane, wondering how to deal with the mess on her.After a moment of contemplation, he reached for the zipper on the back of her dress with unsteady hands. Jane clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and wiggling against him.Caleb reached out to free himself fr