CHAPTER 9The next morning, Caleb stood before his mirror, adjusting his tie with meticulous care. Today was more than just a formality; it was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. He had barely slept the night before, his mind racing with thoughts of this moment. Every late night, every sacrifice, every step he had taken had led him to this day. Yet, the irony wasn't lost on him—his worth was tied to a will and a marriage contract rather than his abilities alone.The handover ceremony was a significant event, and Caleb felt excited, like a child again. Like a child who couldn't wait to unravel his gifts after working hard for it. He smiled at his reflection in the mirror. This was his moment.As he descended the grand staircase, his mother, Rose, was waiting for him. She smiled warmly. "You look amazing, Caleb," she said, her voice filled with pride."Stella would be here any moment, she's happy for you" Her mom chipped it again. "Thank you, mother" he grinned. Toda
Chapter 10Taking a deep breath, Jane sank into the car seat as Caleb sat beside her, minutes before the car started moving."Is everything alright? You look apprehensive" Caleb questioned when he noticed her uneasiness, but Jane only lowered her head. "Y–Yeah, I'm fine." Jane stuttered, avoiding Caleb's gaze."Don't be nervous, we just have to show everyone we are married and we continue with our plans.""About that," Jane paused for a while, recollecting her words, "I don't want to be introduced as your wife."Jane's words took Caleb aback, and he asked, "Is everything alright?""Yeah, I just don't want to be given preferential treatment," Jane replied, rubbing her sweaty hands on her purple jumpsuit. "Why?""It's just..." She paused and bit her lower lips. "I want to find my feet first. I want them to know me for me, and not just because I'm the boss' wife. "That's okay, we'll take it slowly then." That was the end of the discussion as he continued scrolling through his palmtop,
Chapter 11"Fine, I'm sorry," Caleb sighed. "What do you think about my wife?" Caleb was worried.But why was he worried? Shouldn't he be minding his business? Didn't he make it clear that he didn't want to know anything about Jane's business?"If you insist, Mr. Lockwood," Xavier steadied his eyes on Caleb. "Your wife is becoming more acquainted with male staff than the female staff. She ditched Emily and chose one of the tech guys to be her tour guide.""Ditched Emily?" Caleb's eyebrows arched, but in the same instant, he didn't want to believe Xavier, as he knew his uncle had it out for Jane from the first day his eyes met hers."Yes, I can swear I saw her blush at his jokes.""Thank you so much for caring, uncle. I appreciate it." Caleb faked a smile to dismiss his uncle who tried to monitor his facial expression."Anything for my favorite nephew." Xavier excused himself with a broad smile and left.The moment Xavier shut the door behind him, he picked up his phone and dialed Rose'
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