Chapter 33Reyna’s POV:I sat frozen, staring at Mr. Hudson as his words continued to sink in.“I had many enemies,” He explained. “Most of them were waiting for the right moment to strike. They had time… but when they heard that he had a wife—one that could give him an heir—” He exhaled deeply, rubbing his temples. “They took action all at once.”A lump formed in my throat. “I—I didn’t know,” I whispered. “I didn’t know my presence in his life would—” I stopped myself, swallowing the sob threatening to escape. “I’m so sorry. If I had known—”Mr. Hudson smiled. “Reyna, you didn’t force yourself into this situation. I did.” He admitted. “My persistence and my need for Theos to carry on the family legacy pushed him into making such a decision.”"You can't keep blaming yourself for this," I said gently. "Theos wouldn’t want that.""I keep replaying the past in my head," He responded. "If I hadn’t pressured Theos into giving me a grandson...""You wouldn’t have known it would end this wa
Chapter 34Reyna’s POV:It had been a few weeks since I moved in with Alex. Slowly, we had fallen into a rhythm, living together as if the past hadn't happened, as if we were just another happy couple figuring things out. But deep down, I knew we were still rebuilding. Some wounds don’t just vanish overnight.Then, the rumor started.Theos Hudson was alive.At first, I dismissed it as just another wild headline, a media stunt to stir up controversy. But then, a reporter—a close friend of Theos—claimed that he had received a message from Theos himself. A message saying he was being held hostage.I stared at the news in disbelief. "Theos..." I whispered, gripping my phone so tightly my fingers ached.Alex, who was sitting beside me, tensed. "Rey, don’t get your hopes up too fast. Theos' car was found in the ocean. His body never showed up, yes, but that doesn’t mean—"I shot him a look. "It means exactly that. If his body was never found, then there was always a chance he was alive."
Chapter 35 Reyna's POV:The waiting was unbearable every passing second felt like an eternity. My heart had been on edge, anticipating either a devastating loss or a long-awaited miracle.And then, the call came.“We’ve found him,” The investigator’s voice was breathless. “He’s alive. We have him.”I almost dropped my phone. My knees weakened, but I forced myself to stay upright. “Where is he?” “He’s been taken to Mercy General Hospital.”I exhaled sharply. “Thank you,” I managed. “Thank you for everything. I’ll be there immediately.”I had already called Mr. Hudson earlier, filling him in about the search. Now, with trembling fingers, I dialed his number again. The call barely rang before he picked up.“Reyna?” His voice was anxious.“They found him, Mr. Hudson,” I said, my voice shaking. “He’s been taken to Mercy General.”There was silence, then a shaky breath. “My boy… he’s alive?”“Yes,” I whispered, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes.“I want to come,” He said immediately.
Chapter 36Reyna's POV:I couldn’t breathe.I couldn’t think.Theos’ words echoed in my mind relentlessly. “I fell in love with you, Reyna.”I stared at him, unable to process his words. How was I supposed to respond to that? How could I pretend that those words didn’t shake me to my very core?But before I could gather my thoughts, before I could even blink, Theos suddenly moved. Suddenly, he was on his feet.My eyes widened as he reached for me, his hand gently cupped my face, and his fingers trembled against my skin.“I missed you,” He murmured.And then, before I could stop him, before I could think—his lips descended toward mine.I gasped, frozen for a second as his breath brushed against my skin. It would be so easy to let this happen, but… I couldn’t.I pulled away. “No.”Theos froze. “Reyna?”I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look into his eyes. “I… I can’t do this.”His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”Tears burned the back of my eyes, but I pushed them down. “I’ve moved
Chapter 37Reyna's POV:The security guard turned back to him. “Some crazy lady out here claiming she’s your wife.”I scoffed, but Theos simply smirked, tilting his glass. “Let her in.”The guard glanced between us, then finally stepped aside. I walked past him, and made my way inside.I wasn’t sure what I expected when I came here in the first place, but it definitely wasn’t this.Theos lounged back on the seat, one arm draped over the woman beside him, while everyone was worried sick about him.The moment his eyes met mine, I saw pain. But then it was suddenly masked behind a smirk as he lazily lifted his glass to his lips.The woman beside him, draped in a tight red dress, pouted. “Who’s this?”“Doesn’t concern you,” Theos said flatly before turning to her. “Leave.”She scoffed, clearly unimpressed by his tone, then stood abruptly. As she passed me, she brushed against my shoulder on purpose, clicking her tongue in annoyance. “Whatever,” She muttered before storming off.I ignored
Chapter 38Alex’s POV:For the first time in a long time, everything felt… right.Leaning back in my chair, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, letting the weight of the past two months settle in.I never expected my life to change so drastically in such a short period. Two months ago, everything felt uncertain—chaotic, even. Now, I had Reyna back by my side, and everything was as it should be.I smiled widely as I thought about her—how she had fit so perfectly back into my life, how every morning started with her warm presence beside me, and every night ended with her in my arms.“So,” Maddox's voice pulled me from my thoughts. He was perched on the edge of my desk, arms crossed, watching me with amusement. “How does it feel now that everything is finally back to normal?”I let out a chuckle. “Normal?” I repeated, shaking my head. “I don’t think life will ever be normal, Maddox.”He grinned. “Okay, fine. Not normal, but… good. You’ve got Reyna back, the company is thriving, and—
Chapter 49Alex’s POV:I shot up from my seat, and the chair scraped loudly against the floor, silencing the room. The executives looked at me, startled, their charts and reports suddenly irrelevant."Meeting adjourned," I announced.Maddox, seated beside me, frowned. "What—"I didn’t let him finish. I turned and stormed out of the conference room."Alex!" Maddox called, but I ignored him.I made a beeline for the elevator, smashing the button repeatedly. The doors finally slid open, and I stepped in, pressing the button for the ground floor. As it descended, I felt my pulse quicken.The moment the doors parted, I stepped out, barely acknowledging the greetings from employees as I hurried through the lobby. My mind raced with questions. Was she lying? Could this really be happening?I pushed through the glass doors and into the parking lot. Without waiting for my driver, I unlocked my car and slid in. With one deep breath, I pulled out my phone and dialed Chloe’s number.She picked u
Chapter 41Alex's POV:Standing before the mirror, I knotted my tie absentmindedly. No matter how many times I adjusted it, the knot seemed to tighten around my neck. The sudden ring of my phone made me flinch. I glanced down at the vanity table, recognizing the number on the screen. I sighed, rubbing my temple. Chloe hadn’t stopped calling since yesterday’s encounter. I had ignored every single one, but the silence was suffocating me more than the calls.I knew I couldn’t keep this from Reyna forever. Chloe wasn’t bluffing. She would go to any lengths to get what she wanted, even if it meant destroying the little happiness Reyna and I had managed to rebuild after so many painful years.Swallowing the lump in my throat, I straightened my tie, sprayed cologne, grabbed my phone, and made my way downstairs. The familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee and buttered pancakes filled the air. There she was — Reyna — setting the table, a soft smile playing on her lips.Without thinking, I hug
Xavier's POV People behave annoyingly most times. That is why I keep my distance from people in order to avoid forming unnecessary bonds. The relationship I had with Caithlyn in the past was as a result of family friendship. Miss Howard, her aunt, used to be friends with my grandfather. We were mostly a couple in the eyes of the public. In private, I made sure that the boundary was clear. We had nothing going then and not now. She was too fake for me then, and I mostly could not deal with her. But right now, I'll definitely deal with her. “Mr Xavier, it's good to have you around again. Who would you like to see? Or do you want me to call Miss Caitlyn?” A man in the art gallery, whom I feel is a curator, asked me. “Miss Caitlyn please.” I said to him curtly. Looking around the place. There were a few people here and there. And I could not miss the way they were stealing glances at me. I'm sure that there were paparazzi amongst them. The stony expression I had on will not allow an
Morgana's POV I pressed my hand to my forehead in the hope to alleviate the headache that I was having at the moment. This was why I hated drinking. My hangover is always bad. “Here is the coffee you asked for.” Sasha, my assistant said, placing my favorite mug cup in front of me. “Thank you Sasha.” I muttered as I gulped down the first one. “Careful. It's h…hot.” But I was already almost done with it. “Oh.” “Yeah, oh. I had a bad night the other day.” “It's obvious. You don't need to say much. Hope you didn't do this in public? You're a public figure right now whether you like it or not.” She pointed out.“You don't need to say. I know. Even if it's something I don't want.” I said bitterly. “We cannot always choose what we want. You of all people should know that.” She said in her strict no nonsense tone. As if telling me to get myself together. “Yeah.” I muttered to myself. I closed the folder in front of me and handed it over to her. “Take that to the HR. They know what to
Xavier's POV “Fuck.” I muttered, slipping my hand through my already disheveled hair. I need to blow off some steam. If I don't, I'd do something I'm not meant to do. Like blowing off the head of that bastard. How did this even happen? I've been in love with that woman for years now and did not do anything about it. So, why now that her good for nothing ex showed up? Why am I feeling as though if I don't end him by myself, I won't feel at peace? “Hey man.” I raised my head up to see Derek's annoying face in front of me. “What's up?” I asked. “I've been here for a couple of minutes now, but you seem to be in your own world. Care to tell me what's got your panties in a twist?” I stared at him like he had two heads. “Is that even an expression that you're meant to use for a fellow man?” I asked him in a bored tone, leaning back into my chair. “As long as you understand what I mean. I'm good. So, please, tell me what's up. As much as I don't like you, I don't want a bestie that w
Morgana’s POV I didn't mean what I told him earlier, but there was no point in him knowing the truth. Since this is us trying to hurt each other, I might as well up my game at doing it. I've made a lot of bad decisions in my life before and this will not be the last one. Sitting back in my chair, I wiped the tears that fell from my eyes angrily. These days, I wish we went back to the days where we didn't have any issues and lived cordially with one another. I mean, we lived together for the past five years without any hitch. And I won't agree that all this is happening because of the fact that I wanted to show myself in public. There was a knock on the door that jolted me out of my thoughts. “Come in.” My assistant walked in without any worry in the world. I rolled my eyes internally at the act. “Ma'am, I looked through the new partnership, and checked through all the portfolios of the investors, there is nothing out of the ordinary there.” She said in her firm voice. I raised
Chapter 14Morgana's POV:“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped.Simon leaned back in the chair like he belonged there, like the past didn't happen, like I didn't crawl out of the grave he helped put me in.“I missed this fire,” He said with a nostalgic smile that made my stomach churn. “You always lit up a room when you were mad.”I took a step forward, fists clenched. “I said, what are you doing here?”“I came to talk.” He shrugged. “You know, clear the air. Things didn’t end well between us—”“You mean you didn’t get to finish destroying me? Is that what you’re here for now? To finish the job?”His smile didn’t falter. “Relax. You’re doing well for yourself. I just thought… with everything going on, maybe you’d want someone who understands.”I scoffed. “Understand me? You never even tried to. And if you think I’ll let you mess with my life again, you’re more delusional than I thought.”Simon stood up slowly, walked around my desk, and perched on the edge like he used to ba
Chapter 13Morgana’s POV:I stirred awake to the faint buzz of my phone vibrating on the nightstand. It was still dark in the room, because the glow of the sunrise barely passed through the edges of our drawn curtains.My fingers blindly reached for the phone, and the moment I unlocked it, headlines filled the screen.“Netizens Want Xavier and Caitlyn Back Together?”“Old Flames or Just Business Partners? Caitlyn and Xavier Spotted Together Again.”“#Xaitlyn Trending Again as Fans Fuel Reunion Rumors.”My eyes widened, and the back of my throat burned as if I'd swallowed acid. My eyes darted to the side of the bed instinctively. Empty?Of course, it was. He had probably already left—early, as usual—off to the office to meet Caitlyn.Again.I sat up slowly, clutching the phone in both hands as if the force of my grip could erase everything I just read. The en-suite bathroom door clicked open, and I looked up to see Xavier walking out, towel around his waist, water dripping down his
Chapter 12Simon's POV:I paced near the window, with a glass of whiskey clenched tightly in my hand, its contents barely touched. The ice had long since melted, much like the patience etched on Marilyn's face as she stood with arms crossed."Simon." Marilyn began. "This has to stop. Ever since Morgana resurfaced and we discovered she's married to Xavier, you've been... different.”I scoffed, downing the lukewarm liquid in one gulp. "And whose fault is that, Marilyn? Every time I turn around, you're there, reminding me of what Morgana did to you, how she 'almost killed' you. It's like you enjoy playing the victim."Marilyn's eyes narrowed. "Playing the victim? Simon, she pushed me down a flight of stairs! I was hospitalized for months! Or have you conveniently forgotten that?"I slammed the empty glass onto the windowsill. "Of course, I haven't forgotten! But dredging up the past every time we have an argument isn't helping.""It's not the past if it's still affecting our present," S
Chapter 11Morgana's POV:For five years, Xavier and I had maintained a marriage that was more of an alliance than a romantic union. Our interactions were cordial, and our conversations centered around business and Noah. Intimacy was a concept we both seemed to sidestep, perhaps out of self-preservation.However, as we began collaborating more closely on company projects, an unexpected shift occurred. Late nights in the office led to shared dinners, where discussions of quarterly reports seamlessly transitioned into stories from our pasts. I found myself laughing more, the sound foreign yet comforting.One evening, as we wrapped up a particularly grueling meeting, Xavier leaned back in his chair, studying me with an intensity that made my pulse quicken. "Morgana.” He began. "There's an art exhibition this Friday. Would you accompany me?"Surprised, I met his gaze. "Are you asking me on a date, Xavier?"A wide smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Perhaps I am."The evening of th
Chapter 10Morgana’s POV:I could feel everyone’s eyes burning into my skin, waiting, wondering how I’d react. But I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction—not yet.Before I could clap back, her voice rang out again. “But isn’t it strange?” She asked. “That you sold off your ex-husband’s empire?”Someone cleared their throat, and chairs shifted slightly.Strange?What was strange was how deeply invested she seemed to be in something that had nothing to do with her.I glanced at her—well-dressed, with heavy pearls sitting proudly at her throat. She looked like the type of woman who lived for charity luncheons, gossip cloaked as “concern,” and scandal disguised as curiosity.I bit down on my inner cheek, trying to steady my breathing.BInstead, I turned to Xavier.His gaze was already on me, and I didn’t have to say a word. He knew. I needed him to handle this—for both our sakes.Xavier cleared his throat, then turned to her. “That’s enough, Mrs Howard.” He said, his voice calm but e