Chapter 26Reyna's POV:The day went by quickly, and before long, the night of the gala had arrived.But my mind wasn’t here.I smiled at the men surrounding me—middle-aged billionaires, the kind who had built their wealth long before my time. They were the type who had likely seen the world change a thousand times over and yet still clung to their outdated beliefs."You know, Mrs. Hudson," One of them, a portly man with graying hair and a cigar in hand, began. "I never thought Theos' wife would be able to manage the company after his passing. No offense, of course."I kept my smile intact. No offense, of course. As if that made it any less condescending.Another man chuckled. "We were all so worried. Hudson Corp is not an easy company to run, and we all thought, well... let's just say we expected you to struggle."I tilted my head slightly. "And yet, here we are. Hudson Corp is thriving, gentlemen."The portly man nodded, raising his glass. "You’ve done well, no doubt about it. We’r
Chapter 27Alex's POV: THREE YEARS AGO:“Are you still set on renegotiating the contract with Mercer Holdings?” Maddox asked, his gaze shifting from the screen to me as his fingers drummed against the desk.I exhaled, leaning back in my chair. “We don’t have a choice. If we don’t, their terms will put us at a disadvantage. The expansion project is already eating into our resources, and the last thing we need is a bad deal hanging over our heads.”Maddox nodded. “True. But you know Mercer Holdings—they’re as cutthroat as they come. If we push too hard, they might just pull out and take their investments elsewhere.”“That’s why I need to discuss this with my father.” I tapped my pen against the table, lost in thought. “He’s the one who put Mercer Holdings in our orbit to begin with. If anyone knows how to navigate their conditions, it’s him.”Maddox smirked. "The plan to expand into the European market is a great decision, but I don’t see your father signing off on it w
Chapter 28Reyna's POV:I scoffed the moment Alex finished his little sob story. “That’s it?” My arms folded across my chest as I stared at him in disbelief.His brows raised instantly. “What the fuck do you mean by ‘that’s it’?” He shot back.I let out a chuckle. “You treated me like trash, cheated on me, and threw me out of your life—all because of a fucking video, which you didn’t even confirm was real?” My voice trembled. “Did you ever think to check if it was edited before you ruined my entire fucking life?”Alex’s jaw clenched. “What the fuck do you mean?” His knuckles turned white from how hard he curled his hands into fists. “Do you realize that I had just found out my father had a relationship with my so-called wife? Who in their right mind would stop to investigate if a video like that was real or fake?”“Someone who actually wants the full truth.” I snapped.His expression darkened. “Truth?” He repeated. “I watched that video every single fucking day, trying to make sense
Chapter 29Alex's POV:I had forced Chloe to give me this tape years ago, she made me promise that I won't breathe a word about her to Reyna, and I didn't.Not because I wanted to protect her—but because I wasn't ready to face the truth and admit what my father had done.When my father died, I had lost all the zeal to bring up the topic. And now? Now, I was just waiting for something—anything—to prove that I wasn't a complete fool.Hours passed. The video played over and over again. My eyes burned from exhaustion, and my body begged for rest, but my mind refused to stop.There had to be something. A glitch, or a sign that I didn't ruin everything for nothing.But there was nothing.Nothing but the same gut-wrenching images I had seen three years ago.Suddenly, the door creaked open.Maddox walked in, rubbing his tired eyes. “Oh my God, Alex, were you up all night?” He looked around, groaning when he saw the empty coffee cups. “Did you seriously drink all this just to stay awake?”I s
Chapter 30Reyna's POV:I sat on my bed, my back resting against the headboard, as my fingers moved across my laptop keyboard. But my mind wasn’t entirely on my work, it was on Alex.I hated how, despite everything, my thoughts still drifted back to him. After what happened at the gala, I had sworn to be done with him, to keep him out of my mind. But here I was, unable to ignore the one question in my head: ‘How did everything circle back to me when it was Chloe who had an affair with his father?’I let out a sigh, shaking my head. Enough. I need to move on. I couldn't let him keep haunting my thoughts.The sudden chime of the doorbell pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I frowned, glancing at the time on my laptop screen. 11:07 PM?Who the hell was at my house at this hour?I figured Jamie would take care of it, so I didn’t bother getting up. It was probably a late delivery or some urgent message, but I wasn’t expecting anyone.The bell rang a few more times, then stopped. Then
Reyna's POV.With all the strength left in me, I dragged the last bag of groceries I bought from the supermarket a few miles away into the house. My hands and neck ached badly as I carried them into the kitchen all by myself because neither the bodyguards nor Alex were around to help me out. Even if Alex was home, I doubt if he would offer a helping hand in lifting the heavy provisions and groceries Into the house. Just the thought of him made my mood turn sour because how can I explain to people that I have no idea when my man would be returning home.‘it's always been like that anyways,’ I thought, followed by a sigh. He'd leave for days, weeks, sometimes even a month without informing me and whenever I tried asking where he had been for so long, he always gave me the same generic response. "It's none of your business, Reyna. Stop poking your nose into my matters ; your priority should lie in the kitchen," He emotionlessly says to me every time and I've managed to get used to
Reyna's POV.Alex didn't wait a second longer as he pulled me off the bed by my arm and threw me to the ground like I weighed nothing.“Get away from her, you worthless bitch,” Alex cursed. The impact he used to grab my arm and threw me off the bed was heavy which made me hurt my waist as I fell hard on the floor.I shut my eyes, wincing tightly but the pain on my waist was nothing compared to the hurt I felt in my chest.Now that I thought of how our relationship had been in the last months, I was very sure about the reason why Alex always left home without saying a word to me and also spoke to me harshly whenever he was around. It's because he had lost interest in me and was now courting another woman. He had always been sleeping with the bitch that I had considered my best friend all these while! I felt utterly devastated, my heart broken and shattered into irreparable pieces. I was so tired of Alex treating me like I was worthless. As if my only role was to be a housewife, con
Reyna's POV."Make that four extra shots. Bills on me," I heard a deep voice state calmly behind me.Surprised, I shifted my gaze to the owner voice and saw a tall figure settling on the stool next to me. He flashed a quick breathtaking smile at me, revealing the silver braces he had on his shiny white teeth.His sharp manly features was complimented with thick brows, dark orbs that sparkled under the multi-colored clubroom as his lips formed a thin line, few wild strands of his silky curly hair ran down his face, making him look like a seductive warlord.I tore my gaze away, my eyes still lifeless as the bartender slid another shot across the counter and I didn't wait a second to down them one after the other.My vision turned blurry, and my head spun due to the side effect of the vodka I drank to numb the feeling of heartache In my chest, but it doesn't seem like it was working cause the intimate scene between Alexander and Chloe kept playing fresh in my memory.‘Cant i just forget
Chapter 30Reyna's POV:I sat on my bed, my back resting against the headboard, as my fingers moved across my laptop keyboard. But my mind wasn’t entirely on my work, it was on Alex.I hated how, despite everything, my thoughts still drifted back to him. After what happened at the gala, I had sworn to be done with him, to keep him out of my mind. But here I was, unable to ignore the one question in my head: ‘How did everything circle back to me when it was Chloe who had an affair with his father?’I let out a sigh, shaking my head. Enough. I need to move on. I couldn't let him keep haunting my thoughts.The sudden chime of the doorbell pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I frowned, glancing at the time on my laptop screen. 11:07 PM?Who the hell was at my house at this hour?I figured Jamie would take care of it, so I didn’t bother getting up. It was probably a late delivery or some urgent message, but I wasn’t expecting anyone.The bell rang a few more times, then stopped. Then
Chapter 29Alex's POV:I had forced Chloe to give me this tape years ago, she made me promise that I won't breathe a word about her to Reyna, and I didn't.Not because I wanted to protect her—but because I wasn't ready to face the truth and admit what my father had done.When my father died, I had lost all the zeal to bring up the topic. And now? Now, I was just waiting for something—anything—to prove that I wasn't a complete fool.Hours passed. The video played over and over again. My eyes burned from exhaustion, and my body begged for rest, but my mind refused to stop.There had to be something. A glitch, or a sign that I didn't ruin everything for nothing.But there was nothing.Nothing but the same gut-wrenching images I had seen three years ago.Suddenly, the door creaked open.Maddox walked in, rubbing his tired eyes. “Oh my God, Alex, were you up all night?” He looked around, groaning when he saw the empty coffee cups. “Did you seriously drink all this just to stay awake?”I s
Chapter 28Reyna's POV:I scoffed the moment Alex finished his little sob story. “That’s it?” My arms folded across my chest as I stared at him in disbelief.His brows raised instantly. “What the fuck do you mean by ‘that’s it’?” He shot back.I let out a chuckle. “You treated me like trash, cheated on me, and threw me out of your life—all because of a fucking video, which you didn’t even confirm was real?” My voice trembled. “Did you ever think to check if it was edited before you ruined my entire fucking life?”Alex’s jaw clenched. “What the fuck do you mean?” His knuckles turned white from how hard he curled his hands into fists. “Do you realize that I had just found out my father had a relationship with my so-called wife? Who in their right mind would stop to investigate if a video like that was real or fake?”“Someone who actually wants the full truth.” I snapped.His expression darkened. “Truth?” He repeated. “I watched that video every single fucking day, trying to make sense
Chapter 27Alex's POV: THREE YEARS AGO:“Are you still set on renegotiating the contract with Mercer Holdings?” Maddox asked, his gaze shifting from the screen to me as his fingers drummed against the desk.I exhaled, leaning back in my chair. “We don’t have a choice. If we don’t, their terms will put us at a disadvantage. The expansion project is already eating into our resources, and the last thing we need is a bad deal hanging over our heads.”Maddox nodded. “True. But you know Mercer Holdings—they’re as cutthroat as they come. If we push too hard, they might just pull out and take their investments elsewhere.”“That’s why I need to discuss this with my father.” I tapped my pen against the table, lost in thought. “He’s the one who put Mercer Holdings in our orbit to begin with. If anyone knows how to navigate their conditions, it’s him.”Maddox smirked. "The plan to expand into the European market is a great decision, but I don’t see your father signing off on it w
Chapter 26Reyna's POV:The day went by quickly, and before long, the night of the gala had arrived.But my mind wasn’t here.I smiled at the men surrounding me—middle-aged billionaires, the kind who had built their wealth long before my time. They were the type who had likely seen the world change a thousand times over and yet still clung to their outdated beliefs."You know, Mrs. Hudson," One of them, a portly man with graying hair and a cigar in hand, began. "I never thought Theos' wife would be able to manage the company after his passing. No offense, of course."I kept my smile intact. No offense, of course. As if that made it any less condescending.Another man chuckled. "We were all so worried. Hudson Corp is not an easy company to run, and we all thought, well... let's just say we expected you to struggle."I tilted my head slightly. "And yet, here we are. Hudson Corp is thriving, gentlemen."The portly man nodded, raising his glass. "You’ve done well, no doubt about it. We’r
Chapter 25Reyna's POV:I snapped my head around, to see Maddox striding toward us, his face dark with anger. Without hesitation, he yanked the thug’s hand off my arm."Who the hell are you?" Maddox demanded.The man sneered. "I should be asking you that." But his expression shifted as though he recognized him. His narrowed eyes flicked over Maddox before he added, "Weren't you with that Alex guy the first time my boys and I came here?"Maddox gave a short chuckle. "Correct. And if you don’t want me calling the police, I suggest you step the hell away from her. Now."The thug raised his hands in surrender, exchanging a quick look with the man in glasses. The latter gave me a small bow before they both turned away.Maddox grabbed my wrist and pulled me away. We were about to pass my car when I stopped, gesturing toward the vehicle."Let’s talk in here."He nodded and slid into the passenger seat while I got behind the wheel. I drove away from the curb and didn’t stop until we were far
Chapter 24Reyna's POV:After admitting Alex in the hospital and confirming that he was okay, I hailed a cab and went home. I couldn't stay back in the hospital with him. I shouldn't. Not after everything he had done to me in the past. Over the next three days, I focused on putting myself together.I kept my mind occupied with movies at home, while Chelsea handled the legal battle against Mr. Orlov and Richard. Meanwhile, Alex’s uncle fled to California the moment news of Richard’s arrest broke out. And no one had seen or heard from him since.Finally once I felt stable enough, I returned to work. But this time, I threw myself into it. Every minute was accounted for—meetings, reports, projects. Anything to keep my mind from wandering.But no matter how much I buried myself in work, thoughts of Alex still found a way in.Some nights, I stared at my call log, tempted to dial every unknown number that had contacted me in the past month just in case one of them was him. Just to hear his
Chapter 23Reyna's POV:Everything happened so fast.One second, I was screaming Alex’s name, hoping—praying—that he would dodge in time. The next, the heavy vase crashed against his head, sending a thud through the room. “No! Alex!” I screamed, tears burning my eyes.I thrashed against the ropes binding me to the chair, watching in horror as he staggered but remained standing. While Richard grinned like a madman, relishing the chaos he had created."Please!" I begged, my voice breaking. "Richard, stop! I'll sign the divorce papers, I'll do whatever you want—just let us go! Let me take Alex to the hospital!"Alex, despite the blood trailing down his forehead, lifted a hand, silencing me. His expression was cold, but beneath it, I saw the flicker of pain he was trying to suppress.“Reyna, shut up.” His voice was rough. Then he turned to Richard, his eyes dark with fury. "You want to fight me? Bring it on. You’re no match for me, even in this state."Richard’s smirk faltered for just
Chapter 22 Alex's POV: I should’ve known Chloe would pull something like this. It had been a long day dealing with the men she owed money to, trying to reason with them. I had been willing to pay off her debts just to get them out of my hair, but when they refused to hand over my documents, I knew I was dealing with something bigger. The moment I sent them away and saw Maddox off, I went straight to my room, searching the wardrobe where I kept the house documents. Empty. I slammed the door shut, frustration bubbling in my chest. Chloe. She must have stolen them before leaving. I exhaled sharply and ran a hand through my hair. I still had one advantage—the CCTV cameras in my house. If I could pull up footage of her sneaking out with my documents, I could take it to court and get everything back. I could prove I wasn’t the guarantor for her loan and that I had nothing to do with this mess. But as soon as I logged into the security system, my heart dropped. The cameras had been