Chapter 3: FROM BEDROOM TO BOARDROOM

EMMA'S POV

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. Simeon was gone, and the sheets beside me were cold. My heart sank for a moment, but I quickly brushed off the feeling. What was I expecting—a good morning kiss and breakfast in bed? I sighed, ran my fingers through my tangled hair, and sat up.

The events of the previous day played on a loop in my mind. I couldn’t take it anymore. Today, I had to confront Daniel. It was time to end this nightmare. I left the bar without bothering to grab breakfast, straightened my hair in the rearview mirror, and drove straight home, rehearsing what I’d say.

As soon as I stepped into the house, the smell of freshly cooked food greeted me. My stomach churned. The aroma wasn’t welcoming; it felt like mockery. How dare they carry on like nothing happened?

From where I stood, I could see Daniel slouched on the couch, staring blankly at the television. His fingers fumbled with the remote control, his expression unreadable. Suddenly, he snapped and hurled the remote against the wall.

“Is there any problem, baby?” Veronica’s voice floated from the kitchen, light and sweet like she hadn’t just wrecked my marriage.

“TechCrest is topping the market chain this week,” Daniel muttered bitterly, his voice low but filled with frustration.

I froze in the doorway, gripping the handle of my bag tightly. Hearing her address him so intimately made my skin crawl. I cleared my throat, forcing Daniel to notice me.

He turned his head, his eyes locking onto mine. For a second, he looked startled, then composed himself. “You’re back,” he said casually, like he hadn’t ripped my heart out the day before.

“Yeah, I’m back,” I replied, my voice steady but cold. “And I’m here to tell you that I want a divorce.”

Daniel’s lips curled into a smirk—a smug, infuriating expression I’d never seen before. “That’s not going to happen,” he said, leaning back into the couch like he owned the world.

I frowned. “Excuse me?”

He laughed bitterly, his tone dripping with arrogance. “A divorce would cost me fifty percent of everything I own. I’m not about to lose that much over something as trivial as this.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Trivial? That’s how he saw his betrayal? Since the day we got married, Daniel had never spoken to me in this way. It was like I didn’t even recognize him anymore.

“You should’ve thought about that before cheating on me,” I snapped, my anger rising like a tidal wave.

I turned toward the bedroom, my mind racing with plans to pack up my belongings and leave for good. But as I passed the TV, something caught my eye. I stopped dead in my tracks, my breath hitching.

On the screen was Simeon. The same Simeon I’d spent the night with. The same Simeon who made me forget, even for a little while, the pain Daniel caused me.

“Who is he?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper but filled with urgency.

Daniel glanced at the screen and let out a bitter chuckle. “Him? He’s Simeon Grant, my biggest business rival.”

I stared at Daniel, trying to process his words. My mind raced as I pieced everything together. Simeon was Daniel’s rival? Why didn’t Simeon mention it? Did he know who I was?

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, shaking my head.

Daniel stood and crossed his arms, glaring at me. “This is why a divorce isn’t an option right now. Simeon would have a field day if he found out about it. My reputation and company would take a massive hit, Emma. I can’t afford that.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So this isn’t about us, is it? It’s about your precious image and your money,” I said, my voice trembling with anger.

Daniel didn’t respond, but the silence spoke volumes. I turned my back to him, unable to look at his face any longer. My gaze returned to the screen, where Simeon’s face stared back at me like a ghost from the night before.

My heart raced, a mix of confusion, anger, and betrayal flooding my system. I thought I’d been escaping Daniel, but somehow, I’d walked right into the orbit of another storm.

Who was Simeon Grant, really? And why did I feel like I was being played in a game far bigger than I could comprehend?

As I stood there, Daniel’s voice broke the silence. “Emma, you can’t just run away from this.”

I turned to face him, my decision already made. “Watch me,” I said, storming toward the bedroom.

But even as I packed, Simeon’s face lingered in my mind. What had I gotten myself into?

As I struggled to drag my bag out of the house, my arms aching and my heart even heavier, Veronica appeared out of nowhere. She stood there, smirking, like she had just won some kind of twisted game.

“Oh, let me help you,” she said in the most cheerful tone I had ever heard from her. Before I could respond, she grabbed the bags I had stacked by the door and started carrying them out to my car.

I stood there in shock, watching as she meticulously arranged all my belongings in the car boot like she was doing me a favor. The sight made my stomach churn. What was wrong with her? How could she be so gleeful after everything she’d done to me?

When she finally finished, she turned around with a triumphant smile on her face. “There you go. All set.”

I couldn’t help but glare at her, my voice low but firm. I haven’t seen this kind of craziness before. “If Daniel can betray me for you, he can do the same to you.”

Her smug grin faltered for just a moment, but she quickly recovered. “We’ll see about that,” she said, walking back inside the house like she owned it.

I got into my car, started the engine, and drove out of the compound without looking back.

........

I had no real plan at that moment, but I knew one thing—I couldn’t stay in Brooklyn anymore. I decided to head to Queens, where my aunt lived. I needed to lay low for a while, gather my thoughts, and find a good lawyer to help me sort out this divorce.

But as I drove, my mind kept circling back to Simeon. Did he know who I was? Was last night some kind of cruel setup? And if he didn’t know, what would he do if he found out?

The questions swirled in my head, making it impossible to focus. By the time I reached my aunt’s place, I was mentally drained. I unloaded my bags, dropped them inside her guest room, and decided to head straight to work. I had an important meeting at 11 a.m., and I couldn’t afford to miss it.

.......

At the meeting, I sat at the head of the table, trying to keep my emotions in check. The room was filled with department heads and board members, all discussing quarterly reports and upcoming projects. But then the finance manager cleared his throat and dropped a bombshell.

“Emma, I thought you should know—fifty percent of the company’s shares are up for sale,” he said, glancing at me nervously.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My mind raced as I processed his words. Daniel was selling his shares.

“What do you mean, fifty percent? Daniel owns that much,” I said, my voice trembling slightly.

“Yes,” the finance manager confirmed. “It seems he’s looking for a buyer. He hasn’t informed us officially, but the listing appeared on the market this morning.”

I felt a wave of anger rise within me. How could he do this without even telling me? Was this his way of punishing me for leaving? I immediately pulled out my phone and called him.

No answer.

I tried again. Still nothing.

I slammed my phone down on the table, my frustration evident. A few minutes later, my secretary walked in with a stack of papers. “Ma’am, there’s someone interested in purchasing the shares. He wants to tour the facility and understand how the company operates before finalizing the deal.”

“Fine,” I said, trying to keep my composure. “Schedule the tour.”

.......

Two hours later, my secretary returned to my office. “Ma’am, the buyer is here,” she said.

“Let him in,” I replied, standing up to greet whoever it was.

But as the door opened, my heart nearly stopped.

It was Simeon.

The same man I had spent the night with.

The same man Daniel had called his biggest rival.

He walked in with a confident smile, holding out his hand as if we were strangers meeting for the first time.