Richard’s POV.I sat at my desk, my head pounding as I stared at the same damn numbers. Sales were down, Vitalé Wellness was eating into our market share, and nothing I did seemed to make a difference. Vitalé Wellness was eating away at my business faster than I could react. Nothing I did seemed to work. Every move we made, they were ten steps ahead.The stress was piling up, and I was starting to feel like I was drowning.I massaged my temples, the familiar pulse of a headache building behind my eyes. I’d been here before—staring at the same problem, night after night. Only this time, it felt like everything was falling apart. My company, my sanity…even my engagement.I heard the door to my office creak open but didn’t bother looking up.“Still buried in work, huh?” Martin's voice cut through the silence. He walked in, hands in his pockets, studying me with that look he always gave when he knew I was in too deep.I let out a sigh, rubbing my temples. “What does it look like?”“You’
Richard’s POV.It involved Sarah? What does that mean? The TV flickered on, and Martin stepped aside, giving me a clear view. My head was still spinning from the argument with Susan, but the moment I saw the headline flash across the screen, all thoughts of her vanished.“Vitalé Wellness CEO Sarah Williams Makes Waves in New Markets”Sarah’s face filled the screen, and I froze.“What the fuck is going on, Sarah is the CEO of Vitale?” I asked no one in particular.She was sitting at some press event, dressed in a sleek, fitted suit that made her look more confident than I ever remembered. Her smile was calm, and collected, like she had everything figured out. She leaned forward slightly as a reporter asked her something, and when she answered, it was like watching someone else entirely.And then, out of nowhere, he appeared.Wesley.Wesley freaking Stan, sitting right beside her with that smug grin on his face. My heart dropped to my stomach, and for a second, I couldn’t even proces
Richard’s POVI sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the city lights outside the window. The penthouse was too quiet, too cold. Susan had left hours ago, angry at me for not going to her stupid party. I couldn’t focus on her anymore. All I could think about was Sarah.I don’t know when it started, this gnawing feeling in my gut. Maybe it was when I saw her in the news a few weeks ago, sitting next to Wesley. Smiling. Confidence. Happy. And that’s what twisted me up inside. Happy. Without me.I shook my head, trying to push it away, but the thoughts kept coming back. I thought being with Susan was the right thing. I thought she would fit into my life better, that she wouldn’t ask for too much. But now, sitting here alone, it hit me like a slap in the face. I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I sighed and reached for my phone on the nightstand. My thumb hovered over Sarah’s name in the contacts. I hadn’t deleted it yet, even after the divorce. Maybe I didn't think of i
Richard’s pov.The sun was barely up when I woke up the next day, but it didn’t matter. I hadn’t slept much anyway. The bed felt too big. Too empty.Susan hadn’t come home after our argument. I didn’t call her either. What for? If I was leaving for Madrid today, the last thing I needed was to deal with her creating more drama. She’d probably scream about me flying halfway across the world to see my ex-wife. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. What did I even see in her? I walked over to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. I stared at myself in the mirror. Dark circles under my eyes. My hair is a mess. I didn’t look like the man people expected to see when they thought of Richard Wright, the billionaire, the businessman. No. I looked like someone who had lost control. Someone who had screwed up.I grabbed a towel, wiped my face, and headed downstairs. The house was too quiet, the silence almost deafening. I hated it. As I poured myself a cup of coffee, my phone
Sarah’s pov.I stood in the middle of the buzzing office trying to focus on the stack of paperwork in front of me, but my mind was miles away. The past few weeks had been exhausting, with the press conference taking a toll on me. We are about to reveal our latest products at the business event in two days' time. It was supposed to be the big reveal, something we had worked months on perfecting. But today, something went wrong—horribly wrong.I glanced over at the clock. It was already past 10 a.m., and the day was just beginning. The formulator had screwed up. Again.My hand trembled as I reached for the clipboard. Weeks of sleepless nights flashed before my eyes—this couldn't be happening, not now. If this formula didn't work, we were finished. My throat tightened as I scanned the data, the numbers blurring. A knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts. “Come in,” I called, my voice sounding more tired than I intended.“Sarah, there’s an issue with the latest batch,” Nina, o
Richard Pov.The party in Madrid was a spectacle of wealth and power, but none of it mattered. I wasn’t here for the schmoozing or the deals. I was here for one reason: Sarah.She had been on my mind constantly, but tonight felt different. The organizers had asked me to make a grand entrance, to be the center of attention, but I’d declined. I didn’t want the spotlight. I had told them to exclude my name in the list of business people; that way Wesley wouldn't be aware and then stop Sarah from coming.Wesley fucking Kent thought I wouldn't be invited or attend because of the derailing position of my company in the market.I stood near the bar, scanning the room, searching for her. Sarah. She was supposed to be here tonight, with Wesley. The thought of them together sent a pulse of jealousy through me that I couldn’t ignore.I wanted to watch, to see what Sarah was doing, how she was acting… with him.The night was still young, and I had already spoken to a few people. Nothing impor
Sarah’s Pov.The morning light gushed through the curtains of my apartment but I didn’t feel any warmth. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind still buzzing with last night’s events. The party. Richard. Richard! Noone told me he was going to be at the event. I didn't see his name amongst the list of businessmen.My mind hadn't crossed it to ask if he would be attending. I sat up, running a hand through my hair. The argument with Richard had left a bitter taste in my mouth. Seeing him again had stirred emotions I thought I’d buried. He looked more tired than I've known him while we were together.And the things he said... I couldn’t stop hearing his voice, accusing me, and blaming me. But there was more to it. His eyes. The way he looked at me, like I was someone he’d lost. I didn’t want to think about him, yet here I was, unable to shake him from my thoughts. You both are divorced. He had moved on. He has a fiancee now. I tried speaking sense to myself.But then if he w
Sarah’s pov.The sun was up when I woke up. I sat on the edge of my bed, phone in hand, rereading Richard’s message over and over.“Wesley’s been using you, Sarah. He’s my rival. That’s the only reason he got close to you.”It didn’t make sense. Wesley? My Wesley? The man who had been there for me when I needed support the most? The same man who helped me launch my business, who believed in me? My stomach twisted as the doubt began creeping in. I replayed everything Wesley had said, all those times he praised my work. Was it all just a ploy?I got up and started pacing, trying to make sense of it. Richard and Wesley had never crossed paths in front of me. I hadn’t known they were rivals, though Richard was always private about his business dealings. But now that I thought about it, I remembered asking Wesley months ago why he was so interested in helping me. He’d just smiled and said, “I see potential in you, Sarah. You’ve got something special.”I never questioned it at the time
Sarah povThe morning sunlight poured in through the kitchen window, warm and bright, spilling across the table as I sipped my coffee, feeling everything that had happened begin to ease. It was finally quiet. No more threats lurking in the background, no more lies or secrets tugging us apart. Just Richard and me, sitting together in the home we’d fought to protect.I glanced over at him, watching the way he seemed so at ease, leaning back in his chair with his coffee mug in hand. There was a hint of a smile playing on his lips, a calm I hadn’t seen in him for what felt like ages. I wondered if he could see the relief in my own face, the peace that was finally settling inside me. “We did it,” he said softly, almost like he was still trying to believe it himself.I nodded, a small smile spreading across my face. “Yeah. We really did.” The words felt light, almost surreal. After everything—the fear, the betrayals, the constant looking over our shoulders—it was hard to grasp that we
Richard pov.Facing the network had been a long time coming. Sarah and I stood outside a grand, old building where the leaders had gathered. Holding the incriminating evidence we’d collected over months, I took a deep breath. I glanced at Sarah, her eyes narrowed with determination, her chin set in that way that told me she wasn’t backing down. She’d come so far, and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride mixed with the fear of what we were walking into. But this was our only shot at freedom.“Ready?” I asked though it was more for me than for her.She nodded. “More than ready.”Inside, the room was crowded with the high-ranking figures of the network. Their stares held nothing but cold, steely indifference, like they were sizing us up, wondering what two individuals thought they could do against them. But we had something they didn’t: proof, cold and solid, that could bring down every last one of them. The leader, a man with silver hair and a smug smile, eyed us with disdain.
Sarah’s pov.The past few weeks had pushed me further than I ever thought I could go. Sitting in the dimly lit room with Richard beside me, a file of secrets splayed across the table, I felt something strange—a calm I hadn’t felt in ages. Maybe it was because, for the first time, we were moving as one. Whatever came next, we’d face it together.James hovered at the edge of the room, his presence reminding me of how far we’d come, how we’d gone from fearing him to needing his help. I still didn’t trust him fully, but in this fight, he was an essential piece. He’d been our link to the network, revealing things we’d never have known otherwise.“Here it is,” James said, pointing to a creased map on the table. “They keep their ledger, the core of their operations, here.” His finger rested on a small, out-of-the-way warehouse marked on the map.Richard leaned over, studying it with narrowed eyes. “So all their dirty dealings, the whole network’s transactions… it’s all stored in this one
Richard pov.The anger hit me fast, followed by a wave of regret. “I should have known,” I muttered, my jaw clenching as I dropped the paper onto the table. “I should’ve seen this coming.”Sarah stepped closer, her hand resting on my arm. “Richard, you couldn’t have known. You trusted him because… well, because he was family to you.”“Family,” I echoed, the word tasting bitter. “Some family he turned out to be. He was there through everything, and now… now he’s part of this mess, trying to tear us down.”I turned away, trying to calm myself. This betrayal cut deep. But standing there, feeling Sarah’s gaze on my back, I felt something else—something that was stronger than anger or regret. Trust. She’d trusted me enough to tell me, to show me this evidence, even when it could have blown up in both our faces.“Sarah,” I said, my voice low, turning back to her. “Thank you. For telling me.”She looked surprised, like she hadn’t expected me to say that. “I just… I knew I couldn’t keep it f
Sarah’s Pov.I sat at the edge of the couch, staring at the news report on TV, my heart sinking as Richard’s face flashed across the screen. The scandal was everywhere—headlines blaring accusations, journalists picking apart every move Richard had ever made. They were talking about him as if he were some kind of villain as if he were guilty without question. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the screen, even though every word felt like a punch to the gut.The phone calls had started early. Friends, family, even reporters calling for statements. I ignored them all, feeling helpless, a pit growing in my stomach. I knew Richard hadn’t done what they were saying. But I also knew that the damage to his reputation was happening in real time, and there was nothing we could do to stop it.Richard had been gone since dawn, trying to get ahead of the chaos. He’d called a few times, each time sounding a little more exhausted, a little more defeated. He was trying to keep it together for both
Richard's pov.I couldn’t breathe. Not because I was scared—though I was—but because everything felt like it was crashing down all at once. The phone call came in the middle of the morning when everything should’ve been calm. But that was never how it worked anymore, was it? The network had found its way into my life, into everything I cared about, and now they were making their move.“Mr. Wright,” the voice on the other end of the line was cold, too cold for comfort. “We have information that suggests your business dealings aren’t as clean as you claim.”I barely heard the rest of the words. My mind was already racing, already trying to figure out who had leaked what. What had they found? What were they planning to do with it?I ended the call quickly, staring at the phone screen. My thoughts were a blur, but one thing stood out clearly: they were targeting me. My business. My reputation. It felt like everything I had built was suddenly crumbling, and I couldn’t stop it.I didn’t h
Sarah’s pov.It is another day. I had barely gotten out of the car before Richard was already a few steps ahead, his focus fixed on the building in front of us. Martins had set this up. A “hidden ally” with insider knowledge. Someone who could help us navigate the network and, hopefully, get us out of the mess we’d found ourselves in.I couldn’t help but think about the last few days. We were making progress, but every move we made felt like we were playing a dangerous game, and I wasn’t sure how much longer we could keep this up without someone getting hurt.I glanced at Richard’s back. He was so sure of himself now, so determined. I had to admit, it was hard to ignore the fire in his eyes when he was focused. He wasn’t the same man I used to know—not the one who was always playing it safe and never got his hands dirty. But he was still my Richard, the man I’d known long before everything spiraled out of control.And yet, the more we worked together, the more I realized how little
Richard povJames introduced us again with his usual smug look, like he was pulling all the strings here. I wanted to wipe that look off his face, but right now, we needed him, and he knew it. “This here’s Monty and Kit,” James said, nodding toward the two men across from us. “They’re… experts in keeping things quiet.” He gave a low chuckle, clearly pleased with himself.Monty leaned back, studying me with narrowed eyes. “So, you two want a way in?”As if he didn't ask Sarah the same kind of question.I nodded, keeping my voice calm. “We need information. Something we can use.”He shrugged, glancing at James. “And why should we trust you?”James shot me a look, a warning. “Because Richard’s good at keeping secrets. Isn’t that right, old friend?”“Let’s get something straight,” I said, looking him dead in the eye. “This is about staying a step ahead. Nothing more.”But even as I said it, I could feel Sarah watching me, as if she was looking for cracks in my confidence. I knew she had
Sarah’s pov.The air in the car was thick as Richard drove us toward the meeting spot. I sat there, fiddling with the cuff of my sleeve, trying to keep my breathing steady, trying to look like I wasn’t on the edge of running. I glanced at Richard, his jaw tight, his hands gripping the steering wheel a little too hard. He caught my gaze and softened, giving me a slight smile that was supposed to be comforting. But there was nothing comforting about this. Not when we were about to walk into a room with James and a few of his “network contacts.” Just saying the word made my stomach twist. And James… Well, trusting him felt like trying to trust a snake. You just couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t bite.“So, are you ready?” Richard asked, his voice low and calm. Too calm. He knew this was a big risk—maybe even our biggest so far. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, trying to sound steady. But my mind was spinning. I knew we had no choice but to work with James. He had the connections, the