All Chapters of The Ex Wife's Regret : Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
81 chapters
Chapter 21
The park is quiet in the afternoon light.Yesterday's rain left everything damp. Mabel sits on a bench under a gazebo, her hands folded so tightly in her lap that her knuckles are white. She's wearing a loose sweater despite the mild temperature. Hiding. Protecting.Ariel and John wait in the car parked probably like fifty meters away. Close enough to intervene if needed. Far enough to give privacy.John watches through the windshield. His posture is relaxed but his eyes miss nothing. Every detail catalogued. Every potential threat assessed.Ariel sits beside him, her hands gripping the steering wheel even though the engine is off. Nervous energy radiating from her."He'll understand," she says quietly. More to herself than John. "Marcus is a good man. He'll understand."John doesn't respond. He's learned that sometimes silence is better than false reassurance.The sound of a motorcycle cuts through the quiet. Both their heads turn toward the entrance.Marcus pulls in on a sleek blac
Chapter 22
Divo recovers quickly.Too quickly for someone who just took a fist to the face. He wipes blood from his split lip with the back of his hand, smearing red across his pale skin. His eyes blaze with pure and unfiltered rage The kind of fury that makes men do stupid things.Then he lunges.The movement is wild and reckless. Born of humiliation rather than strategy.He crashes into Marcus and they collide hard. Bodies grappling in a tangle of limbs. Fists flying without precision. Just raw anger meeting raw anger. They hit the ground rolling, crushing wet grass beneath them, each trying to gain advantage over the other."Stop!" Mabel's scream cuts through the sound of their struggle. "Please stop!"Her voice breaks on the words. Tears stream down her face as she watches the two brothers trying to destroy each other.John moves instantly.Years of training kick in. His body responds before his mind fully processes the decision. He crosses the distance in three long strides. He grabs Divo f
Chapter 23
The Armstrong household runs on information. Everyone watching. Everyone reporting. It's how powerful families maintain control.Mr. Ken's face is stern as Marcus helps Mabel from the car. The motorcycle helmet dangles from Marcus's hand. His other arm supports Mabel's weight even though she doesn't really need it. It's simply instinct. Marcus sees Mr. Ken and immediately bows. Respectful. His training in proper etiquette showing through despite the circumstances."Mr. Armstrong." His voice doesn't waver. "I'm Marcus Jade. I want to marry your daughter. With or without my family approval. I love her and I won't abandon her or our child."The boldness of the statement surprises everyone. Even John's eyebrows raise slightly.This kid has spine. More than John gave him credit for.Mr. Ken studies Marcus for a long moment. His expression is unreadable. Reading the young man. Measuring him. Looking for deception or opportunism or weakness.What he finds must satisfy him because he gesture
Chapter 24
John studies the security footage frame by frame.His fingers swipe slowly across Helena's tablet. Each movement of the intruder is examined. The limp becomes more obvious when you know what to look for.The right foot drags slightly with each step. Just barely. Most people would miss it entirely.But the compensating weight shift? That's distinctive. The way the hips rotate to accommodate the weakness. The subtle lean to the left.John has definitely seen this pattern before.But where?The memory refuses to surface. Dances just beyond his reach. Like trying to remember a dream that dissolves the moment you wake.He rewinds again. Watches the figure move through the mansion. That damn limp taunting him with familiarity he can't place.Mr. Ken watches over his shoulder. His breathing is heavy with stress.. The violation of his home, his vault, his family's security weighing on him visibly.Helena paces near the vault entrance. Back and forth. Her heels clicking against the floor in an
Chapter 25
John decides to investigate the break-in further.He finds Lawrence in the library. The butler is cataloging books. Making notes in a leather journal. "Lawrence. I need information."The butler looks up. Sets down his pen. "What kind of information, Mr. John?""Information brokers. People who deal in... less legitimate items. Rare medical artifacts. Ancient texts. That sort of thing."Lawrence's expression doesn't change but something shifts in his eyes. "That's dangerous territory, Mr. John.""I know."Lawrence is quiet for a moment. Considering. Then he moves to his desk. Pulls out a piece of paper. Writes an address in neat handwriting."The underworld of collectors and dealers is secretive. Populated by people who value profit over ethics." He hands John the paper. "They won't hesitate to betray you if the price is right. Be careful."John looks at the address. Commits it to memory. "What kind of place is this?""An antique bookstore. Or that's what it pretends to be during busin
Chapter 26
The Armstrong estate is transformed into something magical.John arrives in a suit Lawrence helped him select. Dark. Well-fitted. Expensive without being flashy.He feels oddly nervous as he searches the crowd.Looking for her.He finds Ariel near the entrance. Greeting guests with practiced grace.She's wearing a dark blue gown that makes her look elegant and untouchable. Hair styled perfectly. Makeup subtle but enhancing.Then she sees him.Her face lights up. Genuinely lights up.She excuses herself from the conversation and moves toward him immediately. Her hand finds his arm naturally."You came." Like she wasn't sure he would."Of course."She takes his arm. Leads him into the crowd. Introduces him to various people as her partner in an upcoming venture.The vague description raises eyebrows. But prevents uncomfortable questions.They circulate through the crowd. Ariel's hand resting lightly on John's arm.He notices how naturally they move together. How conversations flow easil
Chapter 27
John's POVI meet Marcus at the mansion's gym before dawn, when the sky is still dark and quiet. The air is cool and crisp, and I can hear my own breathing as I wait for him to arrive.He shows up right on time, looking nervous and uncertain. His shoulders are hunched and his eyes keep darting around the empty gym like he's not sure what he's gotten himself into.“As much as you came early, I thought you wouldn't show up.” I tell him as he starts settling in. “I made a promise, so I'm here to keep it.”I smirk. "We start with physical conditioning," I tell him as he sets down his gym bag. "A strong body supports a strong mind. The discipline you build here will translate directly to business.""I understand," Marcus says, nodding quickly. "Where do we start?""Stretches first, then cardio."We go through basic warm-up movements and I watch his form carefully. He's stiff and awkward, clearly unused to this kind of routine. After the stretches, I set him up on the treadmill."Twenty m
Chapter 28
John's POV They arrive just after noon, you could call them my old friends, I'm waiting at the mansion's entrance when the black SUV pulls through the gates. Three people step out, and even from a distance I can see they carry themselves differently than most civilians. There's an awareness to their movements. The first through the door is Silas, a tall man with graying temples and an intensity that makes him seem older than his forty years, his eyes are constantly scanning and assessing everything around him. I've seen that behavior before in people who've lived dangerous lives. Behind him comes Maya, a woman in her forties with silver streaking through dark hair pulled back in a practical braid. She radiates an interesting combination of warmth and dang
Chapter 29
John's POVI wake before dawn, my body trained to rise early even when my mind wants more sleep. The mansion is silent around me as I make my way to the gym. These morning workouts have become ritual, a way to center myself before the chaos of the day begins, and I need that centering now more than ever with everything that's happening.I think about how different this is from my life just weeks ago. Waking in that cramped room at the Armstrong house, tiptoeing around so I wouldn't disturb anyone, eating scraps like a dog grateful for whatever was thrown my way. The contrast is stark enough to make me pause mid-step, almost disorienting my movement by its magnitude. I let out a soft chuckle. I run through forms my master taught me, movements flowing like water according to his teachings. My body remembers the patterns even when my mind is elsewhere, muscle memory taking over. I look at my reflection in the mirror, I still look the same physically, same height and build, same feature
Chapter 30
John's POVI secure Dr. Huang's pearl in the mansion's safe alongside my own, watching the two spheres sit side by side like eyes watching me from the darkness. Two keys in our possession now. The Syndicate has at least four, maybe more if they've kept some acquisitions secret. Every pearl we protect is one they'll fight harder to take, and I brought Dr. Huang into their crosshairs by approaching him. The clinic fight was close, too close. I managed to drive them off but barely, and only because they weren't expecting serious resistance from what they assumed would be an easy target.Lawrence watches me lock the safe, his expression troubled in a way I rarely see. "Are you certain about this path?" he asks quietly. "Is gathering the pearls is worth the danger it brings to everyone around you?"I turn to face him fully. "I'm certain of nothing except that doing nothing means letting them win. It means my mother and master died for nothing, and I can't and won't accept that."He studie