Reginald stared. He'd heard it from Vivian already, but clearly hadn't believed it. His expression said he still thought it was a bluff.Vivian's face went white. Her fork hovered in the air, frozen.Eleanor set down her silverware.She looked at Ethan first — a long, pained look — then turned and smacked the back of Vivian's head."Vivian! What did you do to him this time?" Eleanor's voice shook. "How many times have I told you — your career isn't everything! You keep ignoring Ethan's feelings, and for what? Is this how a wife behaves?"Vivian flinched. "Mom! Why are you hitting me? I'm not the one who asked for the divorce!""So what?" Eleanor's eyes blazed. "I know Ethan. Unless you did something to break his heart, a man who loved you that much would never walk away on his own."She pointed straight at Vivian's face."You ungrateful girl. Haven't I told you privately? Ethan is a good man. I told you to cherish him. Why don't you ever listen?""Do you need to lose him completely? W

Ethan took the elevator down and began walking through the complex.He knew Vivian's patterns better than she knew them herself.Three years of marriage. Every fight with her father ended the same way — she'd storm out, declare she was leaving forever, then hide somewhere within the community walls and cry until someone came to find her.She never actually left.He found her in under three minutes.She was crouched behind the flower bed near Building C, hugging her knees, phone pressed to her ear. Her shoulders shook with quiet sobs.Ethan slowed his steps.He was about to call out to her — time to go home — when her voice drifted toward him.Soft. Gentle. Nothing like the shrieking fury from five minutes ago."Damian, don't worry about it. I'll handle the company side — you just focus on your family's situation."A pause. A sniffle."The funding gap? How much do we need?" Her voice dropped even lower, intimate. "I can talk to Dad's finance team. They owe me a favor. We'll get it so

By 3:30 PM, Ethan was standing outside Starfall Lounge, folder tucked under his arm, tie straightened, game face on.'Twelve million. Just keep your eyes on the number.'He found the private room William had specified — Room 7, second floor. Muffled bass thumped through the door. He knocked twice, then pushed it open.The karaoke screen blazed neon lyrics across the far wall. Bottles lined the coffee table — whiskey, red wine, beer, mixers. The air smelled like perfume and cigarette smoke.Ethan's gaze swept the room and locked onto Sophie Whitfield in under a second.She sat dead center of the leather sofa, legs crossed, a glass of red wine dangling from her fingers. White fitted top, denim shorts, waves of chestnut hair spilling over her shoulders. Three years had sharpened her features — the baby fat was gone, replaced by something harder. More deliberate.Around her sat seven others. Three faces triggered faint recognition — university classmates of Vivian's, people he'd seen at d

The second Ethan's eyes closed, Sophie's drunk act evaporated like it had never existed.She straightened up, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and snapped her fingers at two guys near the door."Help me get him to my car. Downstairs. Now.""Wait — Sophie, what are you—""Did I stutter?" Her voice was ice. "Move."They moved. She cranked the room's AC up three degrees, grabbed her purse, and turned to the rest of the group with a dazzling smile."Everything tonight's on me. Drinks, food, whatever you want. Stay as long as you like." She blew a kiss. "Birthday girl's got somewhere to be."She was out the door before anyone could respond.Downstairs, the two guys loaded Ethan's unconscious body into the passenger seat of her white Porsche. Sophie tipped them each a hundred and slid behind the wheel."Unbelievable," one of them muttered as she pulled away. "Ditching us for a guy."The other one — a former classmate who knew both Sophie and Vivian — watched the taillights disap

Vivian's breath caught. He looked... different. Sharper. Harder. Like something inside him had calcified overnight.Sophie moved first. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself against his side. Possessive. Triumphant."Ethan, baby, I'm sorry—" She looked up at him with wide, apologetic eyes. "She just barged in—"Ethan didn't push her away.Vivian's stomach lurched."Ethan —" Her voice came out strangled. "Ethan, what are you — this isn't — she drugged you, she set you up, you can't possibly —""Vivian." His voice was flat. Dead. Like talking to a stranger at a bus stop. "I'm going to ask you one question."She stared at him."Am I your replacement?"The air left the room.Vivian's lips parted. Her eyes darted to Sophie, then back to Ethan."At the celebration dinner," Ethan continued, his tone unchanged. "I heard someone say it. That I was Damian Hale's replacement. A stand-in. A consolation prize you settled for because the man you actually wan