Empire of Betrayal

Chapter 1: The Betrayal

“Jackson… we need to talk.”

The words cut sharper than any blade. Jackson Forbes, the man who commanded boardrooms with a glance and held empires in his grasp, felt his chest tighten as he turned toward the voice he had trusted above all else.

Jenna Oakwood stood at the threshold of their penthouse, her designer heels clicking against the marble floor, her expression carefully neutral, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of something darker, shame, or maybe defiance.

“What is it, Jenna?” Jackson asked evenly, though his tone carried an undercurrent of wariness. “You sound… serious.”

She inhaled sharply and met his gaze, forcing the truth out in one calculated breath. “I… I haven’t been honest with you.”

Jackson’s brow furrowed. The apartment was silent except for the faint hum of the city below, a silence that suddenly felt oppressive, suffocating. “You mean to tell me this is about?”

“Yes,” she interrupted, her voice trembling just enough to mask the audacity of her confession. “I’ve… I’ve been seeing someone else.”

For a moment, Jackson said nothing. The words hovered between them like poison. His mind raced, though he forced his face to remain calm, carefully neutral, as though the truth had no power over him.

“You… what?” His voice was deceptively soft, each syllable deliberate, measured, but the tension behind it could have shattered glass.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen,” Jenna whispered, almost pleading. “It started with business meetings, lunches… and then it just… happened.”

Jackson took a step closer, his eyes narrowing, not in the least at the idea of infidelity, he had seen the worst of human greed and betrayal, but at the audacity, the sheer brazenness of her choice, right under his nose.

“Right under my nose?” he asked, voice cold, almost detached. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done, Jenna? Do you realize what this means?”

She flinched but held her ground. “I… I know you’ll be angry. I just”

Jackson’s laugh was low, bitter, and devoid of humor. “Angry? You think anger even begins to describe this? You’ve humiliated me in front of the Oakwoods, in front of everyone who respects me. You’ve made a fool of me while carrying my child.”

Jenna’s eyes flickered downward, ashamed. “I… I know. I never wanted to hurt you…”

“You never wanted to hurt me?!” Jackson’s voice thundered now, echoing against the polished walls of the penthouse. “I gave you everything! My love, my loyalty, my life, and you”

He broke off, unable to finish the sentence without his throat tightening.

“I… I just” Jenna’s voice caught. “I can’t do this anymore. I need to file for divorce.”

Jackson froze, a chill crawling down his spine. “Divorce?” His words were more a statement than a question, sharp and precise. “Do you realize what you’re asking? That you would sign away the life we built, the family we have?”

“Get your things, leave my house, you are just a liability. Sign the papers and take your trash out,” Jenna said, her voice now sharp, merciless. She gestured to the pristine mahogany desk where the divorce papers lay waiting, a silent execution of her decision.

Jackson’s hands clenched into fists. “And our daughter?” he asked, every word laced with controlled fury. “You think you can just erase me and keep her?”

“May stays with me. You don’t have the capacity to take care of her, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Jenna said firmly, her nails digging into the paper as she slid it toward him.

Jackson’s eyes flicked to the papers. They were thick, stamped, and sealed, symbols of the world she had turned against him. He picked up the pen, his hands steady despite the storm inside him. He signed.

“You have no idea what you’ve just done,” he said quietly, his words calm but deadly. “You will regret this. I promise you.”

Jenna’s laugh was cold. “Regret? Guards!” she called, and two burly men appeared from the shadows of the hallway. “Take him away.”

Jackson didn’t resist at first. But the moment the guards grabbed him, something inside snapped. He was beaten, thrown into the cold pavement of the alley outside, bruised, bloodied, and left for dead.

The city lights blurred above him, his vision fading, the laughter of Jenna echoing in his ears. But they didn’t know the truth.

Jackson Forbes, the man they thought powerless, the husband they thought broken, was far from defeated. Behind his calm demeanor and philanthropic smile, he was the owner of Ridge Empire, MEL Consortium, and several other companies valued at over 950 trillion in assets.

Every business they depended on, every company Jenna’s family thought untouchable, controlled by him. And now, lying in the cold alley, battered but breathing, he made a silent vow: This isn’t the end.

Hours later, an unknown black SUV slowed by the alley. Two men in dark suits jumped out, checked the alley, and carefully lifted Jackson into the backseat. He opened his eyes and studied them.

“You’re safe?” one asked.

Jackson’s lips curved into a faint smile. “I’ve never been safer,” he said, his voice calm, though beneath it simmered the rage and strategy of a man reborn.

The SUV sped into the night, disappearing into the shadows of the city skyline. Jackson’s mind raced, not with thoughts of vengeance yet, but with calculation.

Every betrayal, every insult, every slight against his family and his daughter, he would repay it tenfold. But first, there was May.

The next morning, Jenna sat in the Oakwood Consortium’s boardroom, smug and triumphant. “He won’t bother us now,” she whispered to herself, her eyes glinting. “Jackson Forbes… he’s gone.”

Meanwhile, Jackson’s daughter, ten-year-old May, sat in her room overlooking the city, clutching a small stuffed rabbit. “Daddy…” she whispered, a single tear tracing her cheek. She didn’t know where he was, only that something had changed forever.

Somewhere deep in the shadows, Jackson was already plotting his return, not just for himself, but for her. The betrayal had been personal.

The revenge would be strategic. And when he came back, the Oakwoods, and Jenna, would see exactly what it meant to cross a man like Jackson Forbes.