THE EXILED KING

YOU WERE NEVER ENOUGH

Three Days Later...

The courtroom was cold and quiet, filled with a strange tension. Nolan sat beside his lawyer, Barrister Keme, his hands were clenched tightly on his lap. He was dressed in a black suit and tie, and his eyes were dark from sleepless nights.

Across the courtroom, Evelyn sat beside Zahir Malikyan. She was dressed like a widow in mourning—wearing a black linen cloth over her head, and large dark shades covering her eyes.

Her face was calm, like she had already moved on. Like she had buried the past and didn’t plan to ever dig it up again.

Nolan’s chest burned with anger and heartbreak. He tried not to look at her, but his eyes kept going back. He remembered how hard he had fought for her—for Rhys Tech Global.

He remembered working day and night, risking everything, cutting off friends just to build the company from scratch. Just to make sure her dreams and majorly that of her father's didn’t die.

And now she was here, fighting to take it all away from him.

She didn’t even look at him once.

Nolan’s jaw tightened as he watched people surround her. Friends, relatives, and even business partners had come to support her.

They treated her like she was the one who had suffered. Like she was the victim in all this.

But Nolan knew the truth. He was the one who had been hurt. He was the one who had been betrayed. Yet nobody stood by him. Nobody said a word in his favor. He was alone.

That didn’t surprise him.

He had no family. No real friends. He had given all his life to her company, to her vision, to an extent that he adopted the Rhys name as his own. And now, she was saying he didn’t deserve even a single dime from Rhys Tech Global. That he had no right to alimony.

That he had contributed nothing.

Nolan blinked back the pain. His heart was heavy, but his spirit refused to break.

Zahir Malikyan whispered something in Evelyn’s ear and she smiled. That smile tore something inside Nolan.

He looked away, with his eyes now fixed on the judge’s bench as the courtroom prepared for final judgment.

No matter what the court said today, one thing was clear—his marriage was truly over.

And the woman he once gave everything to… now saw him as nothing.

The judge walked back into the courtroom, followed by the panel of assessors.

The courtroom went silent as everyone rose to their feet. The sound of shoes echoed on the floor as the judge and panel took their seats.

"Be seated," the judge said.

Everyone obeyed.

Nolan’s heart pounded in his chest. His lawyer, Barrister Keme, whispered something to him, but the words didn’t register.

Nolan’s mind was racing. His hands were cold, and his stomach twisted in knots.

The judge adjusted his glasses, opened a file, and began to speak.

"After reviewing all the submitted evidence, witness testimonies, and financial records, this court has come to a final conclusion."

He paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle.

"It is hereby declared that Mr. Nolan Kings is legally entitled to forty percent of all current and future assets belonging to Rhys Tech Global, and to be paid as part of the divorce settlement."

A murmur rippled through the room. Nolan didn’t smile. He didn’t celebrate. There was no one to hug him, no one to cheer. He simply sat there, swallowing the heaviness in his chest.

Forty percent.

It was something—but to Nolan, it still felt like too little for everything he had sacrificed. Yet, what could he do?

He had already lost so much.

The judge banged the gavel and closed the case. Court was adjourned.

**********

Meanwhile, Nolan stood outside the luxury duplex—his once beautiful home—with bags packed and a moving truck waiting.

Three men were helping him move his heavy machines and work tools. He had chosen to stay in a quiet lodge for the time being. Somewhere small. Somewhere peaceful.

He was about to lift one final box when he heard the front door open.

Evelyn stepped out.

Zahir Malikyan walked beside her.

They both wore expensive sunglasses, flanked by two bodyguards in black suits.

Evelyn looked like she had already erased Nolan from her life.

Nolan paused and stared at her.

Evelyn folded her arms and gave a cold smile.

“I’ll miss your mind, Nolan. Truly. Your creativity, your ideas, your work ethic. You were the engine behind many of Rhys Tech’s inventions.” She said with a mocking tone.

“Those are beautiful traits in a man, Nolan. But sadly, they were never enough.”

She walked closer, her voice was sharp and cold.

“You were never man enough for me. You never had the heart or power to stand by my side—not as a partner, and definitely not as my husband.”

Nolan clenched his jaw.

Evelyn leaned in and gave Zahir Malikyan a soft kiss on the lips. They kissed right in front of Nolan like he was invisible.

Something inside Nolan snapped.

“You’re ungrateful, Evelyn,” he said, pointing a finger at her. “You were nothing without me. You only had your father’s name, your father’s company. But I was the one who brought life into it. I built Rhys Tech with my sweat, my research, my time. And now that I’m taking forty percent of your empire, let’s see how you recover from the damage you caused!”

Evelyn threw her head back and laughed.

Zahir Malikyan joined her, and both of them started laughing as if Nolan was a clown in their private show.

Then Evelyn looked at him and smiled cruelly.

“And what made you think, Nolan,” she said, “that you’ll actually walk away with forty percent?”

Nolan froze.

“What do you mean? That was the court ruling, if I must remind you.”

The three men helping him suddenly turned around—faces dark, eyes cold.

They weren’t smiling anymore.

Nolan’s heart skipped.

Evelyn stepped back slowly and raised a hand.

“I’m afraid, Nolan,” she said with finality, “such won’t be the case.”

Nolan froze. His eyes moved slowly from Evelyn to the three men who had been helping him pack.

As he had noticed, they were no longer friendly. No more small talk or polite nods.

Their faces had changed—into that which was cold, stern, and unreadable. Their eyes now watched him like hunters eyeing prey.

Nolan’s chest tightened.

He took a step back and looked again.

These were the same men he had paid to help him move out. The same men he trusted with his machines and tools.

Nolan’s eyes shifted to Evelyn.

“You paid them?” he asked, was voice low and trembling with disbelief.

Evelyn didn’t answer. She just gave a slow smile.

Zahir Malikyan stepped forward and whispered something in Arabic.

"Ajlibūhu ilá al-ard. Lā tukharribū wajhah, walakin 'allimūhu man huwa al-malik."

It was a command from the Zahir Malikyan for the three men to beat the hell out of him and ruin Nolans face just like Nolan did to him.

They weren’t workers.

Their haircuts, their skin tone, their calm silence—it all made sense now. They were Arabs. Just like Sheikh Ahmed.

And not just that, they were his men.

Nolan’s heart began to race.

He dropped his briefcase slowly to the ground. Then he rolled up his sleeves, his eyes were locked on them.

“Let’s not do this,” Nolan said, trying to reason, though he knew they wouldn’t listen.

The first man pulled something from his boot.

A knife.

The second man pulled another blade from his belt.

Sharp, silver, and deadly.

The third man cracked his knuckles and smiled, then brought out a pen knife—one that gleamed under the sunlight like it had tasted blood before.

They all began to move toward him—calm, sure, and dangerous.

Nolan’s breathing slowed.

He had no weapon. No backup. No one on his side.