The CEO Nobody Knew

Chapter 1: The Moment Everything Shattered

Mac Clement stood frozen in the doorway of his own bedroom, his hand still gripping the bouquet of white roses he'd bought for Jane. The flowers trembled in his grasp as he watched his wife of two years wrapped in the arms of another man, their bodies moving together in a rhythm that made his stomach clench with nausea.

David Richardson. The name echoed in Mac's mind like a death sentence. The wealthy heir to Richardson Industries, with his perfectly styled blonde hair and designer suits that cost more than most people's monthly salary. Everything Mac appeared not to be.

The roses slipped from Mac's fingers, scattering across the hardwood floor like drops of blood. The soft thud made Jane's eyes snap open, her pupils dilating with shock as she saw him standing there.

"Mac!" She scrambled to pull the silk sheets over her naked body, her face flushing crimson. "You're... you're supposed to be at work!"

David Richardson didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed. He sat up slowly, running his fingers through his disheveled hair with the casual arrogance of a man who'd never faced real consequences for anything in his life.

"Well, well," David drawled, his voice carrying that insufferable upper-class accent. "The husband finally comes home. Tell me, Mac, how does it feel to know your wife has been getting what she needs from a real man?"

Mac's hands clenched into fists at his sides. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to cross the room and wrap his fingers around David's throat. But he couldn't. Not yet. His cover had to be maintained, even now, even in this moment of ultimate humiliation.

"Get out," Mac said quietly, his voice deadly calm despite the rage burning in his chest. "Both of you, get out of my house."

Jane laughed, the sound sharp and bitter. "Your house? Mac, this house belongs to my family. The car you drive belongs to my family. Even the clothes on your back were bought with my family's money." She stood up, wrapping the sheet around herself like armor. "You have nothing. You are nothing."

The words hit him like physical blows, each one designed to cut deep. And they would have, if they were true. If Mac Clement was really the struggling nobody that everyone in Nixon City believed him to be.

"I want a divorce," Jane continued, her voice growing stronger with each word. "I can't pretend anymore, Mac. I can't keep living this lie, married to a man who can't even afford to take me to a decent restaurant without checking his bank account first."

David stood up and began pulling on his expensive clothes, completely unbothered by Mac's presence. "She deserves better than what you can give her," he said casually.

"A woman like Jane needs a man who can match her ambition, her social status. Someone who can actually contribute to her family's business instead of being dead weight."

"Dead weight," Mac repeated slowly, tasting the words. If only they knew. If only they had any idea who they were really talking to.

"Yes, dead weight," Jane snapped, pulling a silk robe from the closet. "Do you know how embarrassing it is for me at social events? When people ask what my husband does for a living and I have to make up some story about you being 'between opportunities'?"

Mac nodded slowly, his face expressionless. "I see."

"My family built Emrand Enterprise from nothing. We're on the verge of becoming one of the biggest fashion brands in the region. And what are you contributing? What are you bringing to this marriage besides empty promises and cheap flowers?"

She kicked at the scattered roses with her bare foot, grinding the white petals into the dark wood.

"The papers are already drawn up," Jane continued, pulling a manila envelope from her dresser drawer. "I had my lawyer prepare them last week. You can sign them now, or you can drag this out and make it uglier than it needs to be. But either way, this marriage is over."

David straightened his tie and walked over to Jane, possessively placing his hand on her lower back. "Jane and I have been discussing the future.

Richardson Industries is very interested in forming a partnership with Emrand Enterprise. With the right connections, her family's business could expand internationally within the year."

"Connections you can provide," Mac said, his tone neutral.

"Exactly." David's smile was sharp and predatory. "I can give Jane everything she deserves. Everything you never could."

Mac looked between the two of them, memorizing every detail of this moment. The way Jane leaned into David's touch, seeking comfort from her lover while her husband stood watching. The way David's eyes gleamed with triumph, believing he'd won some great prize.

"Where do I sign?" Mac asked quietly.

Jane blinked, clearly surprised by his calm acceptance. She'd probably expected him to beg, to plead for another chance. Instead, Mac simply held out his hand for the papers.

"The yellow tabs," she said hesitantly, handing him the envelope. "You need to initial page three and sign the last page."

Mac took his time reading through the documents. Standard no-fault divorce proceedings. Jane would keep the house, the car, and most of their shared assets. Mac would walk away with essentially nothing, just as she'd said.

He signed his name with careful precision, his handwriting neat and controlled. When he finished, he handed the papers back to Jane and looked at her one last time.

"I hope you get everything you deserve," he said softly.

Something in his tone made Jane shiver, though she couldn't say why. There was something different about the way he was looking at her, something that made her suddenly unsure of herself.

But the moment passed, and Mac turned and walked out of the room without another word.

Behind him, he heard Jane and David beginning to laugh, their voices following him down the hallway like the sound of breaking glass.

Mac Clement walked out of that house for the last time, leaving behind the carefully constructed life of a struggling nobody. It was time for Nixon City to meet the real Mac Clement.

And when they do, Jane Richardson would finally understand what she had just thrown away.