Chapter 10
The next few days passed quietly, but the storm behind the scenes was just beginning.
Andrew’s audit had rattled more than just his company’s books. Rumors began circulating—about embezzlement, shady offshore accounts, and poor leadership. Elena never confirmed anything. She didn’t need to. The damage had been done.
One evening, as she returned from a meeting with a real estate developer, her phone buzzed again.
This time, it wasn’t Andrew.
It was Chloe.
She stared at the screen, stunned for a moment. Then, curiosity got the better of her.
She answered.
“Elena…” Chloe’s voice was small, trembling.
Elena waited.
“I—” Chloe sniffled. “I know I have no right to call you, but I just… I don’t know who else to talk to.”
“You slept with my husband,” Elena said flatly. “And you’re having his child. I’m not exactly the friend hotline.”
“I didn’t plan for this!” Chloe cried. “It just happened. He said you were always cold and distant, that your marriage was just for show—”
“Save it,” Elena cut in, her voice icy. “Whatever lies Andrew told you, you wanted to believe them. That’s on you.”
“I’m scared, Elena,” Chloe whispered. “Andrew’s changed. He’s been so angry lately. I think… I think he’s hiding something.”
Elena’s stomach turned, but her voice stayed calm. “That’s not my problem anymore.”
“I don’t know what to do—”
“You chose him,” Elena snapped. “Now you get to live with the consequences.”
She hung up.
The weight of it didn’t hit her until she sat down in her living room. Chloe sounded desperate. Scared, even. But part of Elena couldn’t feel sorry for her. Not yet.
Her doorbell rang.
Startled, she walked to the door and opened it to find Sebastian standing there, hands in his pockets, hair slightly windblown.
“Bad time?” he asked.
“No,” she said, stepping aside to let him in. “You always seem to show up right after something dramatic happens. It’s becoming a talent.”
He smirked and dropped a folder on her kitchen counter. “Just in time to deliver your prize.”
She opened it and found documents—legal ones. Property shares. An investment agreement. Her name at the top.
“What is this?” she asked, brows furrowed.
“A new business venture,” Sebastian said. “One that will eventually crush Andrew’s market position.”
Elena looked up at him slowly. “You’re serious?”
“I told you,” he said simply. “I don’t stand behind people. I stand beside them.”
She stared at the papers again, heart pounding.
This was real.
This was power.
“You didn’t have to do this,” she murmured.
“I didn’t,” he agreed. “But I wanted to.”
She closed the folder and looked at him. “Why?”
Sebastian’s expression softened, but there was still that usual guarded edge. “Because I see you, Elena. I’ve seen what you’re capable of. And because if I ever went to war… I’d want you on my side.”
Something about the way he said it sent a strange flutter through her chest.
“I haven’t said yes,” she reminded him.
“You will,” he replied. “You’ve got fire in you now. And fire doesn’t ask for permission to burn.”
Later that night, long after Sebastian left, Elena sat alone with the documents spread across her coffee table. She read every word. Understood every line.
Then, without hesitation, she picked up a pen and signed.
She was done being the woman who got left behind.
Now, she was the woman they’d all regret underestimating.