Novels by Lucy

Elena arrived at the office before everyone else.The building was quiet.Most of the lights were still off, and the hallway smelled faintly of fresh paint.She unlocked the door to Hart Enterprises and stepped inside.For a moment, she simply stood there.This was hers.Not Adrian’s.Not the Blackwood family’s.Hers.The thought still felt strange.She placed her handbag on the desk and turned on her computer.There were already several emails waiting.She opened the first one.A potential client had requested a meeting.The second was from the legal team.The third was from the investment group that had offered fifty million dollars.Elena smiled.Things were moving faster than she expected.But something about the investment offer bothered her.Forty percent.That was too much.She wasn’t willing to give anyone that kind of control.She opened the proposal again.The numbers were impressive.The conditions weren’t.She was about to close the document when Daniel walked in.“You’re

Elena sat behind the small desk in her mother’s old apartment.The laptop screen glowed in front of her.Hart Enterprises.The name was still new.Too new.It looked almost unreal sitting at the top of the business proposal.She stared at it for several seconds.Then she began typing.Business plan.Market research.Company structure.Financial projections.Potential clients.Every section needed to be perfect.She didn’t have Adrian’s name behind her anymore.She didn’t have the Blackwood family connections.She didn’t have a famous husband opening doors for her.Everything she achieved from this moment forward would belong to her.That thought gave her more motivation than any amount of money could.Her phone rang.She glanced at the screen.Marcus Reed.She answered.“Hello?”“How’s the plan?”“Almost finished.”“Almost?”“I’m checking everything twice.”Marcus laughed softly.“Good.”Elena leaned back.“You called just to ask about the plan?”“No.”His voice became more serious.“

Elena barely slept that night.Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the divorce papers.Then Adrian’s face.Then Clara.She turned onto her side and stared at the ceiling.She had spent years believing that the hardest thing she would ever have to do was become Mrs. Adrian Blackwood.Now she understood.Leaving him was harder.But staying would have destroyed her completely.Elena reached for her phone.There was one new message.Unknown Number.She stared at it for several seconds before opening it.The message was short.I know what you can do. If you’re serious about starting over, meet me tomorrow at ten.Below it was an address.Elena frowned.It was one of the most expensive business districts in the city.She immediately thought of the mysterious caller from yesterday.Marcus Reed.She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his words.You were never supposed to be just someone’s wife.The sentence had stayed in her head.She didn’t know why.Maybe because it was something s

The taxi disappeared into the night.Elena sat quietly in the back seat, watching the city lights pass through the window.She had no idea where she was going.For the first time in three years, she had no home to return to.The thought should have terrified her.Instead, she felt strangely calm.Maybe it was because she had already cried enough.Maybe there were no tears left.Or maybe some part of her had known for a long time that this day would come.She leaned her head against the window.The glass was cold against her skin.“Are you alright, ma’am?”The driver’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.Elena looked at him through the mirror.“I’m fine.”He gave her a doubtful look.People always said they were fine when they weren’t.But he didn’t ask again.Elena appreciated that.She looked down at her hands.There was no wedding ring on her finger anymore.She had taken it off before leaving the mansion.For three years, that small piece of gold had represented everything she thou

The divorce papers were waiting for her.They sat in the middle of the dining table.Neat.White.Perfectly arranged.Almost as if they were just another business document waiting for Adrian Blackwood’s signature.Elena stared at them.She didn’t touch them.She couldn’t.Not yet.Her eyes slowly moved across the first page.Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.Her heart sank.For a moment…She forgot how to breathe.Then she heard footsteps.Slow.Steady.Familiar.Adrian walked into the dining room.He looked exactly the way he always did.Tall.Perfectly dressed.His black suit fitted his broad shoulders, and his dark hair was carefully styled. His expression was cold and unreadable.The kind of face that had appeared on magazine covers for years.The kind of man women dreamed about.The kind of man Elena had once believed she would spend the rest of her life with.He pulled out the chair opposite her.Then he sat.No greeting.No explanation.He simply looked at the papers.“Sign