3

Richard grabbed Kendra's wrist and pulled her into the bedroom.

She stumbled forward from the force of it, catching herself before she could fall and the door slammed shut behind them.

"What was that out there?" Richard demanded, his voice sharp with anger. "What kind of stunt were you trying to pull?"

Kendra slowly straightened her dress and lifted her chin.

"I said exactly what I meant and you heard it well." she said and his jaw tightened.

"You embarrassed me in front of my family."

A bitter laugh escaped her lips."Embarrassed you?" she repeated. "You lied to them, Richard. You stood there and made me look like the villain. You told everyone I was scared of having a child when you were the one who never wanted one."

A flash of surprise crossed his face.

For a moment, he looked genuinely speechless.

Kendra's eyes burned, but she refused to let the tears fall.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" she asked quietly. "Did you think I was too stupid to notice how grandma looks at me sometimes, huh?"

"Kendra—"

"No." She shook her head immediately."I'm not a fool, Richard. Don't mistake my love for stupidity."

The room fell silent.

Richard stared at her as if he were looking at a stranger.

Because he was, the Kendra he knew would have apologized by now. The Kendra he knew would have been crying, begging him to stop being angry. The Kendra he knew would never dare raise her voice.

But the woman standing in front of him now looked completely different.

"Who are you?" he asked, the question slipped out of his mouth before he could control it.

Kendra met his gaze without flinching. "The wife you're trying to destroy."

Richard froze, the words struck harder than he expected. Before he could respond, the bedroom door suddenly opened.

Both of them turned and Freya stepped into the room.

She wore a fitted pair of jeans and a white blouse. Her makeup couldn't completely hide the exhaustion on her face.

The moment Kendra saw her, something twisted painfully inside her chest.

A few days ago, she would have welcomed her best friend with a smile. Now all she could see was betrayal.

"You?" Kendra chuckled coldly.

The sound made Freya uncomfortable.

For a second, Freya glanced at Richard before Richard looked at her which Kendra noticed every single second of it.

Freya nervously licked her lips.

"I...I came to talk to you, Kendra," she said awkwardly. "But it seems you're busy."

Kendra crossed her arms."Yes, I'm busy. You should leave."

Freya forced a smile."Alright."

Without another word, she turned around and left the room.

The door closed again.

The silence that followed felt heavy, Richard ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm heading to the office," he said.

Kendra didn't respond.

She simply walked past him.

Richard caught her hand before she could leave.

The touch that once made her heart race now made her skin crawl.

"Kendra." he called softly.

She slowly turned and his expression softened.

A look she knew very well, the look he wore whenever he wanted something from her.

"I'm sorry about what I told Grandmother." he said.

For years, that apology would have been enough, she would have forgiven him immediately.

But it's different now, he betrayed her.

Without saying a word, she removed his hand from hers.

Richard frowned."Kendra—"

She walked away, leaving him standing there.

As Kendra descended the staircase, her heart pounded violently. She had more important things to do, she needed to meet her mother's lawyer, she needed the property documents,all the investments, shares, assets, and to take everything she had foolishly handed over to Richard out of love.

She would reclaim it all.

And when she did, Richard Thompson would finally understand exactly who he had betrayed.

---

Richard Thompson was one of the most successful businessmen in Hart City.

At least, that's what the newspapers called him, a self-made billionaire, visionary entrepreneur, rising business giant.

Richard enjoyed every headline, the compliment. What nobody knew was that his empire had been built on foundations Kendra provided.

Without her connections, her resources, her support, the Thompson Group would never have grown this quickly.

But Richard preferred pretending otherwise.

He sat comfortably behind his large office desk. The floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline. His personal assistant stood across from him holding several files.

"Mr. Thompson, we've contacted the Reens Company again. We still haven't received a response regarding the partnership proposal."

Richard leaned back. "Then we wait or is there any problem?"

The assistant hesitated."No sir, if we secure a partnership with Reens Company, it could significantly increase our market value."

Richard raised an eyebrow. "Are they really that important?"

The assistant nodded immediately."Very important, sir. Reens Company is currently the most powerful corporation in Hart City."

That caught Richard's attention."The CEO, who the hell is he or she?"

"No one knows much about their identity, it's unknown if the CEO is a HE or SHE. They rarely attend public events. Most negotiations are handled through representatives."

Richard smirked."Everyone has a price."

The assistant lowered his gaze.

Before he could respond, the office door suddenly burst open.

Freya stormed inside, the assistant immediately excused himself and left.

Richard sighed."Freya."

She folded her arms angrily. "I can't take it anymore."

"What happened now?"

"It's Kendra."

Richard rubbed his temples."Again?"

"Did you hear how she spoke to me this morning?" Freya snapped. "She practically threw me out of the room, like she needs to know her place in your life."

Richard stared at her for a moment before he smiled. "Come here, you know she's my wife."

Her anger instantly softened.

She walked toward him and Richard reached for her hand.

"You just need to be patient."

Freya sat beside him."For how long? I also want to be Mrs Thompson. "

"Until everything is finalized, you'll be Mrs Thompson, I promise."

Freya rolled her eyes. "She's becoming difficult."

Richard's expression darkened. "She surprised me too."

"What did she do?"

"She told my grandmother that I was the one who didn't want children."

Freya scoffed loudly."Oh please."

Richard looked at her."What?"

Freya laughed."She's trying to get your attention."

Richard frowned."What do you mean?"

"I know Kendra," Freya replied confidently. "She's acting this way because she's desperate. She wants you to notice her."

Richard considered the possibility, maybe Freya was right.After all, Kendra had always loved him more.

"Either way," Freya continued, "don't fall for it."

Richard smirked."I won't."

The tension slowly disappeared.

The conversation drifted toward lighter topics.Neither of them noticed how comfortable they had become.

Richard kissed her, forgetting the door remained unlocked.

Meanwhile, across town, Kendra stepped out of the lawyer's office.Several documents rested inside the folder she carried.

The first step was complete, she had her mother's property papers with her, she looked down at her phone— a notification flashed across the screen.

She was informed by someone that Freya is in Richard's office, before any of them leave and ruin her plan—removing Richard from the CEO position of her father's company.

If Richard finds out, he might try to outsmart her.

Her eyes narrowed and without wasting another second, she got into her car.

Half an hour later, she arrived at Thompson Group headquarters.

Her heels clicked against the polished floor as she walked toward Richard's office.

The employees greeted her respectfully but she barely noticed, her mind was elsewhere, reaching the entrance, she didn't bother knocking.

After all, she was still Richard Thompson's wife.

She pushed the door open and froze, her jaw dropped in shock.

The folder slipped slightly from her fingers.

For a second, the entire world seemed to stop moving as she met Freya and Richard smooching in the office.