LOGINAysha POV
I woke up with a positive mind, excited about the day already. I looked to my side and noticed Adrian didn't sleep in last night. "Where the hell did he go to." "Didn't he sleep home last night?" I got up, quickly showered and got dressed. I stepped outside, trying to find any trace of him in the house, I even checked his study but I didn't see him. "Martha?" "Yes ma." "Did my husband come home last night." I asked. "No ma." "Did he call or leave any word at all?" "No ma. Nothing. I was up late finishing the laundry and I didn't hear the door at all." "So he just didn't come home and didn't say anything." "I'm sorry ma." "Oh. Okay..." I checked my phone. No message from him. "I wonder where he is. Today is our anniversary, he should have at least spent the morning with me. He couldn't even send me a romantic message to wish me." I tried calling him but to no avail. Eventually a text came through. "He can't talk right now, he's in a meeting." Pretty sure Mira sent this, but I ignored it. I don't want anything to change my happy mood this morning. I walked to the kitchen to see how the meal was coming along. "Oh this smells heavenly." She had different dishes all laid out on the kitchen counter. She made creamy Alfredo pasta, grilled chicken, garlic butter shrimp, a fresh garden salad, warm dinner rolls, and a bottle of red wine waiting on the counter. "Would you like a bite to know what it tastes like." "No dear, I trust your cooking." "Are you sure, Ma. I tried a new seasoning on the chicken, I just want to make sure it's okay." "Martha, everything smells perfect. Stop worrying." "Yes ma. I just want tonight to be special for you." I smiled at her. "It will be. Thank you." "Are you sure Sir Adrian will be home early enough? Should I keep everything warm or serve it fresh?" "Keep it warm for now. He'll be here. It's our anniversary, he won't miss it." "Of course ma." She paused, stirring slowly. "Should I stay later than usual, just in case you need help with anything?" "No no. You go home and rest. Tonight is just for the two of us." "Okay ma. I just want everything to go perfectly for you." "It will Martha. I promise." She smiled and went back to her cooking. I believed every word I just said. I walked out of the kitchen to go get my bag, so I could head out for the decorations. "I'll be back, Martha." She screamed "okay ma." I took my car keys off the shelf and went off to the mall. I spent the entire day skipping through the mall. I ended up getting some roses, candles and some other things. I also got a cake with "Happy 10th Year Anniversary" written on it and for his gift, I got him three newest limited edition Rolex watches. I know how much he loves them. I got myself a sexy red lingerie to serve him dinner with. I was so happy with everything I got, I even tipped the workers. I headed home quickly. "Welcome back Ma." "Thank you dear." I said as she collected the bags from me. "Oh Ma, the cake is beautiful." "Isn't it? He's going to love it." "And the watches." She peeked into the bag. "Ma, these are expensive." "He's worth it." I laughed. "Or at least tonight he better be." She laughed with me. "Should I start setting up the dining area?" "Please. And make it romantic. Candles, roses, everything. I want it to look like a movie." "Yes ma. Leave it to me." "I already spent so much time at the mall. We need to hurry up. Adrian could come at any time now." We got to work decorating the house. Nothing much. Just something cute and romantic. Something to set the mood for tonight. Martha set up the dining area and also put the cake into the fridge for me before she finally left for her break. "Ma, everything is ready. You look beautiful by the way." "Thank you Martha. Now go, shoo. Enjoy your evening." "Yes ma." She giggled. "Happy anniversary." "Thank you dear." I smiled looking around and feeling accomplished. "Oh!! We could finally have sex." I said excitedly as I put on the lingerie I got. I did a little makeup, not too much though. I sprayed on my YSL Libre Intense just to set the mood. "Hmm..... smells amazing." "God! It's been so long since he touched me. I really need some gut shifting sex." I went back to the living room to lie around while I waited patiently for him to get home. I decided to play a little prank on him, just to surprise him even more. I sent him a message. "Hey babe. I'm sorry I won't be home tonight. Martha had a family emergency and she needed my help, so we're both not home. She cooked dinner already, so make sure to eat." I laughed sheepishly, feeling overly excited. Funny how I had no idea, this day was about to turn out worse than ever. I wanted to surprise him but I got surprised instead. Unknown POV: I dialed a familiar number. "I've got a job for you." "Oh okay... let me know what it's about." "I need someone dead, make it look like an accident." "Who pissed you off this time?" "Someone who has what belongs to me. I want it back and I won't get it until she's dead." "How do you want me to go about it?" "I told you. Make it look like an accident. Like a drunk truck driver. Drive her off the road. And if that doesn't work out, cut off her car brakes, make her do it herself.... Easy. All I know is that I want her dead and off this earth." "What's the timeline? You want this done when exactly?" "As soon as possible. I don't have the patience for delays. Every day she's still breathing is a day I'm losing what's mine." "Understood. And the payment?" "Double your usual rate. I don't care about the money. I care about results." "And if something goes wrong? These things don't always go clean." "Then you make it go clean. That's what I'm paying you double for. I don't want excuses, I want her gone." "Alright. And if she survives the first attempt?" "Then you finish what you started. I don't care how many tries it takes. Just don't get sloppy and don't get caught. I can't have this traced back to me." "You have my word." "Good. Because if this comes back to me, it won't just be her with a problem. Are we clear?" "Crystal." "Alright, send me the details and I'll get to work." "Good. Get it done as soon as possible. I can't wait."I opened another document. "We didn't win this contract because of my personal relationships. We won it because our proposal was stronger, our financial plan was realistic, and our team demonstrated that we could deliver what you wanted. None of those things have changed." The room went quiet. I continued. "If another company has a better proposal, I'm willing to review it. If they can prove that they have the experience, resources, and capacity to complete this project more efficiently, then you should consider them. But if their only advantage is that they have managed to avoid appearing in a scandal, then I don't think that is a good reason to hand them the contract." One of the executives cleared his throat. "You're confident that the situation won't affect your ability to manage the company?" "Absolutely." "Even with the pressure you're currently facing?" I gave him a small smile. "I've managed this company through situations much worse than this." Mr. Luc
Seraphine's POV I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that ridiculous photograph and the headline attached to it. By six in the morning, I was already awake. My phone had barely stopped ringing since the previous night. There were missed calls from business partners, messages from people who suddenly seemed interested in my personal life, and several emails from companies asking whether the rumours would affect their existing agreements with Vale Empire. I ignored most of them. There was a meeting with Lucien Group at ten, and that was the only thing I intended to focus on. I walked into my bathroom, took a shower, and spent more time than usual getting ready. I chose a fitted black dress, a matching blazer, and simple jewellery. My hair was pulled back neatly, and I kept my makeup light. When I stepped out of my bedroom, my phone rang. It was Marcus. I answered while walking towards the kitchen. "Good morning." "You're awake early." "I have a meeting." "I kn
Seraphine POV She stepped aside, allowing the man to enter. "Good morning, ma'am." "Good morning. What is it?" He placed the file on my desk and adjusted his glasses. "We've received several requests from our banking partners for confirmation of certain transactions." I frowned. "What transactions?" "Some of our recent payments. They want additional documentation before processing a few outstanding transfers." "Why?" "One of the banks mentioned the negative publicity surrounding the company." I stared at him. "Are you telling me our banking partners are questioning our finances because of a gossip article?" "Not exactly, ma'am. They haven't frozen any accounts. But they're asking for more verification than usual." I leaned back. "Have we missed any payments?" "No, ma'am." "Are our salaries affected?" "No." "Then make sure every department continues its normal operations. I don't want employees panicking because someone decided to publish a fake st
Seraphine's POVMarcus pulled out his phone and made a call while I returned to my seat."Get me the original source of that photograph," he said as soon as the person answered. "I want to know which publication posted it first, who sent it to them, and whether they received it directly or through another source."He listened for a moment, pacing slowly beside my desk, before continuing."And get someone to check every other website that's carrying the story. I want a list of all of them."He ended the call and looked at me."I've assigned someone to investigate the photograph.""Good. What about the press?""I'll have your legal team send notices to the publications. We need to make it clear that the photograph is fabricated and that we're prepared to take legal action.""Don't just send notices. I want them to remove it.""We'll demand that too, but some of these websites won't cooperate immediately.""Then make sure they understand that ignoring us will have consequences."Marcus n
Seraphine POV I ended the call. Sophie was still watching me. "Do you want me to get you something?" "No. I want you to find out how far this story has spread. Contact our legal team and tell them to start documenting every publication that has shared the photograph." "All right." "And Sophie?" "Yes?" "Don't let anyone make a statement on my behalf without my approval. I don't care how many calls come in." "I understand." She picked up her phone and started making calls. I left her office and returned to mine. The moment I stepped inside, I dropped my bag on the couch and walked straight to my desk. I opened my laptop and searched for the article myself. It was worse than I'd thought. Several websites had already published their own versions of the story. Some had used the original headline, while others had come up with even more insulting ones. I clenched my jaw. Who the hell do they think they are? I had spent years building Vale Empire. I had worked through sleeple
Seraphine's POV The moment Steven pulled up in front of Vale Empire, I knew something was wrong. A crowd had gathered outside the building, and several people were holding cameras. At first, I assumed there was some event taking place nearby, but then I noticed how quickly they turned toward my car. "Ma'am, I think we have a problem," Steven said, glancing at the side mirror. I leaned forward to get a better look. "What is going on?" Before he could answer, someone rushed toward the car. "Seraphine Vale! Is it true that you slept with one of your clients to secure a business deal?" I froze. Another person moved closer, raising a camera. "Miss Vale! Can you explain the pictures circulating online?" "What pictures?" I asked, staring through the tinted window. The questions came one after another. "Did you use your position to get close to wealthy businessmen?" "Are you aware that your photograph has been trending since this morning?" "Miss Vale, do you have anything to sa
Aysha POV:"Where in the world is this man." I said to no one in particular.I've been waiting eagerly for Adrian to come home. I don't know why he's taking so long to get here."What if he decides not to come home tonight." I bite my lips anxiously."Oh fuck, I can't afford for my plans to get rui
Aysha POV"I see you finally got that place cleaned up." Adrian said as he walked through the door.I nodded, still a little shaken up."Good. Well I need you to get dressed, there's an event this evening and unfortunately you'll be going with me. Don't embarrass me with your plain Jane look. Try t
CHAPTER TWOAysha POV"Ma, what have you done?"Martha's voice broke through everything. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding."Ma, you're bleeding, come on, get up, let me help you to your room."She reached for me but I pulled back gently."It's okay, I have to clean this up first,
CHAPTER ONE Aysha POV I woke up to giggling. Not just any giggling, the kind that's too comfortable, too familiar, the kind that doesn't belong in a married home at this hour. I sat up slowly, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. The sound was coming from across the hallway. Adrian, My husba







