Chapter Four

Fiona:

Fortunately for me, he didn’t seem interested in teasing me about last night, or this morning. His sharp gaze was fixed on his tablet, his fingers tapping briskly against the screen as he worked. The only words he’d spoken since I slid into the backseat were to confirm my address, his voice a low rumble that sent an unwelcome shiver down my spine. 

“Marcus, remind me about the deal tomorrow.” The command was cool, effortless, and the driver, Marcus, gave a quick nod. That’s when it clicked. This was the same man who had booked the lodge last night. His assistant. That was why he looked familiar earlier.

“No problem, boss.” Marcus kept his eyes on the road, leaving me stranded in the heavy silence of the car, hyper-aware of the man beside me.  

I couldn’t look at him. Not when the memory of his hands on me, his mouth hot against my skin, was still seared into my mind. The inches between us felt like torture, every shift of his body making mine ache to close the distance.  

"God, I need to get out of here." I thought, when I was interrupted by the driver's voice.

“We’re here,” Marcus announced, pulling up to the curb. Relief and dread twisted in my stomach. Home. Where my soon-to-be-ex-husband was waiting.

“So this is your house.”His voice cut through my thoughts, as he stared at the mansion Dustin and I own. “No wonder you threw money at me like I was some cheap escort.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. I had thought exactly that. And now, faced with the reality of him saying it out loud, the humiliation was almost unbearable. 

“I’m sorry,” I muttered, fingers tightening around the door handle.

“It’s fine.”His tone was dismissive, but his eyes burned into me. “Just be more careful next time you drink alone. I can't be there to save you everytime,” he said teasingly.

The warning sent a thrill through me. Because he had truly saved me from that creep last night, even though I ended up in his bed too.

“Thank you,” I said, stepping out before I did something stupid, like climb back into that car and beg him to take me somewhere, anywhere, else.

The second the door closed, I exhaled. What a mess. Escaping one man only to fall into bed with another. And now, walking straight into the lion’s den. 

I squared my shoulders. Time to face the bastard I’d married.

But as the car pulled away, I couldn’t help the traitorous thought—I’d rather be back in his bed. I laughed at my own foolishness as I stepped into the house, only to freeze in the foyer.

Dustin’s mother, Binta, stood like a viper ready to strike, her arms crossed, her glare sharp enough to draw blood. “Look who finally crawled back. The little gold-digger.”

I tightened my grip on the divorce papers in my phone. “I’m here to end this, Binta. Where’s Dustin?”

She scoffed. “Oh, you’ll get your ending. Just not the one you want.” 

Before I could retort, footsteps echoed. Dustin strode in, Paige draped over his arm like a cheap fur coat. The sight of them—her smirking, him looking at me like I was trash, made my stomach twist.

“Fiona,” Dustin said, his voice slick with false pity. “You’re here! Our life already continued without you.”

Paige giggled, flipping her hair. “You thought you caught Dustin and I last night, but we've already moved on without you. We're way ahead of you, sweetheart.”

I held up my phone. “I don't care about the two of you anymore, signing these should be easy.”

Dustin’s smile turned cruel. “Oh, we’ve got our own papers.”

Paige stepped forward with a vicious smile and thrust a thick folder hard against my chest. The force of it made me stumble back a step before I caught my balance. My fingers trembled as I flipped it open to reveal glossy photographs that stole the breath from my lungs.

There I was in grainy, intimate shots, my body limp in that creep’s arms, his mouth crushed against mine in what looked like a passionate embrace. My dress was rumpled, my eyes half-lidded and unfocused. The time stamp in the corner confirmed it was from last night. The realization hit me like a physical blow. These photos were staged. That man had never kissed me, I was saved from his arms by my one night stand before he could. Paige was the one that set me up to be drugged.

My blood ran cold. “You did this,” I hissed, staring straight at Paige. “You drugged me. You staged this.”

She batted her lashes, all fake innocence. “Prove it.”

Dustin stepped closer, his voice low. “Here’s how this ends. You walk away. No divorce settlement. No claim to this house or my company. Nothing.”

“His company? The one I helped build? The one that thrived because of my connections, the deals I secured for us secretly with my father's help?”

I could fight. I should fight. But then I looked at the photos again.

If these got out, the press would dig. They’d trace me back to my father. To the ‘Velmera's name’ The one I've dropped for my late mother's own after my Dad remarried. A scandal like this wouldn’t just hurt me, it would ruin my father. And after everything, after leaving home at fifteen, after the distance between us… I still couldn’t do that to him.

Dustin saw my hesitation. Smug triumph lit his eyes. “That’s what I thought. You’ve got nothing.”

Paige leaned in, whispering in a vile way. “Leave quietly as your poor ass self, or the whole world sees what a whore you really are.”

For a heartbeat, I almost laughed. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

But I let my shoulders slump. Let my voice shake. “Fine.”

Dustin’s grin was vicious as he shoved me toward the door. “Good girl.” 

The lock clicked behind me.

I stood there, clutching the fake photos, the divorce papers crumpled in my fist.

They thought they’d won. They thought I was broken.

But the Velmera’s don’t break. And when I’m back for them?

I’d bury them.