Chapter 5

|JAIME'S POV|

The brick wall scraped against Laura's back as I slammed her against it, my hands shook with rage as I paced the alley, running my fingers through my hair. 

"What the hell was that?" The words left me in a growl. "Why are you even here? Were you fucking following me?" 

Laura straightened against the wall, smoothing down her designer jacket with composite. "I wanted to see the kids, Jaime! I couldn't wait for another week when- 

"Are you out of your mind?" I bellowed, the veins on my neck nearly popping. "Our agreement was that you stay hidden!"

"I'm tired of hiding." Laura's chin lifted with defiance, "I'm tired of watching that woman play mother to my children while I-"

"If you don't follow the rules we agreed on," my voice dropped to a low timbre, "I'll make sure you never see them again. And if you even think about taking them from me legally-"

"You can't stop me! I have rights-"

Before I could stop it, my hand shot out and my fingers wrapped around her throat, pressing her back against the brick with enough force to steal her breath. 

"Remember our pact," I hissed, my eyes narrowing into slits. "You don't show yourself in public until I say so. You don't disrupt my family, and you fucking don't exists until I decide you exist."

Laura's hands clawed at my wrist, her mouth parting as she struggled for air. "I... I can't stand... watching that woman... with my children..." 

The desperation in her voice only deepened my disgust. I released her with a violent shove, sending her crashing to the ground.

She coughed and gasped, one hand pressed to her throat while the other braced against the dirty pavement. 

I felt nothing watching her struggle. No pity or remorse, only the bitter taste of regret for the decision that had led us here. 

Two weeks ago, she appeared in my office like a ghost. The security cameras had somehow missed her entry and the night guards were absent from their post. 

I found her sitting in my leather chair, looking exactly as beautiful as the day I first saw her. 

"I made a mistake," she'd whispered, her fingers trailed my shoulders. "I was young and scared. But I've grown up now, Jaime. I've learned what really matters." 

I should've called security. I should've had her escorted out and banned her from the building. Instead, I listened to her pity story as she painted herself as a weak victim. 

When she'd reached to cover his hands with her own, I felt something crack inside his chest. 

"They must miss me," she'd murmured, tears glistening in her eyes. "Children always know, don't they? They always know their real mother." 

I couldn't help it, I faltered. 

Now, standing in this filthy alley with my life crumbling around me, I wished I could go back in time and do the right thing. 

The two weeks since had been a living hell. Laura's constant calls, her threats, her demands to see the children grew more aggressive by the day. 

I told myself I could handle it without Alessa knowing, even stopped her from coming to the office in case Laura decided to appear. 

I wanted to protect her. Instead, I'd destroyed everything. 

My fists connected with the brick wall, but I barely felt the pain even when blood bloomed across my knuckles. 

The pain was nothing compared to the image burned into my head of Alessa's face when I'd chosen to protect Laura instead of standing with her. 

"Pathetic," Laura's voice cut through my thoughts like a blade. She pulled herself upright, bushing dirt from her jeans. "I'm not afraid of you, Jaime." 

She smiled cruelly. "You need to do it now. Tonight. Before she has time to think or realize what she's really up against."

My fingers curled into tight fists. "No. You broke our agreement first. The deal is off."

Laura laughed, cackling like the mad villain she truly was. "Who cares about some stupid pact?" Her voice dropped to a dead whisper. "You were doomed from the moment you let me back in. We both know it." 

I turned to her, fighting the urge to snap her neck. But she didn't flinch. 

"Act fast, darling. If you don't want to lose your precious wife forever."

The threat was brutal, but she was right. This was only the beginning, and Alessa would never forgive what she'd witnessed today. 

And Laura was just getting started. 

How had I ever believed she was capable of motherhood? 

She would always remain that selfish person I knew she was, but this time something was different. 

Someone with power was backing her. Someone with access to information that should've been buried. The way she slipped past my security, and her constant threats, none of it was possible without significant support. 

I could start investigating who it was, but time was no longer on my side. 

I was trapped between protecting my wife and keeping my children safe, and Laura held all the cards. 

"What do you want?" The words tasted like ash in my mouth. 

Her smile widened, and she stepped closer. "I want you to break her. Use your words, Jaime. You know exactly which ones will cut the deepest." 

She chuckled lowly, her eyes gleaming with something wicked. "I want to watch the mighty heiress crumble."

The cruelty in her voice made my stomach church. This was how she'd always been, vicious and calculating. 

And now she wanted me to destroy the only good thing I'd ever done, the only woman who'd ever loved me completely. 

But what choice did I have? If I refuse, she would take the children away. If I complied, I would lose Alessa forever. 

Either way, my family was doomed.