Chapter Three

Aliyah's POV 

Are you planning to throw yourself under the next car? Dominic's voice cut through my thoughts. 

He let go of my arm, his green eyes dark and dangerous. 

I could only stare, words caught in my throat. 

Come on. I'll give you a ride, he said. 

“I don't need your help!” I rasped, voice thin and shaky. 

He scoffed. Then, would you rather walk back into the traffic? Or watch these cameras as they break you till there's nothing left to pick up?

I swallowed hard, gaze darting around everywhere. 

Flashes. Whispers. People were watching. 

If you are done thinking about it, then get in the car. His tone was sharp, commanding. 

I wanted to refuse, but my legs betrayed me, moving after him like they were being pulled by invincible strings. 

The sleek black car waited at the curb, gleaming under the city lights. Dominic opened the door, not out of courtesy, but something I couldn't fathom. 

I slid in, the door sealing me in with a shut. 

Dominic rounded the car, slipping into the driver's seat. 

Then he drove in silence. 

Minutes later, the car halted in front of my apartment. 

Thank you, I muttered. 

Then he looked at me. Stop acting like a weakling, Aliyah. Take the bold unexpected step. 

My fist curled, his words echoing in my head as I watched the car pull away. The day passed by in a blur, my phone ringing when it was close to evening. 

Clara. My best friend. 

I picked it up only to hear her panicked voice from the other end. 

“Check the news, Aliyah!” She rasped. 

What....? I was trying to process her words, but decided to turn the television on first. 

My breath caught. 

Photos of me graced the media. There was a new headline, bigger than the rest.

Roland Voss to Retain Control of Joint Assets. Aliyah Faces Financial Wipeout.

“No. No, that can’t be-” My hands trembled. 

I grabbed my business tablet from the counter, going through the news as the realization hit me. 

It was true. Roland was taking everything from me. 

The prenup, Aliyah, Clara reminded me, making my chest heave uncontrollably. 

Images flickered through my head, my mother’s house, my father’s company, the savings account I’d been feeding for years to make sure they were catered for. All of it tied up, twisted into the fine print Roland had written.

I didn't know before, I was blinded by love. Now it was hitting me hard.

I’m ruined. The words barely made it past my lips.

Clara's voice cut through. You’re not ruined. You’re cornered. And there’s a difference.

I wanted to believe her. But the headlines kept flashing in my mind. From Mrs. Voss to Nobody.

You can't give him the satisfaction of breaking you. Hold your head high, wear your heels higher. 

I swallowed, doubts growing in my chest. 

Can I?

The gala tonight. Show up, Aliyah. Don't make Roland think he has won, Clara comforted me. 

For a moment, my mind was filled with resolve, making me force myself to face the world hours later.

I wore the emerald gown Roland had once called his favorite, diamond earrings that had belonged to his grandmother, and red lipstick sharp enough to cut glass. If the world wanted a show, then they'd get one.

But as soon as I stepped into the ballroom, the weight of every eye pricked the back of my neck, their whispers suffocating. 

I lifted my chin higher, my heels clicking across the marble, steady, unbroken. But inside my stomach was a pit of acid.

Halfway through the night, Clara found me by the champagne tower, her eyes scanning the crowd like a bodyguard. 

You’re holding up, she murmured.

Barely, I admitted.

Her lips parted to reply, but then her expression darkened when she nudged toward the entrance.

Roland had arrived.

The air shifted as if the whole room inhaled at once. He strode into the hall in a suit tailored to perfection. 

The crowd parted for him like he was royalty. And he looked straight at me.

My heart slammed against my ribs, but I refused to look away. No, not anymore.

He smiled, slow and smug, before turning to the nearest investor and shaking his hand like nothing in the world was wrong.

Moments later, he was laughing, having gathered a small circle of investors. Even from across the room, I could hear his words as if he’d flung them like arrows.

Careful where you place your money, gentlemen. Some investments look shiny at first until you realize they’re nothing but liabilities.

The room froze for half a beat. And then, as if on cue, heads turned toward me. 

He called me a liability.

How dare he?!

The word stung sharper than a bee sting, but Roland wasn't done. “You see, the problem with certain partners is that when they stand beside you at galas, smile at the camera, they think that makes them equal shareholders in your empire, but it doesn't.” 

My breath caught. 

He saw me as a decoration, after all I had sacrificed.

Before Clara could grab my arm, my heels turned, fury rushing down my body. 

I stormed to Roland Voss, slamming the glass in my hand into a passing waiter's tray. Roland's lips curled into a smirk, as if he had been waiting for this moment. 

“You smug bastard! I spat, voice trembling with rage. 

“Easy, darling.

“Don’t you dare pretend I was nothing but decoration in your empire, you bastard! I gritted. 

Gasps rented the air, looks getting exchanged between the investors, murmurs filling my ears. 

Roland's jaw tightened. “Careful, Aliyah.

But I didn't stop. Instead, my gaze darkened. “The moment I signed the divorce papers, you lost me." Your empire lost its queen.” 

He stepped closer, steps threatening as they sent shivers down my spine. 

I swallowed. 

“In your dreams, Aliyah” 

Just then, a voice rang behind me, cutting through the silence. “Step back, Roland.” 

That voice....

I turned my head, and there he was.

Dominic Voss.

Again, he had come to my rescue. 

His eyes were fixed on Roland, dark and dangerous. 

My heart raced as I realized I was now the woman between the Voss brothers.