Share

Chapter 8: Recognition

Author: Becca Whyte
last update publish date: 2026-10-10 18:19:26

Vespera's pov

By noon, three people had sent me the headline like I hadn't already read it a dozen times.

*Heiress in Hiding: Alaric Vale's Daughter Was Working Beside Us All Along. Inside the Aurelian Project Boardroom Shakeup.*

I stared at it on my phone for the fourth time that morning, sitting in the corner booth of a cafe.

*Chelsea, marketing girl who I'd shared exactly one lunch with in the last two years:* "Omg have you seen this?? Seraphina Vale???"

*My cousin Priscilla, who I hadn't sp
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • The Billionaire Regrets Losing His Chubby Wife   Chapter 10: Fake Love

    Seraphina's pov*Heiress in Hiding: Alaric Vale's Daughter Was Working Beside Us* … the headline was already trending before I'd finished my coffee.I was still staring at it when my phone rang. Naomi."Ms. Vale, please tell me you're sitting down.""I'm sitting down." I wasn't, but it felt like the answer she needed. "How bad is it?""Bad. Good bad, I think, but bad." A pause, papers rustling on her end. "Three outlets ran it overnight. Two more picked it up this morning. Your name's the top trend in the city right now.""Wonderful." The word came out flatter than I meant it to, and I heard her hesitate on the other end."Are you…""I'm fine, Naomi. What else.""There are reporters outside the building. Six, maybe seven. I've told security to hold the front entrance. If you want to come in today, the east door's clear."I looked out the window at the hills, "I'll use the front door.""Ms. Vale…""I've spent years avoiding things. I'm not doing that today." I stood, already reaching f

  • The Billionaire Regrets Losing His Chubby Wife   Chapter 9: Realisation

    Cassian's povI needed someone to be angry at, and Vespera was standing right there.I hadn't planned to go to her apartment. I want to be honest about that, at least with myself, because I'd stopped being honest about almost everything else in the last week.I'd told her not to call again. I'd blocked the number an hour later. And then, two hours after that, I was standing outside her building anyway, because the board meeting had gone exactly as badly as I'd expected.She opened the door in sweatpants, hair pulled back, eyes swollen in a way that told me she'd been crying recently and hadn't bothered to hide it, which was unlike her. "Cassian." She said my name like she wasn't sure whether to be relieved or afraid. "What are you doing here? You said…""The board wants my head." I pushed past her into the apartment without being invited, "Someone leaked the details of the bet to the press before Seraphina's little boardroom performance ever made the news. Someone made sure the story

  • The Billionaire Regrets Losing His Chubby Wife   Chapter 8: Recognition

    Vespera's povBy noon, three people had sent me the headline like I hadn't already read it a dozen times.*Heiress in Hiding: Alaric Vale's Daughter Was Working Beside Us All Along. Inside the Aurelian Project Boardroom Shakeup.*I stared at it on my phone for the fourth time that morning, sitting in the corner booth of a cafe.*Chelsea, marketing girl who I'd shared exactly one lunch with in the last two years:* "Omg have you seen this?? Seraphina Vale???"*My cousin Priscilla, who I hadn't spoken to since Christmas:* "Wait isn't this your best friend??"I didn't reply to any of the texts. I set the phone face-down on the table and pressed my hands against my eyes, trying to think.*Okay. Okay. What do people actually know?*They knew Seraphina was Alaric Vale's daughter. That was public now, unavoidable, splashed across four different outlets by lunchtime. They knew she and Cassian had divorced.They probably assumed that the marriage had simply fallen apart the way marriages someti

  • The Billionaire Regrets Losing His Chubby Wife   Chapter 7: With My Own Hands

    Seraphina's povMy father hadn't looked at me like that since I was twelve years old and won my first debate trophy.He was standing behind his desk when I walked in, not sitting, which was rare for him."Sit," he said, and then, as if catching himself, "please."I sat."The board ratified your appointment this morning," he said. "Unanimous. Which, for the record, has happened exactly twice in the history of this company. Once when I took over from my father. And now."I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing, which was becoming something of a habit lately."I watched the footage from the boardroom," he continued. "Someone sent it to me before you did. I imagine half the city has watched it by now."Heat crawled up my neck. "I didn't plan for it to become a spectacle.""I know." He came around the desk and sat on the edge of it. "That's what makes it remarkable. You didn't perform, Seraphina. There's a difference, and very few people in this industry understand it. I spent

  • The Billionaire Regrets Losing His Chubby Wife   Chapter 6: The Clause

    Cassian's povDeclan didn't answer his phone until the fourth call, and when he finally did, he sounded like he was talking to a stranger."Cass. Hey. Kind of in the middle of something.""You've been in the middle of something for three days." I paced the length of my office. "We need to talk about the board meeting. About damage control. About…""Yeah, listen, I've actually got to run." A pause, too long. "I'll call you back.""Declan. Don't hang up."He did anyway.I stood there holding the phone like it might ring again if I stared at it hard enough. It didn't. I set it down on the desk and looked around the office I'd built from nothing, and for the first time in longer than I could remember, none of it felt like mine.I told myself Declan was busy. I told myself Marcus hadn't returned my texts because he was traveling. Then I called Marcus anyway.He picked up on the second ring, which should have been a relief. It wasn't."Cassian.""You're in town," I said. "Your assistant pos

  • The Billionaire Regrets Losing His Chubby Wife   Chapter 5: The Handover 

    Two days before the meeting, I called Lucien Thorne, Cassian's biggest rival.His assistant put me through immediately, my father had arranged the introduction weeks ago, and Lucien had been waiting for my call."Seraphina Vale." His voice was smooth, amused. "I was wondering when you'd reach out.""You knew I would?""I know everything that happens in this city. Including the fact that Cassian Rourke's wife disappeared and his company is about to lose the Aurelian Project." He paused. "I also know you're not just his ex-wife. You're Alaric Vale's daughter."I froze. "How did you…""I have my sources. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." There was a smile in his voice. "What can I do for you?"I took a breath. "I want to give you the Aurelian Project."Silence. Then, "I'm listening.""You're Cassian's biggest rival. You have the resources and the vision to make this project succeed. Cassian doesn't. He's desperate, sloppy, and his proposal is full of loopholes that would leave V

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status