LOGINAlexander was already in a bad mood. Right from the moment he switched on the television and watched Daniel Carter’s interview, he had been unable to think about anything else. The interview had been everywhere. Every business channel. Every news website. Every social media platform. It was all anyone was talking about. Daniel Carter. The mysterious heir of Carter Global Holdings. The man who had silently taken over one of the most powerful companies in the world. The same Daniel Carter that had shown up to the gala with Amelia Hart. Alexander sat alone in his office, staring at the now dark television screen. His thoughts refused to settle. Instead, they kept circling back to the same thing. Daniel. For all he knew, Daniel would come for him next. After all, powerful men didn’t take humiliation and disrespect well. And from Alexander’s point of view, he had very much offended Daniel. He had challenged him. Dismissed him. Looked down on him. And now he knew exactly
He hadn’t even crossed the street when she caught up with him.“Hi.”The word left Victoria’s mouth before she could reconsider.The young man stopped walking immediately.Turning toward her, he looked genuinely confused.“Hi?”His eyebrows furrowed slightly.Victoria almost laughed.Clearly he wasn’t expecting to be stopped.Especially not by her.For a moment, neither spoke.Then he broke the silence.“I’m sorry, but do I know you?”“No, you don’t.”Victoria gestured toward the building they had both just come from.“But this is my father’s company.”Realization flashed across his face.Almost immediately followed by embarrassment.“I saw you getting dragged out,” she continued. “And I just wondered what happened.”“Oh.”He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.“That.”Victoria nodded.He laughed quietly.Not because anything was funny.More because he seemed uncomfortable.“I guess I’m not the type of client your father wants.”There was disappointment in his voice.The kind that
Alexander scoffed.“I didn’t drag her.”He leaned back against the couch, crossing one leg over the other.“She came willingly.”Victoria leaned back against the CEO chair as well, studying him carefully.“Mmm.”She tilted her head.“Well, what did you want to talk to her about?”Alexander’s jaw tightened immediately.“Why do you care?”The answer only made her irritation grow.Victoria stood up from the chair.The movement was slow and deliberate.“Because I am your wife!”Her voice echoed through the large office.Alexander’s expression darkened.But Victoria wasn’t finished.“I’ve tolerated enough, Alexander.”Years of frustration seeped into her words.“How long will you keep obsessing about her?”Silence.His face remained unreadable.Victoria took a step forward.“It’s very clear she has moved on.”Another step.“And with someone clearly out of your league.”That hit a nerve.She saw it immediately.Still, she continued.“Why won’t you just—”“Enough!”Alexander’s voice thundere
After a while, they arrived at Kingsley Technologies.The moment the car rolled to a stop in front of the towering glass building, the driver quickly stepped out.As always.Professional.Efficient.He moved around the vehicle and opened the rear door for Victoria.“Ma’am.”Victoria stepped out gracefully.Her boots clicked softly against the pavement.For a brief moment she adjusted her shirt, smoothed down her skirt, and straightened her posture.Perfect.Not that it had stopped being perfect during the ride.Still, appearances mattered.Especially here.Especially now.With one final glance at her reflection in the building’s glass exterior, Victoria began walking toward the entrance.The security guards noticed her immediately.Of course they did.She was the CEO’s wife.No identification card was necessary.No questions were asked.No introductions required.The guards straightened automatically.One hurried to open the door.The other nodded respectfully.“Good afternoon, ma’am.
After her shower, Victoria decided to go see Alexander at the company.If her guess was right—and it usually was when it came to her husband—he would be in a foul and very sour mood right about now.The thought didn’t surprise her.In fact, after everything that had happened today, she would have been shocked if he wasn’t.Daniel Carter’s interview had turned the business world upside down.And Alexander was not the sort of man who enjoyed surprises.Especially surprises that involved his rivals.Victoria stepped out of the bathroom, a cloud of warm steam following behind her.The hot shower had helped clear her thoughts slightly.Not entirely.But enough.She walked toward her walk-in closet, drying her hair with a towel as she moved.If she was going to see Alexander, she intended to look her best.After all, she was going to see her husband.The man she loved.The man she had chosen.The man she had married.Victoria opened her wardrobe doors and scanned the rows of clothing.She t
“Amelia.”Victoria answered without hesitation.The response came so quickly that she barely had to think about it.On the other end of the call, Roy Laurent went silent for a moment.“Amelia?”His voice carried obvious surprise.“You mean the Hart girl?”Victoria rolled her eyes.Of course he knew exactly who Amelia was.“Yes.”“The second largest shareholder of your husband’s company?”Victoria pinched the bridge of her nose.“Yes, Dad.”The irritation in her voice was unmistakable.Unfortunately, Roy Laurent seemed completely unaffected by it.In fact, he sounded more interested than ever.“How do they know each other?”Victoria stared at the ceiling.If she knew the answer to that question, she would probably be sleeping peacefully right now instead of discussing Daniel Carter.“That’s what I’d like to know myself.”“Hmmm.”The thoughtful hum on the other end immediately put her on edge.Whenever her father made that sound, it usually meant he was about to say something annoying.
It was the day of the gala.And Amelia had been irritated since morning.Now, as evening slowly approached and golden light stretched across her bedroom floor, that irritation had only grown stronger.She stood in the middle of her room, staring at her phone like it had personally offended her.The
Victoria had always hated silence.Not because it was quiet.But because silence gave people away.In silence, people revealed things they tried to hide.Distance.Disinterest.Secrets.And lately.Alexander had become far too silent.She noticed it in the little things first.The way he barely tou
Daniel caught it.The look in her eyes.The softness in her voice.The way her smile lingered just a little longer than usual after she said she’d like him to come with her.It wasn’t just gratitude.It was something quieter.Something warmer.And Daniel noticed, because he always noticed.For a wh
“Would you like to attend a Kingsley event gala with me?”The question sat between them, light in delivery but heavy in meaning.Daniel blinked once, his brows lifting slightly as he looked at Amelia from across the café table.There was a small smile on her face, but something about the way she he







