Chapter Four.

  I stared at the message that flashed across my phone screen again—a hidden number.

  

  “Alex…” I murmured beneath him, my breath still unsteady from what we’d just done.

  

  Instead of answering, he leaned down and kissed me deeply, passionately. A kiss meant to silence me, stop me from talking.

  

  “Shhh,” he whispered, his lips brushing mine.

  

  From the corner of my eye, my whole body was set ablaze—what did I just see?

  

  A few minutes later, we lay tangled near the sofa that had been used for more than just sitting.

  

  His breath was fast, his whole body dripping with sweat. Then he reached for my heels, placing them beside me using his thumb to brush my lip—he was done.

  

  I pushed myself up slowly, my chest still rising and falling. “Alex”

  

  He paused at the bedroom doorway, still completely naked, and turned to face me with a crooked grin.

  

  “Come on, baby,” he said. “You nearly passed out just now, and you’re already asking for round two”.

  

  I smiled broadly. Not knowing how to react.

  

  I looked at Alexander, closely till he was no longer in sight, I waited for a while till I heard the shower running, reached for my phone, hands shaky while the images loaded.

  

  It’s all over” My nudes?”

  

  “How?”

  

  “Where?”

  

  “When”. My whole body vibrated.

  

  The number was a private number, I panicked, if any of these got out, it would ruin my reputation.

  

  “Baby come shower”. Alexander's voice echoed from the doorway, I switched the phone off and ran to him so he wouldn’t suspect anything.

  

  He winked at me, spanking my ass, while I entered the bathtub faking a smile.

  

  Later, I showered and fixed dinner. Alexander stayed locked in his study, eyes glued to his iPad already tracking the market trends. Being the new CEO suited him—he loved control.

  

  We eventually retired to bed. I faked my smiles, forced small talk, though everything irritated me. If we weren’t married, I doubted he’d even see me twice after what I saw.

  

  Who sent those pictures?

  

  Alexander had always been a deep sleeper. I waited till he was snoring heavily. Once his breathing grew heavy and steady, I waved my hand twice across his face.

  

  No movement. He was out.

  

  Carefully, I reached for my phone. More messages had already pulled up from the same number.

  

  “Hey, I thought you’d like this?” There were so many of them.

  

  The phone was shaking in my hands.

  

  And there it was.

  

  The shock of my life.

  

  “Alexander and Tonia kissing”. Tears poured down my face, this was some kind of weird dream.

  

  My chest tightened.

  

  It couldn’t be the same Tonia I knew.

  

  No. It couldn’t be her. I would bet everything I had—it just couldn’t be.

  

  But my fingers kept scrolling.

  

  The image was right there.

  

  And each image felt like a dagger.

  

  “My man and I.”

  

  “Saying yes to you is everything.”

  

  “A day with my husband.”

  

  Then came the one that knocked the breath out of me:

  

  Tonia Marcus wed Alexander Grey.

  

  Hell no.

  

  It had to be a coincidence. Just someone with the same name. It couldn’t be them.

  

  I took a deep breath. Alexander was still fast asleep, his head resting on my thighs like nothing in the world was wrong.

  

  I looked down at him, and regret hit me like a punch to the chest.

  

  God, I wanted to strangle him.

  

  To end it all.

  

  I wasn’t strong enough to overpower him physically, but part of me just wanted him to feel what I felt.

  

  The pain of being played by the one person you trusted the most.

  

  I gently opened the drawer and placed the phone back inside.

  

  I wiped the tears sliding silently down my cheeks.

  

  My soul felt weak.

  

  My heart wouldn’t stop racing.

  

  I needed time—

  

  Enough time, processing everything felt draining.

  

  How did my nudes get out?

  

  Alexander has been married to the same lady who posed as his sister.

  

  A few hours later, I finally drifted off. My body was stiff, but sleep came—just barely.

  

  Then I felt movement.

  

  Alexander stirred beside me.

  

  He stretched across my body, grabbed his phone, and rubbed his forehead as he slipped quietly out of bed.

  

  He must’ve thought I was still asleep.

  

  He rushed toward the bathroom.

  

  I tiptoed behind him.

  

  “Hi, baby,” he said. His voice was low, smooth.

  

  A woman’s voice echoed from the other side. “Baby, what took you so long?”

  

  “She’s been a handful,” he replied. “I had to make sure she was asleep before I could call.”

  

  I leaned gently on the doorknob.

  

  It clicked open.

  

  Alexander froze mid-sentence and turned swiftly, phone still in hand.

  

  He didn’t expect to see me standing there.

  

  My face was blank.

  

  But my eyes—cold.

  

  “My queen… I was just—pressed, and had to… um…”

  

  “Who were you on a call with?”

  

  “Oh, Tonia… Mother isn’t feeling so well”. He lied.

  

  “Oh, how’s she?”. I acted bothered.

  

  “Fever….she has fever.”

  

  “Would take her to the hospital, first thing in the morning,” he said quickly, his tone almost in a rush. “You should go back to sleep.”

  

  I stood there, my temperature rising, I was a fool for so long.

  

  The next morning, we went our separate ways to his sick mother and to the company.

  

  He was supposed to be installed today as the new CEO of Evan’s Jewelry.

  

  When I stepped through the front doors, the staff bowed in greeting. I was dressed in a cream silk dress layered beneath a tailored suit. My look was cold, unreadable—like someone who had just lost a major business deal and didn’t want to talk about it.

  

  “Did you get the memo?” I asked the receptionist, my voice calm but sharp.

  

  She flinched slightly. “Ma… the meeting is scheduled to be held at eight.”

  

  “Alright then.”

  

  I turned and headed straight to my father’s office.

  

  I needed a moment—some kind of closure—

  

  The office still screamed of elegance and authority. Gold-plated finishes gleamed from every corner. I stood in the center of the room, taking it all in.

  

  It was magnificent.

  

  A legacy built by the man I called father.

  

  From his desk, the view of the city was unmatched—like the world belonged to whoever sat there.

  

  The shelves were lined with rare collections: gold and silver pieces, a limited-edition rhodium necklace that only five people in the world owned.

  

  I walked slowly to his chair.

  

  My chest tightened as I touched it.

  

  For a strange, second… it still smelled like him.

  

  “Father,” I whispered.

  

  “You were so concerned I’d jeopardize the company.”

  

  “Well… I didn’t.”

  

  “I did well.”

  

  My voice cracked.

  

  Tears rolled down before I could stop them.

  

  “The company’s gross profit went through the roof these past two years. The Evans name soared.”

  

  I paused, swallowing the lump in my throat.

  

  “I thought I married a man you’d be proud of.”

  

  I let out a hollow laugh.

  

  “I was wrong.”

  

  I lowered myself to the floor, kneeling in front of his empty chair, the scent of his cologne still faint in the leather.

  

  “I failed,” I whispered.

  

  I cried.

  

  Cried like he was right in front of me—listening, judging, maybe forgiving.

  

  Then came the knock.

  

  “Ma… It’s time,” the receptionist said timidly. She shivered when I turned my head to look at her—and fled before I could speak.

  

  I stood, touched up my makeup, and straightened my suit.

  

  No one could see what I was feeling.

  

  By the time I entered the conference room, my heels echoed like a queen arriving at court. My face was unreadable. Cold.

  

  Alexander wasn’t in his seat.

  

  I exhaled—maybe too quickly.

  

  I moved toward the head of the table, ready to shorten the meeting and shift attention to the quarterly analysis.

  

  But then the door opened behind me.

  

  Alexander stepped in…

  

  Holding a woman’s hand.

  

  I froze.

  

  “What—?!”