Library
Search
Home / Romance / The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire / The Contract

Share

The Contract

Author: Amelia Hart
last update Last Updated: 2026-01-24 19:36:14

POV: JAXON (Flashback)

I called my lawyers the same day.

"I need divorce papers drawn up immediately," I told Phil Edwards, the best divorce attorney in New York. "Standard terms. She gets a settlement. I keep everything else."

"Everything?" Phil asked. "Mr. Romano, in New York state, marital assets are typically…"

"Everything," I repeated. "The penthouse. The company. All assets. She signs away any claim to Apex Technologies specifically. That's non-negotiable."

"That's going to require her si
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Previous Chapter Next Chapter
Locked Chapter
Comments (1)
goodnovel comment avatar
Sha BA
I want her to destroy him. He may not have wanted her but he didn't need to destroy her. That was juvenile and just mean for no reason
VIEW ALL COMMENTS

Latest chapter

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Apex Victory

    POV: ISLAThe courtroom was packed.Media. Investors. Board members. Everyone waiting for the judge's ruling.Victoria Montez sat across the aisle, looking confident. Too confident.She thought she'd won. Thought she'd destroyed me.She was wrong."After reviewing all evidence and testimony," the judge began, "I find that the plaintiff's claims are without merit."My heart soared."The code in question was developed independently by Apex Technologies, with clear documentation and timestamps predating the plaintiff's claims. Furthermore, evidence suggests the plaintiff filed this lawsuit in bad faith, as a deliberate attempt to sabotage a competitor."Victoria's face went white."I rule in favor of the defendant, Apex Technologies. Additionally, I'm awarding damages in the amount of five million dollars for legal fees and reputational harm."The gavel came down.We won.The legal team celebrated. Champagne in the office. Congratulations all around.The board called. "Excellent work, Dr

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   The Conversation

    POV: JAXONIsla's call came at 7 AM."You need to come home. Now.""What's wrong? Are the kids…""They're fine. Physically. But Rowan found the box. He knows. And Nova heard everything. They both know."My stomach dropped. "I'm on my way."I was there in fifteen minutes.The twins were sitting at the kitchen table.The box between them. Newspapers spread out. Photos of Dante. Court documents.Everything I'd tried to protect them from.They looked up when I walked in. Scared. Confused. Waiting."Hey guys," I said quietly, sitting down across from them."Is it true?" Nova asked. "Everything in these papers?"I looked at Isla. She nodded. Time for the truth."Yes. It's true."Nova's eyes filled with tears. "Your daddy was a bad man?""He was. Very bad.""And you were bad too?"The question gutted me. But I couldn't lie."I was. For a while. Before you were born.""What did you do?" Rowan asked. Voice shaking.I took a breath. How did I explain this to nine-year-olds?"My father… your gra

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Rowan Finds the Box

    POV: ROWANDad didn't come home last night.Mom said he was staying at Aunt Mia's. That they needed space. That everything was fine.But I'm nine. Not stupid.Everything wasn't fine.Mom had been crying. She tried to hide it, but I saw her eyes all red and puffy.Dad had looked really sad when he left.And Nova told me they'd been fighting. Shouting. About work and being weak and other stuff I didn't really understand.So no. Everything wasn't fine.That night, Mom worked late. Again.Some babysitter I didn't know put us to bed."Where's Dad?" I asked her."He'll be back soon, honey.""Where's Mom?""At work. She said she'd be home by ten."It was only seven. Three more hours.After the babysitter thought we were asleep, I got up.I wasn't tired. And I was worried.About Mom. About Dad. About why everything felt wrong lately.I went to find Nova's old toys. The ones Mom said were in the attic.Maybe if I found them, Nova would be happier. Less angry.The attic was dusty and dark.I us

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   The Lawsuit Escalates

    POV: ISLAVictoria Montez filed for an injunction.To stop our new product launch. The one we'd been working on for two years. The one worth five hundred million dollars."She can't do this," I said to our legal team."She can and she did. The hearing is in three days."Three days to prepare a defense. Three days to save our company.I didn't sleep that night. Or the next. Or the next.Just worked. Reviewed documents. Prepared arguments. Built our case.The media was having a field day."Tech Queens Battle It Out!""Apex vs. TechCore: The Billion Dollar Showdown!""Dr. Isla Winters: Genius or Thief?"That last headline made me want to scream.At home, I was a disaster.Snapped at Grace when she spilled juice. Yelled at Asher for being too loud. Told the twins to just figure out their homework themselves.Jaxon tried to help."Isla, you need to sleep""I can't sleep! The hearing is tomorrow!""You'll do better if you're rested""Don't tell me what I need! You don't understand the press

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Nova's Rebellion

    POV: JAXONThe call came during snack time."Mr. Winters? This is Mrs. Patterson, Nova's teacher. We need you to come in for a parent-teacher conference. Today if possible."My stomach dropped. "Is Nova okay?""She's fine. Physically. But we need to discuss her behavior.""What kind of behavior?""I'd prefer to discuss it in person. Can you come in at 2 PM?"I looked at Grace and Asher, currently making a disaster of graham crackers."I'll be there."I called Mia to watch the little ones."Everything okay?" she asked."Nova's in trouble at school. I have to go in.""Want me to come with?""No, I've got it. Thanks though."She showed up fifteen minutes later. Grace immediately ran to her."Aunt Mia! Aunt Mia!"Mia scooped her up. "Hey, munchkin! Ready to have some fun with Aunt Mia while Daddy handles some boring grown-up stuff?"I grabbed my jacket. "There's snacks in the pantry. Asher needs to stay out of the bathroom""I know the drill. Go. Handle Nova."Mrs. Patterson's classroom w

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   First Date Night Attempt

    POV: ISLA"You're sure you're okay with this?" I asked Mia for the third time."Isla, I've babysat your kids a million times. Go. Have fun. Reconnect with your husband."She practically pushed us out the door.Jaxon had made reservations at a nice Italian restaurant. The kind of place we used to go before life got so complicated.We drove in silence.Awkward silence.When had that happened? When had being alone together become uncomfortable?The restaurant was beautiful. Romantic. Low lighting. Soft music.We sat across from each other.Looked at our menus."The pasta looks good," Jaxon said."Yeah."More silence.This was painful.The waiter came. Took our order and left.We were alone again. And I had no idea what to say."So," Jaxon started. "How's work?""We're not supposed to talk about work. Or kids. Dr. Mitchell said.""Right. Sorry."More silence.Damn, this was terrible."When did we get so bad at this?" I finally asked."At what?""At being us. Just talking. Being together."

More Chapters

You may also like

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