Chapter Three

The rain started before I even realized I was outside.

Cold drops soaked through my blouse as I stumbled down the street. Five years. I’d given Daniel five years of my life. I’d built my entire future around a lie.

My phone buzzed in my bag. I ignored it. It buzzed again.

Daniel: Let’s handle this like two adults, don't make things difficult.

Difficult? He cheated, and I was being "difficult."

I shoved the phone away and ducked into the first doorway I saw to get out of the downpour.

A bar.

It was dim, smelling of expensive bourbon and old leather. Soft jazz played in the background, a sharp contrast to the storm in my head.

I sat at the bar. "Whiskey. " I told the bartender.

I downed the first shot. It burned like hell, but it felt better than the ache in my chest.

"Another."

By the third glass, the world felt a little fuzzier. "What kind of idiot gets betrayed by everyone at once?" I muttered to the empty air.

"Not an idiot," a deep, smooth voice said from the stool next to me. "Just unlucky." He added.

I turned slowly.

The man sitting there looked like he’d stepped off a private jet. Sharp jawline, dark hair perfectly styled, and a suit that probably cost alot. His eyes were a piercing, cool gray.

I frowned. "Were you eavesdropping?"

"The bar is quiet," he said simply. "Hard not to hear."

I turned back to my drink. "Great. Well, enjoy the show."

He studied me for a long moment. "Your fiancé. He’s a fool."

I felt a fresh sting of tears. "Five years. I wasted five years."

"Then don't waste a sixth," he replied.

I looked at him again. "Do you always give life advice to crying strangers?"

"Only when the stranger is someone I can use."

That stopped me. "What?"

He leaned in, the scent of expensive cologne and mahogany swirling around me. "What if I told you I could help you get everything back? And then some."

"Revenge?" I asked, my heart hammering.

"Justice," he corrected with a small cold tilt of his head. "But revenge works, too."

He was so calm, so completely in control of the space around him. I narrowed my eyes, gripping my glass so tightly "Who even are you?".

A slow, dangerous smile ghosted across his lips, the kind of smile a predator gives before the strike. "Adrian Wolfe."

The name hit me like a physical shock, clearing the alcohol from my brain instantly.

Adrian Wolfe. The CEO of Wolfe Enterprises. The man who had spent the last three years systematically crushing Daniel’s family business in the market.

Daniel’s greatest rival.

"You’re joking," I whispered.

"I never joke about business." He held my gaze, his eyes intense. "And right now, you are the best business opportunity I’ve seen all year."

"What do you want?"

He didn't blink. "Marry me. Let's give them something real to cry about."