Aiden's wife

Damien’s pov;

There was something interesting about power that people failed to understand. 

They believed that power comes from money, but they were damned wrong!  Power comes from information, it comes from knowing what others try to hide, understanding what they fear, and acting before they expect you to.

That was how I always stayed ahead of my competitors and that was why I knew about Aiden Cross’s divorce before half his own board did.

I was in my office that morning, reviewing the Q3 projections for Cross Industries when my legal advisor, Marcus, knocked once and let himself in.

“You’re going to want to see this,” he said, sliding a manila envelope across my desk.

I raised a brow. “If it’s another acquisition rumor…”

“Not a rumor,” he said quickly. “A petition.” Then he paused, “A divorce petition.”

That caught my attention because what the hell is my business with a divorce?

I opened the file and scanned the details quickly, my brows furrowed in concentration.

Sophia Hale Cross.

Something about the name stood out to me. 

“Why is this on my desk?” I asked.

Marcus cleared his throat. “Because of this.”

He pulled out another sheet, a photo clipped to a hospital invoice.

It was a woman that looked familiar, as though I had seen her before, but I couldn’t remember where. She was in a waiting room, her eyes swollen, her clothes rumpled. She was holding the hand of a young girl. 

“This is Aiden’s wife?”

“Was,” Marcus Replied. “She paid an $8,000 emergency bill out of her pocket,” Marcus explained. “And her financials indicated that  she emptied her entire account to do it.”

A muscle in my jaw tightened.

“Where is she living?” I asked, dropping the file on the table.

“She’s been staying in a room above the charity office she runs.” Marcus hesitated. “It isn’t much more than a glorified storage space. No kitchen, water issues and according to what I gathered, she barely eats.”

I stared at the photo again. She was smiling at a child despite the exhaustion in her eyes.

“And Aiden?” I asked.

“He’s been attending investor meetings,” Marcus continued. “He looks… well, with another woman. His secretary from what I gather.”

Of course he did.

“Public opinion still favors him,” Marcus added carefully. “His PR team has been… efficient.”

“Has he offered her anything?” I asked.

“No. She didn’t request alimony. She waived her rights.”

That surprised me more than the divorce itself.

“Why?” I murmured, more to myself.

Marcus shook his head. “We don’t know. But she walked away with nothing.”

I leaned back in my seat. From what I hear, she had been the one to nurse him back to life.

For years, Cross Industries had been a thorn in my side, a company that acted bigger than it was because its CEO relied on good PR. Aiden was ambitious, arrogant, and dangerously incompetent. And if there was one thing I enjoyed more than outperforming him in boardrooms, it was exposing weaknesses he tried to mask.

My chest tightened and I sighed deeply. I didn’t like this feeling. This felt like sympathy and for a woman I hadn’t met!

“So,” Marcus ventured cautiously, “what do you want to do with this?”

I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I stared at the window overlooking the city. 

This  situation presented an opportunity that was both practical and personal.

“Draft a donation offer,” I said at last. “Substantial. Enough to rebuild her charity entirely.”

Marcus blinked rapidly. “From the company?”

“No,” I said. “From me, privately.”

He froze for a second, then nodded. “Anonymous?”

“For now.” I tapped the folder. “She’s going to wonder why a stranger would give her millions.”

“And later?” he asked.

“An enemy of my enemy is my friend. She’ll give me exactly what I need.”

Marcus hesitated. “Forgive me, sir, but… what exactly do you hope to gain?”

I turned to face him.  “Everything.”

I glanced at her picture again and let out a deep sigh, remembering why I thought she looked familiar.

I had seen her at a charity gala, standing slightly behind Aiden, she hadn’t spoken to me, but it was difficult not to notice a woman like her in a room. She was like a diamond, sparkling in the midst of other ordinary stones.

Marcus spoke, snapping me out of my reverie. “I’ll handle the donation paperwork.”

“Good,” I said. “And one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Make sure she doesn’t know the amount until after everything is approved. I don’t want her feeling cornered or overwhelmed. And inform her that I’ll see her when everything has been processed.”

He nodded. “Understood.”

When he left, I rested my fingers against the edge of Sophia’s petition.

People like Aiden never understood the consequences of their actions.

But I did.

Sophia Cross may have thought that she walked away from her marriage with nothing, but she had something far more valuable now.

She had my attention.

I remembered the way she looked that night at the charity gala, standing alone at the edge of the ballroom, her hands clasped behind her back. I could see the loneliness in her eyes.

If helping her meant watching Aiden fall apart faster, I was going  to help him open that door myself.

“Let’s see what she does,” I said quietly.

“And how far she can rise once someone finally stops standing in her way.”

I picked up the folder labeled THOMPSON PROJECTS from the table and  flipped it open.

Aiden’s company had beaten me twice in the last fiscal year. I couldn’t forget how he had cheated his way to it.

Now, with this recent development, he was vulnerable and vulnerable men made mistakes.

I grabbed my phone and dialed Marcus’ number and he picked after the first ring.

“Can you find out where she is right now?”

“I’ll be on it right now,” he replied and I ended the call.

It wasn’t up to five minutes when Marcus called me back.

“She’s in the hospital now, sir. And I just got a mail from her personal assistant. She has rejected the donation. She refuses to take money from someone who wouldn’t reveal themselves.”