ログインCHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.LARA'S POV.Before I could feel the pain, before the landing, a male voice boomed through the hallway. “Don't you dare!”I turned to see Gerald. He walked past me then grabbed Ria’s hand that remained frozen in the air. He dragged her away, his voice echoing as he scolded her.I raised a brow and said nothing. Whatever was happening between the two of them was no longer my business and hadn't been for three years. I turned and walked to the boardroom. I settled into a chair and closed my eyes, easing the muscles in my face. Only when Gerald returned, panting like he had just run a marathon did I pry my eyes open.The presentation was better, in his space. Unlike the last time at my firm where he'd been in shock, he had prepared well for this.When he finished, he stepped back from the board and waited. His hands were clasped in front of him, his breathing still slightly uneven from whatever had happened in the hallway. I opened my laptop and went through the docu
CHAPTER TWENTY THREELARA'S POV.My stomach churned as we drove into the compound. One I was too familiar with, the same place I had worked to build only to be flung out after it all.My heartbeat picked as the memories flashed through my mind. Memories of me coming to support him during an opening, doing all I could to ensure he was as successful as he wanted.The buildings had changed in the past three years. A lot of renovations now made it look brand new. Different. But to me, it was still the same small firm we built together.“We’re here, ma.” My driver called out to me, when he noticed I didn't move an inch. He was next to me with the door open. I hadn't seen him alight from the car.“Oh,” I picked up my bag and alighted, keeping my expression neutral. If I had been here three years ago. I would've been regarded as Mrs Stone but it was better now. I was here as a force to be reckoned with. A new identity.The front glass door slid open as I walked towards it. I kept my head up
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO GERALD'S POV My voice resounded in the house as I stepped in, eyes searching furiously for Ria. “Ria!” I screamed. My eyes were already puffy from crying and the evidence of the hit I had taken from Byran on one side of my cheek had now darkened. Ria rushed down stairs, her eyes wide open. She grabbed my face before I could say anything, slightly moving her hands over the swollen cheek.“What happened to you?” She asked, pulling me to the chair but I only pushed her away.“Why did you keep the papers?” I asked, frustrated. She had me already. I loved her and I gave her everything. She had no reason to keep that sort of information. And as I stared down at her, the face that brought me happiness in the early hours of the day suddenly transformed into one I almost didn't want to look at.“What papers?” Her hands grabbed mine again. I stepped out of her reach and clenched my fist.“Why did you do it?” My chest tightened. “You already had me to yourself. It was a
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE. GERALD'S POV. “It's over, Gerald,” Bryan said, his eyes pinning me to the ground. “Accept it.”My chest burned even as he continued to speak, making me feel guilty. “You wanted her to leave. She has. Forever.”I braced my hands over the large conference table in the middle of the office, the contents of my breakfast threatening to spill everywhere.This couldn't be. I refused to believe that in her dying moments, she hadn't requested me but a friend. I was her husband if there was a need for anyone to be by her side, it would have been me.Before I could stop myself, I slammed both hands against his chest, he staggered back almost falling to the ground.“You have no idea what you're getting yourself into,” I snarled, I was never violent but with Lara presumed to be dead. Everything seemed to slip out of my control. My actions included.Bryan's eyes bulged as he placed a hand on the table to steady himself. “Have you lost it?,” he barked. “Is this what I get for
CHAPTER TWENTY GERALD'S POV.[Three years ago]I pulled into the building, and rushed out of my car, not bothering to park my car properly.My shoes clacked against the tiles as I rushed into what I assumed was the reception.I stopped in front of the table and tapped my hands on the table. A short lady stood up, smiling gently.“Good morning, Sir. You're welcome to..” I slammed my hand on the table startling her and the few people seated at the reception but I didn't care. I couldn't care when a coffin allegedly containing my wife had just been lowered into the ground.“Where is Bryan?” I asked, forcing my voice to remain steady.She glanced at the door behind her briefly, a huge mistake. Now I knew where Bryan was . “He's currently in a meeting. Do you have an appointment?”Her voice was shaky as she stared at me like I was about to pounce on her. “I need to see Bryan, now!” “He's not on seat…. At the moment,” she stuttered, breathless, her eyes darting around helplessly.“Get Br
CHAPTER NINETEEN.GERALD'S POV.[Three Years Ago]Clutching my suitcase in one hand, I pulled Ria into a hug, inhaling her scent. One I had become obsessed with.“I'll count the hours till you're back.” She said in her usual soothing voice. “I'll miss you too, baby.” I confessed. She pulled away and I stepped into my car. I couldn't help but note the difference. With Ria, it was a struggle to leave the house, I always wanted to spend the whole day with her but with Lara, I never seemed to want to return home. I’d spent the past weeks wrapped up in Ria—her warmth, her laughter. And the way she looked at me like I was her entire world made me feel so alive. With Ria, love felt easy, effortless. With Lara, it was a battlefield of missed calls and silent dinners. Yet the guilt now burning through me proved I wasn’t as detached as I’d convinced myself.She was still my wife.“I'll divorce her,” I told myself. “Maybe not now, but soon. I don't love her anymore.”And it wasn't a lie.My
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. LARA'S POVThe door opened and before I could step down from the car, the flashes of light hit me from every corner. I squinted, forcing a smile to my face as I resisted the urge to put my hands over my face. Bryan alighted as well and hurried over to my side, placing his hand o
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.GERALD'S POV.The news was everywhere—Lara’s press conference, her return and reemergence into the society, her past with me, and her current study as the mystery CEO. Everyone now knew what I had lost.It was why I had switched off my phone and let it sit in my pocket. To obst
LARA'S POV.I watched as the papers slipped from Gerald's hands, the blood draining from his face. And a deep, satisfied feeling pulsed through every fibre of my being. A smile curved the corners of my lips.It had paid off. The last three years of hard work had paid off. Three years of working my
GERALD'S POV.[Three years later.]Five billionaires. One conference room. All of them here because I summoned them.I had spent the last forty minutes walking them through projections they already half believed, answering questions designed to test my patience and smiling through the kind of silen







