All Chapters of STEP ASIDE EX-HUSBAND: THE RISE OF LIANA: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

LIANA'S POVThe streetlights fuzzed as I drove. My fingers wrapped tighter than they had to around the steering wheel, but I didn't care. Dominic hadn't called. No text. Not a single missed call. Nothing.And really? That hurt worse than I anticipated.I knew that he was proud. I had known that he had always felt the world would revolve on his whim. But that he could sleep beside me one night, betray me the next and not even be bothered enough to ask where I went?That was what shattered me all over again.I rolled into the driveway of my childhood house at a little past 10 PM. The porch light was still on, most probably because my mom was still watching "Sam and Cat" on Nickelodeon. I turned my headlights off, and for an instant, I simply sat there staring at the house.The house where I had witnessed my first heartbreak, my first scraped knee and my awkward adolescence. And here I was today, an adult woman, crawling back with nothing but a dead phone battery and a bruised ego.I got

LIANA'S POVBy the time I was done setting up and ensuring that the code was up and running, I stepped out to break the news but the house was quiet when I emerged.Mum was not there and Camilla was sleeping, balled up like a cinnamon roll on the couch, drooling on her favorite stuffed bunny. I didn't want to wake her up. I needed to express my happiness but a two year old wasn't going to suffer for that.I waited, paced, stared at the clock a thousand times. When she finally opened the back door, rubbing her hands on her skirt and complaining about the curious neighbor's dog all over again, I almost grabbed her."Mum!"She turned round sharply, having been startled. "Jesus, Liana. You almost killed me.""I'm sorry, I just… Mum, It's done. I got a text from Keon. The flight is booked. I'm leaving next Friday."Her eyes widened. "Wait, what?"I nodded, suddenly breathless again. “Kion said everything's ready. The papers, the logistics, it’s all set. We’re leaving.”Her mouth dropped o

THREE YEARS LATERThe ballroom glittered like a jewel box under a thousand chandeliers, each surface polished to an impossible gloss. Music drifted like silk through the air, and laughter blended with the clink of champagne flutes. But underlying the gilded surface was tension — the kind only the powerful disguised.I moved through the crowd with the assurance of someone who belonged there, but every step was purposeful. My heels clicked on the marble floor, each one the measured beat of my heart. My emerald satin gown shimmered in the light, clinging to every curve like armor, and my mask—smooth, obsidian crystals flung like stars rested lightly over my face, concealing all… and nothing.They didn’t know me. Not yet.Three years ago, I’d been a shadow in rooms like these. And then I was ignored, left behind by a cheat who thought stepping on me was the final act of his rise. And as fate would have it, there he was in front of me, talking and smiling, his arm possessively around the wa

Dominics POVI stared at the stack of files on my desk, the silence in my office a jarring contrast to the chaos of the previous few days. Plans were not going well, not with the firm, and certainly not with Liana. It was as if everything was slipping through my fingers. I had asked my guys to keep an eye on her and her movement but I was yet to hear anything. My phone rang, pulling me from my distraction. I glanced at the screen. Russel. This better be good news.I answered the call, pinning the phone between my ear and shoulder."Dominic," Russel's voice slashed through, tight and strained. "We've heard word about Liana's movement."I sat up straight, tension slicing through my veins like a knife forged of ice water. "Tell me about it," I drawled, trying to sound as uninterested as possible, even though every nerve in my body was on fire."She's attending the Blackstone Summit today." Russel said to me. "Private business retreat for tech CEOs. Invitation-only. No press, nothing lea

Dominic's POV The sun spilled gently through the blinds, casting long, golden bars across the king-sized bed. I blinked slowly at the ceiling, willing myself to stay in the cocoon of quiet just a little longer. Serena’s perfume, jasmine with a trace of vanilla curled into my nostrils, familiar now, soft and predictable. Her head rested against my chest, her hand draped across my waist. Light, delicate. Like she always was.For a moment, everything was still.Peaceful, even. Then, I heard a buzz.A violent vibration tore through the silence, rattling the nightstand beside me. My phone lit up like a flare.I stretched out an arm, careful not to disturb Serena, and swiped the screen to life.And just like that, my peace shattered.“#QueenOfTech” was trending.My breath caught. My thumb trembled slightly as I opened the app. And there she was.The photo nearly knocked the wind out of me. She was walking out of the summit, that high ponytail sleek and commanding. Her pantsuit clung to her