All Chapters of Betrayed by Ex, Married to Billionaire : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

“They’re saying your name again.” Leonard’s voice was calm, but the tablet he placed on the table carried poison. Aruna looked up from her documents, her fingers pausing mid-note. “Saying my name how?” Leonard slid the screen toward her. Headlines glared back in bold letters: RISING SOCIALITE MRS. LEONARD ARKEN: PAST FILLED WITH SHADOWS? ANONYMOUS SOURCE CLAIMS ARUNA ARKEN USED CONNECTIONS TO RISE Aruna read silently. Slowly. Carefully. Her expression didn’t change. “They’re vague,” she said at last. “No facts. No proof.” Leonard studied her face. “Because they don’t have any.” Aruna leaned back in her chair. “Revan.” Leonard nodded. “His signature style. When he can’t win with ability, he poisons the air instead.” Aruna exhaled slowly. The office was quiet except for the soft hum of the city outside the glass walls. “They’re implying I slept my way into this position,” she said calmly. “That I manipulated you. That my past is… questionable.” Leonard’s jaw tightened. “Do

“Cancel it.” Revan’s voice was hoarse, strained, nothing like the confident tone he used to command boardrooms. Across the long conference table, his assistant froze. “Sir… cancel which one?” “All of them,” Revan snapped, slamming his palm against the polished wood. “Every pending expansion. Every overseas shipment. Shut it down.” The room fell into an uneasy silence. The executives exchanged nervous glances. The large screen behind them still displayed red numbers—losses stacking like falling dominoes. “Sir,” one of the senior managers said carefully, “if we cancel now, the penalties alone will—” “I don’t care!” Revan roared. “Do you think I still have the luxury to care?” His chest heaved as he stood abruptly, pacing back and forth. “This is impossible,” he muttered. “Three major investors pulled out in the same week. Banks are freezing credit lines. Suppliers are demanding cash upfront.” He stopped walking, fists clenched. “This isn’t coincidence.” No one dared to answer

“I know it was her.” Revan’s voice echoed sharply inside the dimly lit office, cracking through the tense silence like breaking glass. The senior manager standing across from him stiffened. “Mr. Revan, we’ve gone over this. The contract withdrawal had nothing to do with—” “Don’t lie to me!” Revan slammed his fist onto the desk. The papers scattered, some sliding to the floor. “Three clients. Three! They didn’t just leave—they cut ties completely. That’s not coincidence.” The manager swallowed. “They said your reputation is… unstable. And there were concerns about your recent disputes.” Revan let out a bitter laugh. “Disputes?” His eyes burned. “Or did someone whisper lies into their ears?” The manager hesitated, then spoke carefully. “There was a name mentioned. Off the record.” Revan’s jaw tightened. “Say it.” “…Mrs. Leonard Arken.” The room seemed to tilt. Revan staggered back a step, his hand gripping the edge of the desk. Aruna. The name rang in his head like a curse.

“She’s leading the project?” The question cut through the boardroom like a blade. Aruna paused mid-step, her heels stopping just short of the long glass table. Slowly, she turned toward the source of the voice. Around her, the directors of Arken Group sat in tailored suits, their expressions ranging from polite indifference to open skepticism. Leonard remained seated at the head of the table, his face unreadable. “Yes,” Leonard said calmly. “She is.” A murmur rippled through the room. One of the senior directors, Mr. Hanley, adjusted his glasses and leaned back in his chair. “With all due respect, Mr. Arken… this project isn’t a charity assignment.” Aruna felt the weight of every gaze pressing against her spine. “It’s a ten-billion-dollar expansion,” another director added. “Not a social experiment.” Aruna inhaled slowly and walked forward, placing her folder on the table with controlled precision. “If you have concerns,” she said evenly, “I’d appreciate hearing them directly

“Proceed.” Leonard’s voice was calm, but the boardroom seemed to hold its breath the moment the word left his lips. Aruna stood at the head of the long glass table, her palms resting lightly on the surface. The large screen behind her still displayed the final slide of the presentation—charts rising sharply, projections glowing in confident blue. A middle-aged director cleared his throat. “You’re saying the pilot phase exceeded projections by thirty-two percent?” “Yes,” Aruna answered steadily. “And customer retention during the first two weeks was higher than any previous project in this sector.” Another director frowned. “That’s… unusually high.” Aruna met his gaze without flinching. “Because we didn’t sell a product. We solved a problem.” Murmurs rippled around the table. Leonard leaned back slightly, watching her—not intervening, not rescuing. Testing. A woman on the left side spoke sharply, “Or it could be a statistical anomaly.” Aruna tapped the tablet in her hand, and