Semua Bab The Divorce That Made Me A Billionaire : Bab 61 - Bab 70

VICTORIAI didn’t tell anyone where I was going.Not Clark, Isabella, or my security. I needed to do this myself, and it had to be kept quiet. The building was one of mine, though no one associated it with me. It was a private holding space used for fittings, and things I didn’t want traced back to Hale Couture. It had white walls, soft lights, and no windows. It smelled like fabric spray and nothing else.The duplicate sat in the middle of the room.She was dressed simply. No makeup. Hair pulled back tightly. No silver dress. No cameras. No audience. Just her and me.For the first time since I met her, she looked so small.Her hands rested on her lap. She kept twisting her fingers together nervously. She watched the door like she expected someone else to come in with me.The sound echoed as I closed it behind me. She flinched.I walked forward and stopped a few feet away. I didn’t sit. I didn’t offer her anything. I just looked at her. We had the same height. Same bone structure. S

ISABELLA I should have listened to my gut.It had been whispering all morning. Not wildly. Just that quiet feeling that something was off. The kind I ignored because I had work to do, therefore, there was no time to be dramatic.That was my first mistake. The second was leaving the building alone.I told myself it was fine. I had done this a hundred times. In and out. Head down. Phone in hand. It was a normal day. There was no need to alert anyone. Victoria had enough on her plate already.The street outside looked quiet. Too quiet, maybe, but I brushed that thought away. Cars passed. People walked. Nothing looked strange. There were no dark vans or men in coats.I'd taken three steps toward my car when I noticed the ominous silence.It wasn’t total silence. Just the wrong kind, as if the sound had dipped, and the city was holding its breath.My phone buzzed in my hand, and I glanced at it to see a message from Clark.Clark: Still tracking. Stay alert.I typed back one word. Me: Alw

CLARKI didn’t find out what Victoria traded until hours later.That was the problem. With her, the danger was never loud. It moved quietly. Isabella was safe. That part mattered. I watched her walk into the secure house with shaky hands and stubborn pride, alive and angry and breathing hard. She didn’t cry. She never did when it counted. She just nodded at me and said, “She paid for this.”I didn’t like how she said it. I didn’t like how calm Victoria was when she arrived afterward.She walked in like she had just closed a normal meeting. Her hair was neat. Her face was blank. Her eyes were sharp. Too sharp, in fact.“What did you give him?” I asked.She took off her coat slowly and handed it to a guard. “Good evening to you too.”“I’m serious,” I said. “Daniel doesn’t let people walk away just like that.”She looked at me then. Really looked. Her mouth curved into a little smile that didn’t look soft or kind.“You’re worried,” she said.“I’m supposed to be,” I replied.“That’s not

VICTORIAThe global fashion summit started the way all big events did. With noise, lights, and people pretending not to be nervous.I stood behind the black curtain, listening to the crowd on the other side. Cameras clicked nonstop. Voices rose over each other in different accents. This wasn’t just New York. This was Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Dubai, all packed into one massive hall. Every major buyer, editor, and investor that mattered was here.And they were all watching.I rolled my shoulders once and checked my reflection in the dark glass panel beside me. All I saw was a calm face and steady eyes. There were no cracks. I looked like the woman they feared, not the one they tried to break.Good.Isabella stood a few steps away, phone in hand, already fighting online fires before they fully started. She looked tired but still alert, like she always did when things were about to explode.“Livestream numbers are insane,” she said quietly. “Every rumor page is tuned in.”“Let them watch,” I

CLARKThe moment Victoria sat back down, I already knew I wasn’t staying in that room.The summit hall was still buzzing behind me. Applause rolled in, sounding loud and messy. Whispers followed right after. People leaned toward each other, pretending they weren’t gossiping while clearly doing just that. Phones were already out. Messages were being sent. Opinions were being formed in real time.Cameras kept flashing, hunting for reactions. They chased faces, looking for shock. They chased her.Victoria Hale didn’t look back. She didn’t need to.She sat there calmly, legs crossed, hands relaxed on her lap like she hadn’t just bent the room to her will without stepping on the stage. That was her gift. Bring in control without effort. Or at least, without any visible effort.I felt it in my chest. Pride. Want. Fear. All at once.And I knew if I stayed another second, I would either stare too long or lose my temper. So I moved.I slipped out of my seat and headed for the side exit before