Lahat ng Kabanata ng When Love Turns into Betrayal : Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

The contract sits on the conference table between us, two signatures away from becoming real.Knight-Carter Ventures. Equal partners. Equal ownership. Equal everything."You sure about this?" I ask Liam for the third time today.He's already holding a pen. "Vi, we've been over this. Your consulting division, my venture capital firm. It's brilliant synergy. Clients get full-service support from ideation to funding to execution. We're going to dominate the market.""That's not what I'm asking." I look at him across the mahogany. "I'm asking if you're sure about tying your business to mine. Your reputation to mine. What if the scandal never dies? What if every article about Knight-Carter Ventures mentions Ethan's trial?""Then they mention it." He doesn't hesitate. "And in the same breath they'll mention that you built a multi-million dollar company while fighting for justice. That you turned betrayal into a business empire. That's not a liability, Vi. That's a selling point."Marcus is

The letter is waiting on my desk when I arrive at the office Tuesday morning.No postage. No return address. Just my name written in block letters that look deliberately disguised.I know before I open it that it's bad."Harper." I don't touch the envelope. "Call Jordan. And maybe Marcus. Actually, call everyone."She sees the letter and her face goes pale. "Not again. I thought this was over.""Apparently not."Jordan arrives first, already pulling on gloves from his investigation kit. He photographs the envelope from every angle before carefully opening it.Inside is a single page. Typed. Anonymous.Congratulations on the merger. On the Forbes feature. On thinking you've won. But victories built on lies don't last. You destroyed three lives to build your empire. Ethan's. Layla's. Victoria's. Did you really think there wouldn't be consequences? Enjoy your celebration while it lasts. Someone's watching. Someone's waiting. Someone's going to make sure you pay.The words blur together.

The alarm wakes us at three forty-seven AM.Not the building's fire alarm. Liam's personal security system. The one he insisted was impenetrable.Someone's inside the penthouse.Liam's up before I fully process what's happening, grabbing his phone, pulling me off the bed. "Closet. Now. Lock the door. Don't come out until I tell you it's safe.""I'm not leaving you alone with whoever's...""Violet." His voice is sharp, scared in a way I've never heard. "Please. The panic button's in there. Press it. The police will come. But I need to know you're safe. I can't think if I'm worried about you."I go. Hate myself for it but I go. Lock myself in the walk-in closet, press the panic button mounted on the wall, and try to breathe through the terror.I can hear movement in the penthouse. Footsteps. Liam's voice saying something I can't make out. Then another voice. Lower. Male. Calm.My phone's on the nightstand. I don't have it. Can't call for help. Can't do anything but sit in the dark and w

The first article drops at six AM.Violet Carter's Secret Diary: Inside the Mind of a Woman Obsessed with RevengeI'm making coffee when Harper calls, voice shaking. "Vi, don't look online. Just, don't look. Jordan's already working on taking it down but it's everywhere."Of course I look.The article is on a gossip site, the kind that thrives on scandal and ruined lives. And there, in neat typed paragraphs, are excerpts from my journal. The private one I kept in my nightstand drawer. The one I wrote in during the darkest days of the divorce.March 15th: I hate him. God, I hate him so much it physically hurts. I imagine confronting Layla, telling her exactly what kind of man she's chosen. I imagine ruining them both. Is that wrong? To want them to suffer the way I'm suffering?April 3rd: Sometimes I fantasize about Ethan losing everything. His money, his reputation, his freedom. I know it makes me a terrible person but I can't help it. I want him to hurt.May 22nd: Liam called today.

The first client pulls out at seven AM, twelve hours before the café meeting.Marcus calls with the news. "TechVenture just terminated their contract. Effective immediately. They're citing concerns about leadership stability and reputational risk.""Because of the journal leak." I'm already pulling up my laptop, checking emails. "How bad is it?""Bad." His voice is grim. "And Vi, they're not the only ones. I've got two more clients requesting emergency meetings this morning. They're spooked."By nine AM, three major clients have pulled a combined five million dollars in business. By ten, it's five clients and eight million. The phone won't stop ringing with concerned investors, nervous partners, reporters wanting comments."This is Richard." I'm in Liam's office, watching our company implode in real time. "This is part of Final Phase. Destroy my reputation, tank the business, isolate me."Jordan's tracking the pattern. "All five clients received anonymous emails last night. Same emai