Semua Bab The Rise Of The Betrayed Wife: Bab 91 - Bab 100

Isla's POV:The hospital looked different than I remembered.We arrived at the designated wing and I expected Callum to lead me to some event hall. Instead, he walked past the main areas toward a quieter corridor."I thought the event was in the main hall," I said."The donor recognition display is this way," Callum said, but something in his voice felt off.Then I recognized where we were.This was the corridor where we first met.Where I'd stumbled after getting my pregnancy results in that other timeline. Where Callum had caught me and asked if I was okay. Where everything began, though neither of us knew it then.But the corridor looked completely different now.Soft lighting made everything warm and gentle. Flower arrangements lined both walls. White roses and lilies everywhere. A violinist stood at the far end playing something beautiful and gentle.It was stunning and completely unexpected.I turned to Callum, confused and starting to understand."What is this?" I asked.Callum

Isla's POV:The engagement announcement went public Sunday morning.It was not a press release or an official statement, just a simple post from Callum's verified social media account. A photo of us in the hospital corridor, my hand showing the ring, both of us smiling with genuine joy.The caption was brief and heartfelt.What started as an arrangement became real love. Isla changed my life and my daughter's life in ways I never expected. I'm grateful every day that she said yes. Looking forward to forever.It was personal and authentic and very much honest.The response was overwhelming.Within an hour there were thousands of likes. Comments pouring in from business associates, society figures, complete strangers touched by our story."This is the sweetest thing I've ever seen""So happy for you both!""True love wins"The narrative of fake engagement becoming real love captured public imagination. People loved the romance of it.Major news outlets picked up the story by afternoon.

Isla's POV:Security called Tuesday afternoon while I was in a meeting."Ms. Brennan, Declan Hartley is in the lobby demanding to see you. He has a lawyer with him claiming urgent business matters."The audacity was remarkable. Restraining orders existed. His involvement in the harassment campaign had been exposed and he still showed up here."Remove him," I said."His lawyer is insisting it's a legitimate business concern related to pending litigation. Should we call the police?"I thought about it. Part of me wanted him arrested for violating the restraining order but another part was curious what he thought he could possibly accomplish here."Five minutes in conference room B," I said. "Security present. Cameras recording. If he tries anything, remove him immediately.""Understood."I finished my meeting quickly and went to the conference room. Two security guards stood outside. Inside, Declan sat with a lawyer I didn't recognize.Declan looked terrible. His usual polish was cracke

Isla's POV:I couldn't sleep Tuesday night after Callum's confession.He'd fallen asleep next to me, exhausted from the emotional conversation. But my mind kept turning over everything he'd told me.I understood that building an empire required hard decisions. I'd told him that. I believed it.But hearing the specifics unsettled me more than I'd admitted out loud.Companies he'd destroyed were family businesses. Real people lost everything because Callum was more aggressive and had more resources. Some of those companies had been around for generations.I kept thinking about one story he'd mentioned. A hostile takeover that left hundreds unemployed.Families without income because Callum wanted the assets and didn't care about the workforce.The intelligence gathering he'd described was basically spying. Invading privacy to gain competitive advantage. Legal maybe, but ethically questionable.And the investors with money from dubious sources. Even if he didn't know at first, he'd figur

Callum's POV:The emergency board meeting Thursday afternoon was brutal.We gathered in the main conference room. All fifteen board members present and the tension was suffocating.Robert Hayes opened the meeting."We're here to discuss the article published yesterday and its implications for Thorne Industries. Several board members have expressed concerns about legal liability and reputation damage stemming from Callum's past business practices."Thomas Morrison, one of the older board members, spoke up immediately."The article details destruction of competitors. Questionable investor relationships. Intelligence gathering that bordered on corporate espionage. These aren't minor ethical lapses.""They're also from fifteen years ago," Richard Hayes countered. "Before most of us joined this board. The question isn't whether young Callum made aggressive decisions. The question is whether current Callum and current Thorne Industries operate ethically.""The past matters when it exposes u