Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

Victoria’s POV My penthouse overlooked Manhattan like a throne above the city, towering high enough to make the people below look insignificant. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, thousands of lights shimmered against the darkness like scattered diamonds while the distant hum of traffic drifted faintly through the glass. The city was alive. I felt nothing. I stood motionless before the glass, a crystal wineglass resting loosely between my fingers. The deep crimson liquid caught the glow of the city, yet I hadn’t taken more than a single sip. Most people would have called this view breathtaking. To me, it was simply another reminder that Adrian Blackwood was still out there… still breathing, still rebuilding everything I had once believed belonged to us. Every new skyscraper bearing his company’s name, every headline praising his success, every whisper about Aurelius Group rising from the ashes felt like another knife twisting slowly beneath my ribs. A soft knock echoed through

Adrian’s POV The restaurant remained just as crowded after Victoria left, yet it felt as though every sound had been swallowed by the envelope resting between Ava and I. The quiet conversation around us faded into meaningless noise, while my eyes remained fixed on the cream-colored document she had left behind. Ava hadn’t touched her food. Neither had I. “You should open it,” she said softly. Her voice pulling me from my thoughts. Without replying, I reached across the table and slid a finger beneath the seal. The paper gave way with a faint tear that sounded far louder than it should have. I unfolded the documents slowly, already expecting another one of Victoria’s games. But when she had said unfinished business, I couldn’t think of any business we had until I opened the first page. A legal notice. I skimmed the first paragraph, then the second. By the time I reached the final page, my jaw had locked so tightly it hurt. “What is it?” Ava asked. I didn’t answer instead

Adrian’s POV The boardroom had become a battlefield. There were no raised voices or slammed fists. Only contracts, shareholder agreements, valuation reports, and lawyers prepared to argue over every sentence. Victoria sat across from me, impeccably dressed in charcoal gray, her expression calm as though we were discussing next quarter’s earnings instead of dismantling the company I’d spent years rebuilding. My legal counsel slid another document across the table. “Based on the divorce settlement,” my attorney began, “Mrs. Blackwood has filed to enforce the ownership interest reserved under the original agreement. Her initial claim is forty percent of Blackwood Holdings.” The words landed like a hammer. Forty percent. Not a controlling stake. But enough to paralyze every major decision the company made. “Our position,” Victoria’s attorney said evenly, “is that the agreement was never fully honored. Mrs. Blackwood is entitled to the entire forty percent.” My attorn

Adrian’s POV The rain had eased into a light drizzle by the time I pulled into the underground parking garage of Ava’s apartment building. I killed the engine but remained seated, my hands still resting on the steering wheel. What exactly was I going to say? I could feel my pulse changing. Yet standing outside Ava Sinclair’s apartment felt infinitely more daunting than facing a room full of hostile shareholders. With a quiet sigh, I stepped out into the cool evening air and crossed the lobby. The concierge looked up from his desk and offered a polite smile of recognition. “Good evening, Mr. Blackwood.” I returned the greeting with a brief nod before making my way to the elevator. Each floor seemed to pass slower than the last. By the time the doors slid open, my heartbeat had become impossible to ignore. The hallway was quiet, illuminated by soft amber lights that cast long shadows across the polished floor. I stopped outside her apartment, warm light glowed beneat

Victoria’s POV The first move had gone exactly as planned but not perfectly. Adrian had fought every clause my lawyers presented. Every valuation. Every percentage. Every condition attached to the settlement. But none of that had mattered. He had still been forced to sit across from me. Day after day, hour after hour. Exactly where I wanted him. The newspapers called it negotiations, the board called it restructuring. The lawyers termed it enforcing a delayed settlement agreement. But to me it something else. A reminder. A reminder that no matter how many years had passed, no matter how successful Adrian Blackwood had become, there were still pieces of his life that belonged to me. The shares were never the prize, they were simply the key that unlocked every door I’d been shut out of. Now I could walk into Blackwood Holdings whenever I pleased. Attend board meetings, review reports, request financial disclosures. Demand meetings with Adrian himself. Legally, wi