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All Chapters of You Buried Your Wife, Mr. Hayes. Now Beg.: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

71 Chapters

The clause

Seraphine POV Two days later, Adrian's secretary sent over the full financial disclosure on Hayes Industries, and I had Diego go through every page of it before I even looked at the numbers myself. "This is really impressive," he said, sliding the folder across the table toward me. "I know," I said, flipping it open and scanning the first summary sheet. "I guess that's how he's managed to stay on top despite the amount of clients and investors we've already taken from them." "So what's the plan now?" "Nothing for now," I said, closing the folder again. "I already have Marcus drawing up a contract for us to sign. Him especially." "What kind of contract is that?" he asked, leaning forward slightly. I smirked, letting the silence stretch just long enough to make him wait for it. "Do you think I was that nice? That I actually wanted to partner with the very man who ruined me?" His brows rose. "No?" "Good," I said. "Because you'd be wrong if you thought that." "Then what is it?" h

None of them are optional

Seraphine POV "Hey girl." I winced as Alice, Diego's sister and my closest and apparently only friend, shouted through the phone loud enough that I had to pull it away from my ear. "Omggg, it's too early for this," I said, rubbing my eyes and squinting at the sunlight already pouring through my curtains. "Oops, sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all. "What is it, Alice? Why did you call so early?" I asked, propping myself up against the headboard. "Well, it's the weekend, and you're not working, so I thought we could hang out. You know, go to the mall, shop a little, have brunch or dinner together. The usual." I groaned internally, because Alice was a shopaholic in the truest sense of the word. Once she started, she didn't stop until we'd been through every single store in the mall, and I dreaded it every time. "I don't know," I said, already trying to find a way out. "I've got a lot going on this week, Alice." "You always have a lot going on," she said, her voice shifting into

Ten out of ten

Seraphine POV The mall was already busy by the time we walked in, the food court smell of cinnamon and fried dough hitting us the second the doors slid open. "Okay, first stop," Alice said, tugging my arm toward the escalator, "that new boutique on the second floor. They just got a whole new collection in, and I already scoped it out online last night." "Of course you did." "I'm thorough," she said. "It's a skill." We spent the next hour weaving through racks of clothes while Alice held up option after option against her body, spinning in front of every mirror like she was auditioning for something. "This one," she said, holding up a bright yellow dress. "Or this one." She grabbed a second dress off the rack, deep green with gold buttons. "The green one," I said without hesitation. "You didn't even think about it." "I don't need to think about it. The green one is better on you." "Fine, fine, trust the fashion expert," she said, though she was already draping both over her ar

Big day Monday

Seraphine POV "Send a message to Hayes Industries for a meeting on Monday morning, eight am sharp," I said to my assistant, Bella, over the phone. "Alright, ma'am," she said, and I could hear her already typing. "Should I specify a location? Their office or ours?" "Ours," I said. "I want him walking into my building, not the other way around." "Understood, ma'am. Anything else?" "That's all for tonight."I said "Goodnight, ma'am." "Goodnight, Bella." Cutting the call, I headed to my bathroom, dropped my robe, and sank into a warm, relaxing bath, letting the heat work slowly into muscles that had spent the entire day carrying shopping bags I never agreed to carry. "Gosh, Alice almost killed me," I muttered to myself, tilting my head back against the edge of the tub. "I'm so exhausted." I must have dozed off somewhere in the middle of my own complaining, because the next thing I registered was my phone buzzing loudly against the tile floor, Diego's name lighting up the screen o

Would you like to go to dinner with me?

Seraphine POV "Mr. Hayes." I got up to shake his hand and the hands of his subordinates as they filed in behind him. "Sorry for keeping you waiting." "It's no problem," he said, though the tightness around his jaw said otherwise. It was so obvious he was pissed off, the muscle in his cheek working like he was chewing on words he wasn't allowed to say out loud in front of his own team. Good, I thought. Let him sit with it. "Okay, let's get down to business," I said, gesturing for everyone to take their seats around the long conference table. Bella came in a moment later with a tray, setting a cup of coffee in front of each person before quietly distributing the contracts around the table, one thick folder per person, mine already sitting neatly at the head of the table. "Please, take your time reading through everything," I said, folding my hands in front of me. "I don't rush partnerships. Not ones this significant." They took their sweet time doing exactly that, pages turning sl

To new partnerships

Seraphine POV "I'll be a bit late tonight, babe. I have some late night work to do at the office, but once I'm done, I'll come straight to you, and we can celebrate, my love." I heard Adrian say as I slowly approached the table. I made sure to stay quiet enough that he wouldn't notice me standing behind him, listening as he lied straight through his teeth to Mira on the phone. It made me wonder how many times he must have said those exact words to me, back when I was still his wife, back when I believed every single excuse he handed me on his way out the door to spend the night with her instead. I almost laughed at the irony of it. Now, it seemed, he was doing the very same thing to Mira that he used to do to me. The joy that settled quietly in my chest at that thought surprised even me. How the tables turn. "Alright, baby. Love you," he said, and ended the call. The moment I saw him slide the phone into his jacket pocket, I timed my steps to make it look like I was only just arr

What the hell?!

Seraphine POV "Thanks for dinner," I said as he walked me out toward the parking lot, the cool night air a relief after the heat of the restaurant. "It's no problem," he said, still giving me that intense gaze I remembered far too well from years ago. "I hope we can do this again. I really enjoyed your company." "Yeah," I said, rolling my eyes internally while keeping my expression perfectly pleasant on the outside. He walked me all the way to my car, and just when I thought he was finally about to say goodnight and leave, he reached out and grabbed my waist, pulling me slightly toward him and kissing me on the cheek. What the hell? Before I could react in any way, push him back, say something sharp, anything, he'd already stepped away, smiling like he hadn't just done something completely uninvited. "Goodnight, Seraphine," he said, and walked off toward his own car without waiting for a response. I stood frozen beside my car, watching him drive off, one hand raised in an easy

Falling for her?

Adrian POV "Hey, baby." Mira hugged me the second I walked through the door, her arms sliding around my neck before I'd even set my keys down. "Hi, my love," I said, hugging her back and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I missed you," she whispered, smiling as her hands traced slowly down my chest. "Baby, calm down," I said, gently catching her wrists. "I'm exhausted from work and everything else today." She sighed, pouting up at me. "I know, love. Long day at the office?" "Longer than you'd think," I said, already thinking about the dinner I wasn't planning on mentioning. "Let me shower first, then we can celebrate with a little wine. How about that?" Her whole face lit up. "Yes, I'd love that." I headed upstairs, undressed, and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water pour over my head. I couldn't help but think about Seraphine, the way she'd looked across that candlelit table, the way she'd smiled at me like she found me at least slightly amusing rather than complete

An escape route

Seraphine POV "Ma'am, you have a meeting with the Arabian investors by two pm," Bella said, poking her head into my office. "Oh, okay," I said, glancing up from the report on my desk. "Let me know once they're around." "Alright, ma," Bella responded, closing the door softly behind her. Twenty minutes later, my phone rang, and I picked it up without bothering to check who it was, my mind still half buried in the numbers in front of me. "Good afternoon, Miss Vale," the voice on the other end said, smooth and deliberately pleasant. "Good afternoon," I said, sitting up a little straighter. "Please, who's this?" "It's Mrs. Mira Hayes." I almost laughed out loud at her use of Mrs. Hayes, like the title itself was something she'd earned rather than stolen off someone else's back. "How did you get my number?" I asked, though I already suspected her worthless private investigator wasn't quite so useless after all. At least he'd managed to get my number to her. Still, I wanted to see ex

Saturday of the party

Seraphine POV It was finally the Saturday of the party, and I was so close to changing my mind. "I can't believe I agreed to go to this party when I could have been sleeping my whole stressful week off," I said, sitting on the edge of my bed as I slid my feet into a pair of Louie Vuitton red bottom heels. "Well, too late to change your mind now," Alice said through the phone, her voice muffled slightly like she had me on speaker while doing something else at the same time. "Yeah, yeah. I'll pick you up in ten to twenty minutes. Be outside." "I've heard you," she said, already hanging up before I could add anything else. Once my glam team finished with my hair and makeup, they packed up their kits and left, and I walked over to the full length mirror in my closet, taking in the finished look for the first time. A deep black gown clung to every curve, the fabric catching the light with each small movement, a slit cutting high along one leg, the neckline plunging low enough to draw

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