All Chapters of The Wife He Used as a Scapegoat : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

~ Isabella ~The shiny black glass of the Vanguard Capital boardroom table reflected the bright lights above. I stood at the head of the room, smoothing down the front of my sharp gray blazer. The fabric felt stiff, like a clean sheet of metal protecting my chest. I looked at the twelve men and women sitting around the long table. They all wore expensive dark suits, and they all stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths. Alistair Vance sat to my right. He looked calm, crossing his arms and leaning back in his leather chair. He cleared his throat loudly. The noise echoed off the dark steel walls of the room. "Everyone," Alistair said, pointing his pen toward me. "This is Isabella Hart. She is your new Chief Executive Officer." A man near the middle of the table dropped his silver pen. It made a loud clink against the glass. "Mr. Vance, this is a joke, right? This woman just got out of federal prison. The news media called her a thief. How can she lead Vanguard Capital?" I did not

~ Isabella ~The large windows of my Tribeca loft showed the dark New York skyline. I did not turn on the overhead lights. The only brightness came from the blue and green lamps on my computer towers. The large metal boxes sat in the corner of the room, making a low, steady hum as they kept my private servers safe. The sound was constant. It filled the empty space and kept me awake.I sat on a hard black leather chair, looking at my hands. A few hours ago, those hands had held a microphone at a huge press conference. I had stood in front of fifty reporters. I had looked into the bright television cameras and told the world that Vanguard Capital now owned Zenith Corp. I had taken Nathan’s biggest competitor. He must have heard the news by now. I believe he won't believe his eyes when he sees the woman he betrayed turns out to be a strategist business tycoon.When I smiled for the cameras, my face felt like a tight mask. Now, sitting alone in the dark, the mask was gone. My chest felt t

~ Isabella ~The vanity mirror in my Tribeca loft reflected a stranger.I sat in the silence for a long time, watching the city lights blink outside my window. Getting ready for this sudden gala wasn't about vanity—it was about armor. A lot of billionaires will be there, of course, Nathan will be there. I didn't reach for the diamonds or the flashy, desperate colors the Wolfe's loved. Instead, I chose a simple, structural black dress that felt like a second skin.I pulled my hair back tight—not a single strand out of place—and stared at my reflection until the woman staring back looked as cold and precise as the numbers I used to dismantle Nathan's empire. I wasn't going there to be a trophy or a wife. I was going there to be an event.My security team waited in the hallway, their presence a silent, heavy weight of power. I took one last breath of the cool, empty air in my loft, smoothed my dress, and stepped out. The ghosts of the gala were waiting, but I was the only one in the room

~ Isabella ~"The cargo ships are ready to change course," Maya said, tapping the large screen on the black wall.I looked up from my side of the long steel table. The room inside Vanguard Capital HQ was completely quiet except for the low hum of the servers. The bright glass screen showed a map of the ocean. Five glowing blue dots moved slowly across the digital water. Those dots were the primary supply ships for Wolfe Enterprises. They carried the raw materials Nathan needed to build his global empire."Are the directors of the shipping lines on the secure video call?" I asked. My voice sounded smooth, clear, and perfectly calm."They are waiting for you now, Boss," Maya replied. She pushed a button on her tablet.Five faces appeared on the screen, replacing the map. They were older men in expensive gray suits. They looked nervous. They kept shifting in their chairs and looking at each other through their cameras. They knew who I was. They knew I used to be Nathan Wolfe's wife, and

~ Isabella ~My office at Vanguard Capital HQ was my ultimate safe place. Everyone called my executive floor The Fortress. The wide room was built with exposed dark steel and unyielding concrete walls. There were no soft rugs on the floor. There were no bright paintings. There was a total absence of sentimental memorabilia. I designed it this way on purpose. I needed a space of independent, rebuilt safety.I sat alone in my large black leather chair. The building was mostly empty because it was late at night. I looked at the bright computer screen. I was tracking the massive stock drops hitting Wolfe Enterprises. The numbers on my screen glowed green and red. The room was perfectly quiet. My private encrypted servers hummed a low, steady sound in the corner.Suddenly, a small red light flashed on my desk panel. A sharp beep echoed in the quiet room. Someone was outside my door.Standard corporate channels did not allow anyone up to my floor without a strict appointment. My secretary