All Chapters of The CEO’s Ex-Wife Became a Billionaire: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

POV: AdrianAdrian had spent the entire night refusing to say Elena's name aloud.He had said it once.Only once.After that, he forced himself back into numbers.Numbers were safer.Numbers didn't betray you.Numbers didn't leave handwritten letters in empty bedrooms.Numbers didn't look at you with tired eyes and say, I needed you to tell me the truth.He sat alone in his office as the city woke outside the glass windows.Meridian was gone.Laurent Holdings had taken it.And the strategy used to win the auction had Elena's fingerprints all over it.But suspicion wasn't proof.Adrian needed evidence.At 7:12 a.m., Daniel walked into the office carrying a black folder.He looked like a man who hadn't slept.Adrian immediately knew.“You found her.”Daniel closed the door.“We found the investor.”Adrian's heart stopped for half a second.“Who?”Daniel didn't answer immediately.Instead, he placed the folder on the desk.“There are several layers.”“Forget the layers.”Adrian's voice h

Elena’s POV“He says it concerns your grandfather.”Elena stopped breathing.Her expression changed before she could stop it.Adrian Vale had asked her to meet him at one of the most expensive restaurants in the city, a place where the walls were covered in dark walnut panels and the waiters moved as quietly as ghosts. The kind of restaurant where politicians whispered over twelve-course dinners and businessmen destroyed fortunes without raising their voices.She had expected manipulation.A threat.Perhaps another attempt to buy her silence.She had not expected much.Alexander Laurent had been dead for eleven years, but his name still had the power to tighten something deep inside her chest.Elena stepped into the private dining room.Adrian was already there.He stood beside the window, one hand in his trouser pocket, the other resting against the glass. Below them, traffic crawled through the city like streams of red and white light.He turned.For several seconds, neither spoke.

Margaret’s POVMargaret Vale had never trusted the news.News, in her opinion, was a marketplace for gossip dressed in expensive language.But that morning, as she scrolled through her phone, one headline made her thumb freeze.THE WOMAN WHO MAY DESTROY ADRIAN VALEHer eyes narrowed.She tapped the headline.Elena's photograph filled the screen.It was the same photograph that had appeared beside several articles circulating online; Elena standing confidently in front of Laurent Holdings, her expression calm, almost defiant.Margaret's heart tightened.“Elena.”The name left her mouth like a curse.She immediately called out.“Rose!”Her housekeeper hurried into the room.“Yes, ma’am?”“Turn on the television. Now.”Rose reached for the remote.“Which channel?”“Any news channel. I want to know whether this nonsense is true.”The television flickered to life.For a moment, there was an advertisement.Then the screen changed.A red banner flashed across the bottom.BREAKING NEWS.Marga

Elena’s POVThe ringing phone continued in the darkness.Once.Twice.Three times.Elena couldn't breathe.“Jonathan?” she whispered.Marcus raised one hand, warning her not to move.The emergency lights flick once before dying again.Then the voice came from behind the door.“Elena, open the door.”It was Jonathan.She knew his voice.She knew the slight roughness that appeared whenever he was angry or frightened.But something wasn't right.“How did you get here?” she called.Silence.Then—“Just open the door.”Marcus leaned closer to her.“Don't.”Elena looked at him.“That’s my assistant.”“And if it is?”She stared at him.Marcus's eyes remained fixed on the door.“That's exactly what worries me.”The handle moved.Elena stepped backward.Then Marcus's phone vibrated.He pulled it from his pocket.The screen illuminated his face.He stared at it.“What?”“What is it?” Elena whispered.Marcus turned the phone toward her.A message from Jonathan.DON'T OPEN THE DOOR. I'M NOT THERE

Adrian’s POV Margaret’s smile unsettled him. It wasn't the warm smile of a mother trying to protect her son. It was sharper than that, too calm, too deliberate. “Oh, Adrian.” She said his name as though she had already won. Adrian stared at her. “What is that supposed to mean?” Margaret folded her arms. “It means you’re making this harder than it needs to be.” “You’re the one who came here accusing Elena of things you can’t prove.” “I don't need a courtroom to know when a woman is bad for my son.” “That’s not an answer.” Margaret sighed dramatically. “You’ve always been stubborn.” “And you’ve always expected me to believe you without questions.” Her expression hardened for half a second before the sweetness returned. “I’m your mother.” “And Elena is a woman I respect.” The words hung between them. Margaret's mouth tightened. Then she laughed softly. “Respect?” Adrian's eyes narrowed. “Yes. Respect.” “You call what she’s doing to you respect?” “What exactly is