All Chapters of He Cheats, And I Cheated Right Back : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

POV: AvaSharon blinked at the question like she hadn't expected me to remember, let alone care."My glutathione appointment," she said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin like she hadn't been crying two minutes ago."Thursday. Same clinic as always, the one on Warrender Street. Why do you ask?""No reason," I said, keeping my voice soft and slightly worried, the exact tone she'd trained into me over six months of pretending to care about my cholesterol."I just know how much it matters to you. You always look so radiant after your shots. I thought maybe I could book you in earlier, given everything you've been through tonight. Stress ages the skin, doesn't it?"I paused before adding, "And maybe I could book an appointment just to accompany you, Sharon."I held her hand and looked into her eyes, smiling so warmly that it hurt the side of my mouth.My God!Even I was shocked by my own performance."Sharon..." I said gently, keeping my voice calm."You have been so nice to me since you

POV: AvaThe elevator doors opened onto the executive floor and Rosa was already waiting, all sharp cheekbones and a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She stepped forward, her hand landing on Dillan's forearm with a familiarity that made my stomach turn."Dillan," she purred, leaning in close enough that her perfume wrapped around us both. "I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me."Sharon's spine went rigid beside me. I watched her fingers curl into fists at her sides, knuckles going white against the fabric of her sensible navy dress. The dress she'd picked out for herself, of course. Professional. Appropriate. Everything mine wasn't."Rosa." Dillan's voice dropped to match hers, low and intimate. "You know I could never forget you."The secretary's laugh was a tinkling thing, practiced and precise. "That's what you said last time, and then you disappeared for months. I had to hear about your little presentation from the board minutes."Sharon stepped forward, inserting hers

POV: AvaI looked up at him, wondering what he meant by that. His eyes met mine for a brief second, just before the third message buzzed on my phone."You know exactly what I mean." IMy heart slams against my sternum. Is this punishment For leaving his side without his permission, why is he changing my plans, what about my company, has he forgotten about my plans to get back my company?I was still thinking about all this when Dillan rises from his seat and crosses to the presentation floor. The room quiets. He clears his throat, adjusts his tie, and begins another round of apologies."Thank you for this opportunity to present again. Last time's failure was a result of technical issues, not our product. The app is fully functional. I'd like a second look at it by our IT specialist Ava and..." Marcus stands immediately."You had your chance on that project, and you blew it. Keller Group does not give second chances to anyone. Either you present something new, or you get escorted out o

POV: AvaHe gestured, and security moved in immediately, grabbing both Dillan and Sharon and hauling them roughly toward the exit.Dillan broke free somehow and scrambled back to the front of the room, actually dropping to his knees in front of the board."I'm not asking for money, Mr. Keller. Just a few days to finish the prototype and come back and present it properly. This wasn't the presentation we prepared for today, Ava ruined everything for us. Please, just one more chance. I can have it ready by next weekend. One week. That's all I'm asking."I stood there watching, almost too stunned to process it. Proud, arrogant Dillan, on his knees, begging in front of a room full of strangers. I'd never seen anything like it in ten years of marriage. He must have wanted this deal more than I'd ever fully understood.Too bad, I thought. Too bad you're out of chances.This was his second failure this week alone. I doubted Keller Group handed out third chances for anything.I actually smiled

POV: DominicThe new project Dillan is about to present next week is a project my father worked on before he was murdered for it.It wasn't some standard tech upgrade or an innovative piece of consumer software. It was the Aetheris Ledger, a weaponized, military-grade cyber-device disguised as a quantum-processing mainframe. My father had built it to be the ultimate tool of asymmetric warfare, an invention capable of completely dismantling a country's central banking system in minutes, while silently siphoning billions of dollars entirely off the grid, leaving absolutely no forensic trace behind.When he realized how dangerous it truly was, how easily it could fall into the wrong hands, he tried to bury it. They killed him for a prototype that wasn't even finished.Now Dillan was parading around with a ghost story, trying to use my father's blood-soaked legacy to buy himself a seat at my table.I watched Ava turn and walk out of my office, the door clicking shut behind her. The warmth