G15
I pressed closer to Leo, feeling his heart hammer against my back. Around us, the warehouse had become a war zone – muzzle flashes lighting up the shadows, the air thick with gunsmoke and tension.
“Your empire,” I whispered. “Everything you’ve built…”
“Can be rebuilt.” Leo’s voice was fierce against my ear. “You and our child are what matter
now.”
The word ‘our‘ sent warmth through my chest despite the chaos, But Nathaniel’s next words froze the blood in my veins.
“Did Leo tell you about Dubai?” Nathaniel’s voice echoed through the warehouse. “About
what really happened to your father’s business partner?”
My muscles tensed. Papa had never explained why Marcus disappeared after that deal fell through. He’d changed the subject whenever I asked, his face clouding with something that
looked like fear.
Leo’s grip tightened on my waist. “He’s trying to get in your head.”
“I have proof, Victoria!” Concrete crunched under boots as Nathaniel’s men moved closer. “The security footage, the wire transfers – all of it. Your precious Leo orchestrated the whole thing. Ask him why!”
I twisted in Leo’s arms, searching his face in the dim light. His jaw clenched, shadows dancing across features I’d grown to trust. To love.
“Marcus threatened to expose something.” Leo’s words came low and fast. “Something that would have destroyed your father, gotten him killed. I did what I had to do.”
“Did you…” The question stuck in my throat.
“No. I got him out of the country, set him up with a new identity. He’s alive, Victoria. I
couldn’t let an innocent man die, even to protect our interests.”
Relief flooded through me. Even then, before he knew me, he’d chosen mercy over power. I pressed my palm against his cheek, feeling the tension in his jaw.
“Still hiding behind Leo, Victoria? Just like you hid behind me?” His voice echoed through
the warehouse. “Tell me, does he know about Paris? About what really happened there three
years ago?”
Leo’s body tensed against mine. “Victoria?” “He’s lying,” I said quickly. “I’ve never even been
to Paris.”
But Nathaniel’s laugh carried through the smoke. “Oh, but you have. Remember that summer before we married? When Daddy caught you embezzling from the company?”
My heart stopped. How did he know? I’d been so careful, covered my tracks so well. Event my father had believed my explanation about the missing funds. “Your father was going to
press chames” Nathaniel continuar
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Fn, 21 Feb
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Many My Ex him and a Hal
press charges,” Nathaniel continued.
“But I convinced him to let me handle it quietly. To protect the family name.” A pause. “That’s how we really met, isn’t it, darling? Not at that charity gala like we told everyone.” Leo’s hand tightened on my arm. “Is this true?”
I swallowed hard, the truth clawing its way out after years of silence. “The money was for my mother’s cancer treatments. Insurance wouldn’t cover the experimental therapy, and Dad was too proud to help. He said we had to accept God’s will.”
My hands shook as memories flooded back the desperate late–night research, the overseas calls to specialists, the quiet terror in my mother’s eyes. “I paid it all back, every cent. But Nathaniel… he said he’d keep my secret if I married him. Said he’d make sure Mom got the best care.
“And did she?” Leo’s voice was carefully neutral, but his grip on me never wavered.
“She died anyway.” The memory still felt like broken glass in my throat. “Six months after the wedding. Nathaniel said it was too late for the treatments by then.”
A sob caught in my chest. All those years of carrying this weight alone, of wondering if I’d made the right choice. If I’d sold my soul for nothing. Leo’s thumb brushed away a tear I hadn’t realized had fallen.
Understanding hit me like a punch to the gut. “He never intended to help her, did he? He just wanted leverage over my father’s company.”
“Finally figuring it out?” Nathaniel’s voice rang with smug satisfaction. “I needed a way into your father’s business. You provided it beautifully.”
Rage burned through my veins, replacing the shame that had lived there for years. All this time, I’d carried the weight of that theft, believing I’d at least tried to save my mother. But it had all been part of Nathaniel’s calculated game.
“You son of a bitch.” The words ripped from my throat. “You watched her die. Watched met grieve. All for your precious business deals?”
“It was nothing personal.” His voice dripped with false sympathy. “Just good strategy. The same strategy I’m using now.”
A small red dot appeared on Leo’s chest, and my heart stopped. The sniper’s laser sight glowed like a deadly star against his dark suit.
die.”
“Your choice, Victoria,” Nathaniel called out. “Surrender now, or watch another man you love
–
Time crystallized around me. I turned to Leo, drinking in every detail of his face the sharp line of his jaw, the fierce protectiveness in his dark eyes, the slight curve of his lips even in the face of danger.
“I love you,” I whispered.
Then I stepped out from behind the pillar, my hands raised in surrender.
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Marry My Ex–husband’s Rival
11%0
“Victoria, no!” Leo’s voice held raw panic.
“Well, well.” Nathaniel emerged from the shadows, immaculate in his designer suit. “The
prodigal wife returns.”
“Let them go,” I said, my voice steady despite my pounding heart. “You have me now.”
Nathaniel’s smile was all predator. “You’re in no position to negotiate, darling.” He gestured,
and armed men surrounded me. “But don’t worry. I’ll let Leo live long enough to watch what happens next.”
As rough hands grabbed my arms, I caught Leo’s eyes one last time. In that moment, I
prayed he understood what I couldn’t say aloud that this wasn’t surrender.
It was strategy.
–
—
My fingers brushed against the small transmitter Sofia had pressed into my palm earlier. Three clicks would signal her team. Four would trigger the warehouse’s sprinkler system and short out the laser sights on their rifles.
Nathaniel’s men forced me to my knees, their grips bruising. Behind me, I heard Leo struggling, the sound of fists meeting flesh.
“Comfortable?” Nathaniel circled me like a shark. “I’ve waited so long for this reunion.” His hand gripped my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “Did you really think you could hide from me forever?”
I met his gaze, letting him see the fear he expected. Let him think he’d won. Let him get closer.
The transmitter warmed against my palm as I positioned my thumb over the button. Three clicks or four? The choice would determine who lived and who died in the next thirty seconds. Nathaniel leaned down, his breath hot against my ear. “I’m going to enjoy making you pay for every day you were gone.”
22:44 Fri, 21 Feb
Many My Ex busti
