NADIA

My hand trembled as I read the words printed on the papers over and over again. Slowly, they blurred as tears pooled in my eyes.

“B-But why?” I whispered, looking up at Killian as a tear dropped down my cheek.

He shrugged nonchalantly, refusing to meet my gaze.

My eyes closed. “N-No, no. There… this has to be a mistake. There's no way he'd do this to me.”

“Nadi.” I paused, meeting his gaze as the old nickname slipped out in a soft whisper. “He signed it already.”

Frantically, I flipped through the papers and found a total of five signatures. Elias signatures.

“He said you have twenty-four hours to sign them before the lawyer comes to pick them up.”

“Stop it!” I screeched, glaring at Killian. If my eyes could shoot lasers, he'd be dust right now. “I don't want to hear his words from you!”

I yanked out my phone, angrily swiping through my contacts for his number. “I want to hear him say those words to me himself!” I whispered harshly.

His phone rang for a few seconds before he disconnected it.

I huffed, trying again and angrily wiping away my tears.

The same thing happened. My fingers tightened around the phone and I tried three more times until the call no longer connected.

He blocked me.

“Nadia.”

I looked at Killian and saw him staring at his phone, his brows pulled tight and his lips stretched thin.

When he looked up, his eyes held a spark of anger and concern in them.

“He won't pick up.”

I blinked, staring at his phone screen where Elias message was displayed.

Tell her to quit calling me. All I want are her signatures on those papers.

“Honestly, you should have seen this coming.” Killian sighed. “There's a clause. You can stay in the house, pretend everything's fine until he marries Chloe.”

“Chloe?” I muttered. For a moment, the dining room was silent until my head tilted backward and a laugh so dark and empty rang out from my lips.

My husband of ten years was divorcing me to get married to his secretary?!

“No.” I chuckled, throwing the papers on the table. “I'm not signing it.”

I turned to leave, muttering under my breath, “There's no way I'm signing it.”

“This isn't something you can avoid. He's already moved on.”

“I don't care!” I swung around and yelled at Killian. “That doesn't change anything. I've been married to him for ten fucking years. The least he can do is say it to my face that he wants to divorce me to marry that slut of his!”

“Wasn't I good enough?” The tears rolled now, uncontrollably, and so did my rage. I wanted to murder someone.

“I gave him everything! He's old enough to be my father, and yet he married me, and I gave him everything! My life, my heart, my soul, my body!” My body shook, my veins strained against my neck from how hard I screamed.

“I trusted him.” My voice broke. “Ten years! He wasted ten good years of my life! Plucked me out of my family like some helpless chick, only to use me and dump me once he found someone better. Screw him! Screw her! Screw all of you!”

I spun around and dashed to my room. I slammed the door shut behind me, causing my room to rattle from the force.

I collapsed facedown on my bed, and for the first time in a long time, I cried my soul out.

***

I had no idea how many hours had flown by when the sound of my door creaking open finally pierced through the quiet air.

I continued to stare into space, paying whoever it was that walked into my room no mind. I was broken, shattered beyond words.

“Nadia,” Killian’s low, soft voice sounded in the air. I felt the bed dip at my feet, but I ignored him.

“I won't pretend to know how you feel, but I can at least sympathize with you. You're… a sweet soul, and my father deserves to rot in hell for what he did to you. He has no right—”

“Killian, please.” I cut him off, unable to bear the words that escaped him like he'd practiced them over and over again. “I just want to be left alone.”

He sighed. “I'm clearly very bad at this, so I'll go straight to the point.”

I heard him adjust himself on the bed.

“Are you seriously going to let him do that to you?”

I blinked, slowly turning to stare at him. “What?”

“I'm asking if you're going to let Elias and Chloe walk all over you just because…”

I scoffed with disbelief. “You sound like I have a choice to oppose this divorce.”

“Oppose it? Hell, I want you to accept it and make him wish he'd never even looked your way from the start. I want you to seize this opportunity to make him hurt like he hurt you, to make them regret ever treating you like you were disposable.”

I straightened up, his words sending a jolt of life through me. “How?”

“Easy. Attack him where it would hurt most. Destroy everything he's ever worked for, snatch it from right under his feet, and watch him scramble helplessly, unable to do anything.” His eyebrows slanted, and his eyes glinted with undiluted fury.

“Why cry over what he took from you… when you could take something back?”

The only thing Elias loved more than his life was…

“His company? You want me to destroy his company?” I asked with a shocked frown. “But I don't know the first thing about destroying a company.”

“That's why you have me. Join me, and let's show him what hell really looks like.”

“You're just trying to use me.” I scowled. Killian hated his father — that wasn't news to me — but hiding behind wanting to help me didn't sit well with me.

“And I'm offering myself to be used.” He smirked.

I held his gaze for longer than three seconds, studying him. And then I straightened, damning it all.

“What do I get in return?”

Killian’s eyes lit up like a bulb, his lips spreading into a cunning smirk. “Now you're talking.”

NADIA

“Yes.” The words left my mouth before I could hesitate. “I'll work with you. I'll do it.”

Killian’s lips curled into a slow smile, satisfaction blazing in his eyes. “You made the right choice,” he said, and I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine.

His sharp, calculating gaze had morphed into something else—something that made goosebumps appear on my skin and made me feel warm all at the same time.

“So,” I cleared my throat, “how do we start?”

“Start?” he asked.

“Yes. How do we go about destroying Elias?” The word sounded so foreign on my tongue. I went from aching for his attention and affection to wanting to ruin him in three seconds.

Killian chuckled, waving a finger in the air. “We’re not destroying him, Nady.”

There it was again—that silly nickname that did things to me. Then his words hit me. “We’re not?” I arched an eyebrow.

He shook his head with a lazy smile. “No. We’re dismantling him. Slowly and painfully. And by the time he finally realizes what’s going on, there’ll be nothing left to save. Besides,” he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, “it’s more fun.”

The wicked gleam in his eyes should have scared me. Instead, it pulled me closer, making me tilt my head at him.

“You really hate your old man, don’t you?” I asked softly, and those sharp, rageful eyes darted to me.

“I’m hoping you feel the same way too,” he answered, shooting to his feet. “Come on.” He gestured with his finger and walked out of my bedroom door.

Do I? I doubted it. No matter what Elias had done to me, my hatred and anger couldn’t come close to that of Killian.

A sliver of fear shot through me. Would I be able to escape this arrangement unscathed?

I swung my legs off the bed and hurried toward the door, walking twice as fast just to catch up with him.

Killian stood at the base of the stairs waiting for me as I approached. Just when I got to him, his hand shot out. I stared at it cautiously, as if waiting for a venomous snake to jump out and strike me.

Not that he wasn’t capable of doing that.

My hand shook slightly as I placed it in his. His grip tightened around it, but not hard enough to hurt.

He pulled me along until we reached Elias private study. He held the doorknob and pushed the door open before letting me inside.

My gaze roamed the sturdy study, noting the shelves lining the walls, filled with books—all non-fiction—neatly arranged.

The walls and tables shared the same deep brown colour. A black revolving chair sat in front of the desk, facing the door.

“What are we doing here?” I asked as Killian walked up to the table.

“I want to show you something. And this room, as ironic as it sounds, is the best place for us to have this discussion.”

My brows furrowed. “Here?”

He turned to face me with a narrowed gaze. “You’ve never been here, have you?”

I shook my head. “It’s off-limits to me. It was one of his rules when we first got married, and I’ve obeyed it every single day for the past ten years—until now.”

“Hmm. Interesting.” Before I could ask what he meant, Killian continued, “The walls of this room are padded. In other words, it’s soundproof.”

He tapped on his phone screen and handed it to me. It was a news article with no date or signature.

FORMER EMPLOYEE FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST HAWTHORNE INDUSTRIES OVER WORKPLACE MISCONDUCT COVER-UP

My brows drew together. “What is this?”

“An unpublished news article that’s scheduled to be released in… the next six hours.”

“I don’t understand.”

“A senior executive was accused of harassment by multiple employees—both male and female.” He tucked one hand into his pocket while the other gestured animatedly in the air.

“Suddenly, complaints stopped, and settlements were made to cover up the issue. The man was never fired. Instead, he had more ground to continue his reckless behavior. But this time, no one complained—they didn’t dare to.”

A part of me already knew the answer before I asked. “Did he know?”

“Not only that. He approved the settlements.”

I stared at the news article again. “Why now? If they were too scared to go against the company five years ago, why are they doing it now?”

“Simple. Because they finally found legal backing strong enough to help them with the case—someone who’s willing to do anything to give them justice.”

I blinked. “You?”

He responded with a shrug.

“But this isn’t enough to destroy him or his company. These people agreed to settlements. Their case isn’t that strong.”

“True,” he nodded, “but this is just the first step. Once he’s slammed with this, trust begins to dwindle, customer ratings start flickering. Before he even gets a chance to win this case, he’ll be hit immediately with another.”

He reached out and swiped the screen. Two news headlines popped up—both unpublished, but perfectly crafted to add damage to the already rising scandal.

ELIAS HAWTHORNE INDUSTRIES FACES INTERNAL INVESTIGATION OVER MISAPPROPRIATED FUNDS

SCANDAL ROCKS HAWTHORNE INDUSTRIES: CEO ACCUSED OF FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT; SHARES PLUMMET OVERNIGHT

This is bad.

“You have it all thought out.”

He nodded. “All that’s left is execution.”

“Looks like you have everything under control. What do you need me for, then?”

“A lot of things. This house is a hive of secrets. I’m sure if you dig enough, you can find more damning evidence against him. Keep up the appearance of the loving, abandoned wife so when it all comes down to it, you have the sympathy of the masses to do with as you please.”

“How long will this take?”

“Weeks… months maybe, depending on how quickly we can gather evidence against him.”

Wow, that long?

“And my compensation?”

He moved closer—too close for comfort—and the air around us suddenly became charged.

“Regarding that, there are complications.”

He hadn’t mentioned anything about complications when he tried to make me work with him. Fucking manipulator.

“What complications?”

“The prenup.”

My stomach dropped.

“If you sign the papers now, he walks away protected, leaving you high and dry.”

“Then I won’t sign.”

“You’d have to eventually.”

“And yet you promised me huge compensation after this. How on earth do I get it if the prenup already defeats that purpose?”

Something in his eyes flashed, and I instantly knew I wouldn’t like what came next.

“There is one way around it. Marriage changes asset alignments. It complicates legal separation, especially during corporate instability.”

Understanding crept in slowly. My eyes darted between his. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“You want me to marry you? Can you hear how you sound?” I scowled, taking quick steps back.

“It’s the only way.” His nonchalant answer fueled my anger.

“I won’t do it!” I spun on my heel, storming toward the door.

“Then you leave with nothing. Ten years married to that scum, and you’ll have nothing to show for it.”

I paused, gazing into thin air, my entire body trembling.

Killian appeared in my line of vision, his finger tilting my head up until I met his gaze.

“The ball is in your court, Nadia.” His eyes flashed for a second with an undefined emotion.

“Marry me, Nadia. And screw my father for everything he’s worth.”

Nadia's POV

I paced around the room, thinking about all the reasons why his offer was wrong and obnoxious.

He is my husband's... No, I shook my head. My soon to be ex husband's son.

He is younger than me, what would Elias say?

What about society?

What if they think I'm some kind of shameless girl, throwing herself around?

"I'm starting to get worried about you." Killian spoke up. "You are pacing around way too much."

"Just... allow me please, I need to think about this properly." I pleaded and continued pacing.

But if I marry him, I get revenge on the man that stole ten years of my fucking life. Thinking about all I could have achieved in that amount of years fueled my anger for him even more.

But here I'm, with nothing. Less than a thousand grand in my account and about to be sent out of the house. It's either I say yes to Killian, get revenge on Elias and I still get a part of Elias assets.

Or, I become homeless. Sleeping out in the cold with no food to eat.

I stopped pacing and stood in front of Killian. "This is very wrong."

"I know." He replied immediately. "Is that your way of saying no?"

I can't say no, I have to say yes. If I do, I would need to prepare my mental health to go take up any insult people throw my way.

I shook my head. "Yes, Killian. I will marry you."

A smile graced his lips as I said those words, almost pulling me into his embrace but he stopped himself. "Now you are talking. Just sign the papers and we go straight to the registry."

"We are going to the registry immediately?" I looked at him puzzled. I had at least expected tomorrow or the next and don't we need to wait for the divorce process to be over?

"And the divorce? It's not like if I sign it now, everything will be over between you know who and I." I continued.

"It will be over, Nadia. It's stated right in page six that it was effective immediately, which means you are no longer married and are free to do whatever it is you want to."

"So, Nadia Jackson... Or Hawthorne. Oh well, you will sign the papers soon anyways. Nadia Jackson, marry me today and let's take down my father." He finished, reaching his hand out for me.

I glanced at his hand, wondering if I should take it or not.  It was too early to get married, even people might gossip that I had cheated on Elias with his son and that was why he divorced me.

Elias might even use it against us and make himself appear pure to the world.

But I didn't ponder for long before I took his hand. "Let's get married."

I took the pen that was on the table and applied my signature wherever it was necessary. I made sure to crosscheck the papers, so it won't be a problem for me in the future.

"All done." I cheered, grinning like a little girl that just got handed her favorite candy. "I'm as free as a bird."

"Well, not for long." Killian smirked and I slapped his chest playfully.

"We should leave. Bring the divorce papers back to where they were. We can't have him suspecting we were in here can we?" He asked and I shook my head.

I grabbed the pen and papers and followed him out of the room. I dropped the papers back where they were and made an excuse to Killian that I was going to change my clothes.

I was already in my room with my back pressed against my door. Processing everything that had just happened in the past minutes and what I was getting myself into.

I really do wish there was any other way but they weren't. I would rather be married to Killian with a roof over my head than make that secretary, Chloe thinks she has managed to have everything in the grasp of her hand.

"I should get dressed. I'm getting married after all." I dashed towards the bathroom, discarding my clothes as I did.

I jumped into the shower and allowed the warm water to pour on me. I showered, washed my hair and brushed before leaving the bathroom.

I got back to the room and I rolled my eyes. I had forgotten this was still Elias' room. I will have to move my things later when we get back from the registry.

I snooped through my closet. Wondering what was appropriate for a marriage signing. I wanted to go for something casual, I mean it's not like we are having an actual wedding.

But after searching for almost thirty minutes, I still haven't found anything appropriate.

Damn it!

I snooped even deeper, making the room messy in the process but I was finally able to find a dress. It was a short sky blue gown, with a huge fabric flower in front of it.

It was armless and it looked really nice on me the first time I had worn it. Now, time for shoes. I surfed around until I settled for silver stiletto heels, which I thought would look really nice with the dress.

I dressed up and did a very light make up and sprayed perfume. I was about to leave the room when I remembered I wasn't putting on any neck piece, I groaned and pulled out one.

Spotting the huge diamond ring on my finger as I was about to put it on. I took it off, and I don't know, it just felt like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

I mean, hasn't it?

I don't have to worry about him constantly cheating on me and most especially giving me a sexually transmitted disease.

Finally, I used to be so scared during the ten years I spent with him. I frequented the hospital for check ups, like I was picking up coffee.

I stared at myself in the mirror and I looked really good. I felt proud of myself for the huge step I took.

I left the room and started heading back downstairs to the man who I would soon call husband.