A few days later.

Eleonora sat on a white leather sofa in the reception room of Manhattan's most elite law firm. She crossed her legs. Her black Dior skirt suit fit her perfectly.

She sipped a cup of black coffee. She was here to finalize the purchase of the penthouse. She needed a permanent, secure home for Noah.

The heavy glass door opened. A senior partner walked in. He held a thick manila folder. He looked extremely uncomfortable. He pushed his glasses up his nose.

Eleonora set her coffee cup down. Her eyes narrowed.

"Is there a problem with the funds?" she asked. Her voice was sharp.

"No, Ms. Farrell. The funds cleared instantly," the lawyer said. He sat down across from her and placed the folder on the glass table. "The issue is with your background check."

He opened the folder and slid a federal document toward her.

"According to the federal database, your marital status is still listed as 'Married'."

Eleonora froze. Her heart skipped a beat.

She leaned forward and looked at the paper. There, under the spouse section, was the name: Butler Holloway.

"That's impossible," Eleonora said. Her voice was tight. "I signed divorce papers five years ago. And... I was declared legally dead."

The lawyer shook his head. "It's strange. A death certificate was issued by the hospital, but it was flagged and buried by a federal override command almost immediately. It never reached the state registry. As for the divorce papers, they vanished. Legally, you are still the wife of Butler Holloway."

A loud ringing started in Eleonora's ears.

Butler had buried the paperwork. He had used his power to erase the fire, erase the death, and keep the marriage intact.

Her hands curled into fists on her lap. Her nails bit into her palms. Five years of hiding. Five years of terror. And she was still chained to him.

She took a deep breath. She forced the anger down. Her mind shifted into a cold, calculating gear.

"Pull up the prenuptial agreement," Eleonora commanded.

The lawyer blinked. "Excuse me?"

"The prenup I signed five years ago. Pull it up. Now."

The lawyer scrambled to his laptop. He typed rapidly. A minute later, he printed a document and handed it to her.

Eleonora scanned the pages. Her eyes stopped on Section 4, Clause B.

If the marriage remains intact for a period exceeding thirty-six (36) months, the wife shall automatically be vested with five percent (5%) of the voting shares of the Holloway Group.

A slow, dangerous smile spread across Eleonora's face.

Butler wanted to keep her trapped in a ghost marriage? Fine. She would use the chains to strangle him.

"Draft a legal demand for the immediate transfer of those shares," Eleonora said. She stood up. "Stamp it with your firm's official seal. I'll wait."

Twenty minutes later, Eleonora walked out of the law firm. She held a crisp white envelope in her hand.

She hailed a yellow taxi. "Holloway Group Headquarters," she told the driver.

On the top floor of the Holloway building, the atmosphere in the boardroom was suffocating.

Butler sat at the head of the long oval table. Twelve senior executives sat around him, sweating in their expensive suits. A holographic projection of the quarterly financials hovered in the center of the table.

"The margins are unacceptable," Butler said. His voice was quiet, but it cut through the room like a knife.

Before anyone could answer, the heavy mahogany double doors of the boardroom burst open.

The heavy wood slammed against the walls with a deafening crash.

The executives jumped. The presentation stopped. Everyone turned to look at the door.

Eleonora stood in the doorway. Her red lipstick was flawless. Her black Dior suit screamed power.

Jesse Meyer rushed up behind her, looking panicked. "Sir, I tried to stop her, but her security clearance is still active in the system-"

Eleonora didn't even look at Jesse. She stepped into the room. Her high heels clicked loudly against the hardwood floor.

Butler slowly raised his head.

When his eyes locked onto her, his entire body went rigid. The pen in his hand slipped and clattered onto the table. His pupils expanded.

Eleonora ignored the shocked stares of the executives. She walked straight down the length of the table. She didn't stop until she was standing directly in front of Butler.

She looked down at him. Her eyes were full of arrogant defiance.

She raised her hand and slammed the legal document down on the table right in front of his face.

Smack.

The room was dead silent.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Eleonora said. Her voice was clear and rang through the massive room.

She kept her eyes locked on Butler.

"I am Eleonora Holloway. Butler's legal wife. And as of today, I am the owner of five percent of this company. I believe I have a seat at this table."

Several executives gasped out loud. One man dropped his tablet. They all recognized the face of the woman who supposedly burned to death five years ago.

Butler stared at the woman standing over him. His chest rose and fell in heavy, jagged breaths. His hands, hidden under the table, curled into tight fists. The veins on the back of his hands bulged.

A low, dark chuckle rumbled in his chest.

He placed his hands flat on the table and slowly stood up. His massive frame cast a dark shadow over Eleonora.

Butler stood at his full height. He loomed over Eleonora, his broad shoulders blocking the light from the windows.

He didn't look at the document on the table. He didn't look at the executives. He only looked at her.

"Get out," Butler said. His voice was dangerously low.

The executives scrambled. Chairs scraped violently against the floor. They grabbed their files and practically ran for the double doors. Jesse Meyer gave Eleonora one last worried look before pulling the heavy doors shut behind him.

The click of the latch echoed in the massive, empty room.

Eleonora didn't back down. She tilted her chin up to meet his gaze.

"I want the shares transferred by tomorrow," she said, her voice cold. "And I want the divorce papers filed immediately."

Butler took a slow step around the table. He walked toward her. His leather shoes made a heavy, rhythmic thud against the floor.

He stopped inches from her. He was so close she could smell his cologne-a sharp mix of cedar and cold mint. Her stomach tightened. Her body remembered that smell.

Butler reached out and picked up the legal document she had slammed on the table.

He looked at it for one second. Then, he gripped the top edge and ripped it straight down the middle.

He dropped the torn pieces onto the floor like trash.

Eleonora's eyes flashed with anger. "That is a legally binding demand."

Butler let out a harsh laugh. He leaned down, his face inches from hers.

"If you try to sue me for a divorce," he whispered, his breath brushing her cheek, "I will have you arrested for faking your own death and attempting to defraud a federal institution. You'll spend the rest of your life in a federal prison."

Eleonora's breath hitched. Her lungs seized. She knew he wasn't bluffing. He owned half the judges in New York.

She forced a mocking smile onto her lips. "You didn't file the papers five years ago because you're a coward, Butler. You couldn't handle the truth."

The word coward hit a nerve.

Butler's eyes turned pitch black. His hand shot out. His long fingers clamped around her jaw, holding her head in place. His grip was bruising.

Eleonora gasped, but she refused to look away. She glared at him, her eyes burning with hatred.

They stared at each other, their chests heaving, the air crackling with toxic, violent energy.

Suddenly, Butler let go of her face. He turned and walked to the far corner of the boardroom. He pressed his thumb against a hidden biometric scanner on the wall. A small steel safe slid open.

Eleonora rubbed her sore jaw. She watched him warily.

Butler reached into the safe and pulled out a small, black velvet box.

He walked back to her. He flipped the box open with his thumb.

Inside sat a massive, ten-carat pink diamond ring. The stone caught the light, throwing sharp pink reflections across the walls.

Eleonora's eyes widened.

Before she could react, Butler grabbed her left hand. His grip was brutal, locking her wrist in place. His hand was shaking slightly.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Eleonora yelled. She tried to yank her hand back.

Butler ignored her struggles. He pulled the diamond ring from the box. He forced it onto her ring finger. He pushed it hard over her knuckle.

The metal scraped her skin, but it slid perfectly into place. It was an exact fit.

Butler stared at the ring on her finger. A sick, twisted look of satisfaction flashed across his face.

Eleonora grabbed the ring with her right hand. She pulled at it, trying to rip it off. It wouldn't budge. It was stuck tight below her knuckle.

"Take this off me!" she demanded, her voice rising in panic.

Butler stepped into her space, forcing her to step back until her lower back hit the edge of the boardroom table. He placed his hands on the table on either side of her hips, trapping her.

"You are going to wear that ring," Butler ordered. "You are going to play the perfect Holloway wife."

"Why would I ever do that?" she spat.

"Because the family trust is under federal audit," he said smoothly. "And I am in the middle of a ten-billion-dollar merger. I will not have a scandal about my dead wife coming back to life and demanding a divorce."

Eleonora laughed bitterly. "You think I care about your merger?"

Butler leaned closer. His eyes were dead and cold.

"If you don't play your part," he whispered, "I will use every resource I have to destroy whatever pathetic life you built in Europe over the last five years. I will burn it to the ground."

Eleonora's blood turned to ice.

An image of Noah, Leo, and Chloe flashed in her mind. If Butler started digging into her life in Europe, he would find the twins. He would find Noah. He would take her children away.

Her struggles stopped. Her hands dropped to her sides.

Butler felt the fight leave her body. A triumphant smirk touched the corner of his mouth. He reached up and slowly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Eleonora flinched away from his touch. She looked at him with pure disgust.

"Fine," she hissed through her teeth. "I'll play your game. But I swear to God, Butler, I will make you regret it."

The heavy double doors of the boardroom clicked.

Outside in the hallway, Carli Ward walked toward the room. She carried a sleek, insulated designer lunchbox. She wore a pristine white Chanel suit. Her hair was perfectly curled. She looked like the picture of a devoted, loving partner.

Jesse Meyer stood guard outside the doors. He saw Carli approaching and stepped into her path.

"Ms. Ward," Jesse said. His voice was polite but firm. "Mr. Holloway is in a highly confidential meeting. No one is allowed inside."

Carli smiled. It was a sweet, fake smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Oh, Jesse," she purred. "You know Butler always makes time for me. I brought him his favorite lunch from Le Bernardin."

She didn't wait for Jesse to argue. She sidestepped him. She reached out and pushed the heavy mahogany doors open.

The doors swung wide.

Carli stepped into the room. The smile on her face froze.

At the end of the long table, Butler was leaning over a woman in a black suit. He had her trapped against the edge of the table. His hand was near her face. The physical intimacy of the pose was undeniable.

The woman turned her head to look at the door.

Carli's heart stopped beating. All the blood drained from her face, leaving her skin a sickly, ashen gray.

It was Eleonora.

The designer lunchbox slipped from Carli's fingers. It hit the hardwood floor with a loud crash. The lid popped off. Expensive soup spilled across the polished wood, staining the expensive rug.

Carli's knees buckled. She grabbed the doorframe to keep from collapsing. She stared at Eleonora like she was looking at a ghost crawling out of a grave. Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.

Eleonora looked at Carli's terrified face.

The memory of Carli standing in that hospital room, holding the forged hysterectomy papers, burned in Eleonora's mind.

A dark, vicious thrill shot through Eleonora's veins.

She had planned to shove Butler away. Instead, she let out a soft, melodic laugh.

Eleonora raised her arms and wrapped them intimately around Butler's neck. She pressed her body against his chest.

Butler stiffened. He was completely caught off guard by her sudden shift. But he didn't pull away. His hands naturally settled on her waist.

Eleonora tilted her head. She looked at Carli and smiled. It was a sweet, deadly smile.

"Long time no see, Ms. Ward," Eleonora said. Her voice was smooth and dripping with poison.

Carli let out a choked gasp. She took a step backward. Her high heel caught on the edge of the rug, and she stumbled.

Eleonora lifted her left hand. She pretended to brush a piece of lint off the lapel of Butler's suit.

The overhead lights hit the ten-carat pink diamond on her ring finger. The stone flashed brilliantly.

Carli saw the ring. Her eyes widened in pure horror. She knew that ring. It was the Holloway family heirloom. The ring meant for the true matriarch of the family.

"Thank you so much for keeping my husband company while I was away," Eleonora said. She emphasized the word husband. "But as you can see, I'm back now. I won't be needing your services anymore."

Carli's sanity snapped. The jealousy and fear clawed at her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks, ruining her perfect makeup.

"Butler?" Carli sobbed. Her voice was high and desperate. She looked at him, begging for him to explain, to push Eleonora away.

Butler turned his head. He looked at Carli. His eyes were flat. Empty. He felt nothing for the woman crying at the door.

He didn't say a word. He just tightened his grip on Eleonora's waist, pulling her flush against him.

That silent gesture was the final blow.

Carli let out a loud, ugly sob. She covered her face with her hands, turned around, and ran out of the room. The sound of her heels clicking frantically down the hallway echoed in the silence.

Eleonora watched her run. A fierce sense of satisfaction settled in her chest.

The second the door closed, Eleonora's smile vanished.

She dropped her arms from Butler's neck. She placed her hands flat against his chest and shoved him backward with all her strength.

Butler stumbled back a step. He looked at his empty arms. A dangerous, dark glint appeared in his eyes.

"Excellent acting," Butler sneered. "You almost had me convinced."

Eleonora wiped her hands on her skirt, as if touching him had made her dirty.

"If we're going to play a fake marriage," she said coldly, "I'm going to give the best performance of my life. Just to make sure the people who deserve to suffer, suffer."

She grabbed her purse from the table and walked out of the room, leaving him standing alone in the silence.