Divorced After His Livestream Affair Chapter 06

Divorced After His Livestream Affair Chapter 06

The Scandal Went Viral

By the next morning, Ryan Cole was trending across every social media platform in America.

I knew because my phone wouldn’t stop vibrating.

### News alerts.

### Business blogs.

### Entertainment accounts.

### Celebrity gossip pages.

Everyone was talking about the charity gala.

And everyone was asking the same question.

Who was Ryan Cole’s mistress?

I sat at my kitchen island scrolling through headlines.

Billionaire CEO Caught in Love Triangle

Influencer Accuses Engaged CEO of Betrayal

Penthouse Scandal Rocks New York Business Elite

I almost laughed.

Three days ago, Ryan thought he was untouchable.

Now strangers were dissecting his personal life online.

My phone rang.

Ryan.

For the tenth time.

I ignored it.

A second later it rang again.

Declined.

Again.

Declined.

Then a text appeared.

Ryan:

We need to talk.

Ryan:

Right now.

Ryan:

Answer your phone.

Another message arrived.

Ryan:

Emily, this isn’t what it looks like.

That one actually made me laugh.

Alexander called at the exact same moment.

I answered immediately.

“Good morning.”

“You’re in a good mood.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I’m pleasantly surprised.”

I stood and walked toward the window.

Below me, Manhattan was waking up.

Traffic.

People.

Normal life.

Meanwhile Ryan’s life was on fire.

“Have you seen the news?” I asked.

“All of it.”

“And?”

“And his stock dropped eight percent before market open.”

I nearly choked on my coffee.

“What?”

Alexander sounded amused.

“Investors don’t like scandals.”

“No kidding.”

“Especially when the CEO looks like an idiot.”

That earned a laugh.

Then my phone buzzed.

Ryan.

Again.

Alexander noticed.

“Still calling?”

“Obsessively.”

“Good.”

“You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Absolutely.”

I shook my head.

“You’re terrible.”

“So I’ve been told.”

A few minutes later another call came through.

This time it wasn’t Ryan.

It was Margaret Reynolds.

Chairwoman of Hart Group’s board.

I immediately sat up straighter.

“Mrs. Reynolds?”

“Emily.”

Her voice sounded serious.

“We need to meet.”

My stomach tightened.

“When?”

“Today.”

“What’s wrong?”

A pause.

Then:

“It’s Ryan.”

Of course it was.

Two hours later I walked into Hart Group headquarters.

Margaret was already waiting.

So were three other board members.

That wasn’t a good sign.

Not at all.

The second I sat down, Margaret slid a folder across the table.

My heart skipped.

Not another folder.

I was getting tired of folders.

“What is this?”

“Complaints.”

I opened it.

Emails.

Letters.

Investor concerns.

Questions from shareholders.

Some specifically mentioned Sophia.

Others mentioned the gala.

One mentioned the penthouse.

I looked up.

“This is affecting the company?”

Margaret sighed.

“More than we’d like.”

One older director leaned forward.

“Emily, we have a question.”

“Okay.”

“Did you know about the affair?”

The room fell silent.

Everyone waited.

I could lie.

Pretend.

Protect Ryan.

Like I always had.

Instead I said:

“Yes.”

Nobody looked shocked.

That was almost worse.

Margaret slowly nodded.

“When did you find out?”

“A week ago.”

“And Ryan knows?”

“No.”

The room exchanged looks.

Interesting looks.

Calculating looks.

Then Margaret asked the question I wasn’t expecting.

“Are you still planning to marry him?”

Silence.

Absolute silence.

I thought about Ryan.

The livestream.

The penthouse.

The lies.

The company documents.

The stolen future he had planned for me.

Then I smiled.

“No.”

Every person at the table relaxed.

Every single one.

That told me everything I needed to know.

Ryan had problems I didn’t even know about.

After the meeting ended, Margaret stopped me near the elevator.

“Emily.”

“Yes?”

She hesitated.

Something I’d never seen her do before.

“Your father trusted me.”

I nodded.

“I know.”

“He wouldn’t want Ryan running Hart Group.”

The words hit hard.

Because they were true.

Margaret squeezed my hand.

“Neither do I.”

Then she walked away.

My phone immediately buzzed.

Ryan.

Again.

This time I answered.

The silence on the other end lasted three seconds.

Then:

“Finally.”

I leaned against the elevator wall.

“Hi, Ryan.”

“Where are you?”

“Out.”

“Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Giving one-word answers.”

I almost laughed.

“You seem stressed.”

“Of course I’m stressed.”

His voice rose immediately.

“The internet thinks I’m sleeping with Sophia.”

The irony was unbelievable.

“You are sleeping with Sophia.”

Silence.

A dangerous silence.

Then:

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Emily—”

“No.”

For the first time in years, I interrupted him.

And Ryan didn’t know what to do with that.

“You don’t get to act confused.”

Another silence.

Longer this time.

“Someone’s talking.”

I smiled.

There it was.

Not guilt.

Not remorse.

Suspicion.

Ryan wasn’t worried about what he’d done.

He was worried he’d been caught.

“Maybe.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.”

“Emily.”

His voice hardened.

“Tell me what’s going on.”

I stepped into the elevator.

The doors closed.

For the first time, I enjoyed hearing uncertainty in his voice.

“What if I don’t want to?”

“You don’t mean that.”

There it was again.

Confidence.

Entitlement.

The certainty that I belonged to him.

That I would always come back.

That I would always forgive.

I suddenly understood why Alexander hated him.

“Actually,” I said softly, “I do.”

The elevator reached the lobby.

The doors opened.

And I hung up.

Five seconds later he called again.

I declined.

Then again.

Declined.

Then again.

Blocked.

The silence afterward felt wonderful.

My phone buzzed one final time.

This time from Alexander.

Alexander:

How did the conversation go?

Me:

I blocked him.

Several seconds passed.

Then:

Alexander:

Marry me.

I laughed so loudly a receptionist looked over.

Me:

Absolutely not.

Alexander:

Worth a try.

I smiled and stepped outside.

The afternoon sun hit my face.

For the first time in a very long time, I felt free.

Not completely.

Not yet.

Ryan still had money.

Power.

Influence.

The merger documents.

The company scheme.

The wedding.

There was still a war to fight.

But for the first time, Ryan knew something was wrong.

He didn’t know what.

He didn’t know how much I knew.

He didn’t know who was helping me.

But he knew he was losing control.

And that terrified him.

Good.

Because I was just getting started.