Divorced After His Livestream Affair Chapter 04

Divorced After His Livestream Affair Chapter 04

Smiling While Planning His Downfall

For the next week, I became the perfect fiancée again.

I smiled.

I cooked dinner.

I kissed Ryan goodbye every morning.

And every night, I collected another piece of evidence.

The funny thing about liars was that once they thought they had fooled you, they became careless.

Ryan was becoming very careless.

By Friday, I had photographs of him meeting Sophia three separate times.

Two hotel receipts.

Three suspicious bank transfers.

And confirmation of the penthouse purchase.

Still, Alexander wasn’t satisfied.

“It’s not enough.”

I nearly choked on my coffee.

“Not enough?”

“No.”

“Alexander, I could ruin his life tomorrow.”

“You could embarrass him tomorrow.”

I frowned.

“What’s the difference?”

“Embarrassment fades.”

His voice remained calm.

“Destruction doesn’t.”

I hated when he made sense.

“Fine. What are we looking for?”

“The merger documents.”

I froze.

“The merger?”

“The documents proving Ryan plans to take control of Hart Group after the wedding.”

I looked out the window of my office.

“If those exist, he’d never leave them where I could find them.”

“They exist.”

“You sound very sure.”

“I am.”

“Why?”

Alexander paused.

Then laughed.

“You really don’t know how arrogant your fiancé is.”

That afternoon, I got my answer.

Ryan came home unusually cheerful.

The moment he walked through the door, he wrapped his arms around me.

“Good news.”

I nearly rolled my eyes.

Whenever Ryan had good news, it usually meant bad news for someone else.

“What happened?”

“My investors loved today’s presentation.”

“Congratulations.”

“That’s it?”

“What do you want? Fireworks?”

Ryan laughed.

“Come on, Emily. Be excited for me.”

I forced a smile.

“I’m excited.”

“Good.”

Then he pulled a folder from his briefcase.

“Actually, I wanted to show you something.”

My heartbeat quickened.

The folder.

Ryan placed it on the kitchen counter.

I immediately recognized the Hart Group logo.

“What’s that?”

“Future planning.”

There it was again.

That phrase.

Future planning.

I opened the folder.

Charts.

Financial projections.

Corporate restructuring plans.

Then I found it.

Merger Strategy.

My fingers tightened around the pages.

“Ryan?”

“Hm?”

“What exactly is this?”

Ryan walked behind me.

His hands settled on my shoulders.

“Nothing complicated.”

Liar.

“It looks complicated.”

“Trust me.”

The same answer.

Always trust me.

Never ask questions.

Never think for yourself.

Never look too closely.

I smiled sweetly.

“What happens after we’re married?”

Ryan didn’t hesitate.

“Hart Group and Cole Enterprises become stronger together.”

“Together?”

“Of course.”

His chin rested on my shoulder.

“Everything I have is yours.”

I almost laughed.

Everything except his loyalty.

Everything except his honesty.

Everything except the penthouse.

And the mistress.

And the millions of dollars.

But sure.

Everything.

That night, after Ryan fell asleep, I photographed every page.

Then sent them directly to Alexander.

His reply arrived thirty seconds later.

Alexander:

Bingo.

Me:

That bad?

Alexander:

Worse.

I sat upright.

Me:

Explain.

The phone rang instantly.

I answered.

“What is it?”

“Page forty-three.”

I opened the file.

Then froze.

A clause buried deep in the restructuring proposal.

One signature requirement.

One voting adjustment.

One small legal change.

My stomach dropped.

“Oh my God.”

“Now you see it.”

“After the wedding—”

“He gets controlling interest.”

I couldn’t breathe.

“That’s impossible.”

“It’s legal.”

“Not if he lied.”

“No.”

Alexander’s voice hardened.

“Not if he lied.”

The room suddenly felt colder.

Ryan was asleep beside me.

Peaceful.

While plotting to steal everything my father spent his life building.

For the first time since discovering the affair, tears filled my eyes.

Not because he cheated.

Not because he lied.

Because my father had trusted him.

The memory hit me instantly.

My father in his hospital bed.

Weak.

Smiling.

Holding Ryan’s hand.

“Take care of my daughter.”

Ryan had looked him straight in the eyes.

“I promise.”

I wiped away the tears.

“Emily?”

Alexander’s voice softened.

“Are you okay?”

“No.”

The answer came immediately.

“No, I’m really not.”

Silence.

Then:

“You don’t have to be okay tonight.”

I swallowed hard.

“That’s surprisingly nice.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

Despite everything, I laughed.

A weak laugh.

But a real one.

“Thank you.”

Another pause.

Then:

“You know what’s funny?”

“What?”

“When I first met you, I thought you were an idiot.”

I gasped.

“Excuse me?”

Alexander laughed.

“You followed Ryan around like he hung the moon.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

“Maybe a little.”

“Fair.”

I shook my head.

“You thought I was an idiot?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.”

“You want complete honesty or not?”

“Not anymore.”

“Too late.”

For the first time all week, the pressure in my chest eased.

Just a little.

Then Alexander’s tone changed.

Business again.

Cold again.

Focused.

“Tomorrow Sophia has a charity gala.”

I frowned.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“She’s attending as Ryan’s plus one.”

I sat straight up.

“What?”

“She thinks you’ll be out of town.”

“Oh, that’s funny.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not.”

The line went silent.

Then Alexander laughed.

A dangerous laugh.

The kind that meant someone was about to suffer.

“Emily.”

“Yeah?”

“You should go.”

“To the gala?”

“Yes.”

I smiled.

Slowly.

The same smile I’d worn while watching Ryan make promises he never intended to keep.

“What should I wear?”

“Something unforgettable.”

I looked toward my closet.

Pastels.

Soft colors.

The clothes Ryan preferred.

The clothes Sophia mocked.

The clothes everyone expected.

Then my eyes landed on a red dress.

One Ryan once told me was too bold.

Too intimidating. Perfect.

“Alexander?”

“Yeah?”

“I think tomorrow is going to be fun.”

His voice dropped lower.

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

After the call ended, I looked over at Ryan one last time.

He was still sleeping peacefully.

Still convinced he controlled everything.

Still convinced I was harmless.

Still convinced I would never fight back.

I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

Because tomorrow, for the first time, Ryan Cole was going to walk into a room expecting two women to compete over him.

Instead, he was going to discover that one of them was planning to destroy him.

And the other was about to get caught in the blast.