Divorced After His Livestream Affair Chapter 10

Divorced After His Livestream Affair Chapter 10The Billionaire I Chose Instead

The final article went live at 8:00 a.m.

By noon, Ryan Cole’s career was over.

Every major financial publication carried the story.

The evidence.

The shell companies.

The hidden transfers.

The attempted takeover of Hart Group.

The penthouse purchased for Sophia.

Everything.

There was nowhere left to hide.

No explanation left to give.

No reputation left to save.

I was sitting in my office when Margaret walked in holding a bottle of champagne.

“Congratulations.”

I laughed.

“For what?”

“For surviving.”

Fair enough.

The board had officially voted that morning.

Ryan would never gain control of Hart Group.

The merger was dead.

The company was safe.

My father’s legacy was safe.

For the first time in weeks, I could finally breathe.

Margaret handed me a glass.

“Your father would be proud.”

Those words hit harder than I expected.

I looked away.

Blinking rapidly.

Margaret squeezed my shoulder.

Then quietly left the room.

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed.

Unknown Number.

I already knew who it was.

Ryan.

Of course.

I stared at the screen.

Then answered.

Neither of us spoke.

Finally he laughed.

A hollow sound.

“You knew it was me.”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“You always wait three seconds before speaking.”

Silence.

Then another laugh.

“I guess you know me pretty well.”

The irony was painful.

Because I had known him.

Or at least I thought I had.

“What do you want, Ryan?”

The question hung between us.

Long.

Then finally:

“I wanted to hear your voice one last time.”

I closed my eyes.

Outside my office window, Manhattan stretched endlessly beneath the afternoon sun.

Life moved on.

People moved on.

Even if Ryan couldn’t.

“They’ve offered me a deal.”

His voice sounded distant.

“Twelve months if I cooperate.”

I didn’t answer.

“What do you think I should do?”

For years, Ryan had asked me that question.

About business.

About investments.

About life.

And every time I’d helped him.

Every single time.

Now?

There was nothing left to say.

“You should take responsibility.”

A long silence followed.

Then:

“Yeah.”

More silence.

Then:

“Alexander loves you.”

I nearly laughed.

“What?”

“He does.”

The certainty in Ryan’s voice surprised me.

“You figured that out?”

“I’m not completely stupid.”

I raised an eyebrow.

Debatable.

Ryan laughed softly.

For the first time, it sounded genuine.

“I knew before he did.”

That caught my attention.

“What does that mean?”

Another pause.

Then:

“The first time he met you.”

My heart skipped.

Ryan continued.

“He watched you all night.”

I frowned.

“When?”

“The Hart Foundation Gala. Two years ago.”

The memory surfaced instantly.

A charity event.

Hundreds of guests.

I barely remembered seeing Alexander.

Ryan apparently did.

“I thought he was judging you.”

Ryan laughed.

“Turns out I was wrong.”

For several seconds neither of us spoke.

Then Ryan exhaled.

“I really loved you, Emily.”

The words came quietly.

Without manipulation.

Without excuses.

Without expectations.

Maybe for the first time ever.

And somehow that made them sadder.

Because now they didn’t matter.

Not anymore.

“I know.”

The answer surprised him.

“What?”

“I know.”

His breathing caught.

Then I added:

“But you loved yourself more.”

The silence afterward lasted nearly twenty seconds.

Finally Ryan whispered:

“Yeah.”

There was nothing else to say.

No dramatic speech.

No final fight.

No miracle reconciliation.

Just the truth.

Simple.

Painful.

Final.

“Goodbye, Ryan.”

His voice broke.

“Goodbye, Emily.”

The call ended.

And with it, three years of my life.

I stared at the dark screen.

Waiting to feel something.

Anger.

Relief.

Sadness.

Instead, I felt free.

My office door opened.

Alexander walked inside.

No knocking.

No permission.

Typical.

“You look dramatic.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Hello to you too.”

He sat across from me.

Holding a folder.

Of course.

Another folder.

“Please tell me that’s not more evidence.”

“It’s not.”

“Thank God.”

Alexander slid it across the desk.

I opened it.

Then froze.

A property deed.

“What is this?”

“The penthouse next door to mine.”

I blinked.

“What?”

“It’s available.”

I looked up.

“Alexander.”

“Yes?”

“Are you trying to buy me real estate?”

“Maybe.”

I stared at him.

He stared back.

Completely serious.

Completely shameless.

I started laughing.

Hard.

Harder than I had in months.

Alexander waited patiently.

When I finally stopped, tears were running down my face.

“You are unbelievable.”

“So I’ve heard.”

I shook my head.

“Is this your version of flirting?”

“Possibly.”

“That’s terrible.”

“I know.”

For a moment neither of us spoke.

Then his expression softened.

Just slightly.

Enough for me to notice.

“Emily.”

The way he said my name was different.

Careful.

Like it mattered.

My heartbeat betrayed me immediately.

Traitor.

“Yeah?”

Alexander held my gaze.

“I don’t want you because Ryan lost you.”

The room became very quiet.

“I don’t want you because you’re beautiful.”

I swallowed.

“I don’t want you because your company is successful.”

The air suddenly felt too thin.

Alexander leaned forward.

“I want you because every time life gave you a reason to become cruel, you chose kindness.”

My chest tightened.

“And when someone finally pushed you too far?”

A small smile appeared.

“You reminded everyone exactly who you are.”

For a second, neither of us moved.

Then I laughed softly.

“You practiced that speech.”

“No.”

“You absolutely practiced that speech.”

His smile widened.

Just enough.

“Maybe a little.”

I stood and walked around the desk.

Alexander immediately stood too.

His eyes followed me.

Curious.

Hopeful.

Nervous.

I had never seen Alexander Black nervous before.

The discovery was surprisingly adorable.

“Alexander.”

“Yes?”

I took his hand.

Then smiled.

The real smile.

The one that hadn’t belonged to Ryan for a very long time.

“The answer is yes.”

He blinked.

“To what?”

“Whatever ridiculous thing you were about to ask next.”

For the first time since I’d met him, Alexander looked genuinely speechless.

It lasted almost three seconds.

A personal record.

Then he laughed.

And together we walked toward the future.

Leaving the lies.

The betrayal.

And Ryan Cole exactly where he belonged.

In the past.