When My Ex Begged Forgiveness, I Was Buying His Company Chapter 06
Jamie recounted Ethan’s return to Hillside Mansion, a paper bag of fresh bagels–my go–to order from the old downtown bakery–still clutched in his hand.
The grand living room sat eerily devoid of staff. The Samoyed puppy had been locked inside its crate, whimpering weakly through the bars.
He shoved open the master bedroom door. The bed was neatly made, every garment hanging untouched in the walk–in closet, and my skincare bottles lined the
vanity exactly where I’d left them. No one answered his calls echoing through the empty estate.
Desperation drove him sprinting up the stairs to the rooftop greenhouse.
Shards of shattered safety glass littered the floor.
Wind–driven rain whipped inside, soaking his tailored suit through to the skin.
His gaze locked onto a vast pool of dark, congealing blood saturating the carpet, staining nearly half the greenhouse floor.
The pastry bag had fallen beside the bloodstain. Next to it lay the divorce petition I’d signed, my signature sharp and decisive across the page.
His head bodyguard stumbled up the staircase, sweat dripping down his temples. “Mr. Howard—we found Dr. Ava locked unconscious in the basement storage
closet. All mansion surveillance feeds were disabled at two this afternoon.”
“Where did she go?” Ethan’s voice was eerily calm, devoid of emotion.
“We’ve got nothing to trace her. Every border checkpoint, commercial flight manifest, even highway traffic cameras show no trace of Mrs. Howard. She
vanished without a trace.” The guard swallowed hard, too terrified to meet Ethan’s eyes.
Ethan rose slowly to his feet. He stared at the signed divorce papers and let out a bitter, hollow laugh.
“Running away to throw a childish tantrum? Freeze every debit and credit card registered under her name
immediately. Alert every customs station and major hospital nationwide–detain her on sight if her ID surfaces anywhere.”
“She lost that much blood; she can’t have gotten far.
Once she’s suffered enough out there, she’ll crawl back begging for my mercy.”
“And that wretched Ava! Have her charged with
attempted murder. I’ll make sure she rots in prison, living a fate worse than death.”
He still clung to the delusion that I could never survive without him.
Far out on open international waters, I leaned back against the medical berth headboard, scanning the European consortium restructuring plan Jamie had handed over.
“Ethan’s locked all your accounts,” Jamie reported flatly.
I didn’t lift my eyes, marking a critical flaw in the business document with a red pen.
“Let him. The Chandler family’s Swiss bank trust fund has been fully activated.”
“Over the next three years, I intend to systematically dismantle every European Howard Group operation until they cease to function.”