The Billionaire's Secret Wife

CHAPTER 12: THE PRICE OF TRUTH

CHAPTER 12: THE PRICE OF TRUTH

Jabari didn't say a word for three whole minutes.

The entire boardroom was dead silent. Twelve board members stared at him,

then stared at me. I stood in the middle of the room, still wearing that

red dress. The same red dress that was supposed to be my revenge, my power

move to make him jealous. Now it felt like armor in a war I didn't want to fight.

"So," his mother, Mrs. Eleanor Sterling, said as she slowly removed her

glasses. "You are the housekeeper my son secretly married six months ago

without informing anyone?"

I wasn't a housekeeper anymore. I was his wife. But before I could answer,

Jabari stood up.

"Her name is Zara," he said, his voice heavy and cold, the same voice he

uses when he's closing a billion-dollar deal. "My wife, Zara Sterling.

And if anyone in this room has a problem with that, the door is open."

No one moved. But Eleanor's eyes were pure poison.

"Jabari, you know we cannot accept this," she said. "The press will destroy

us. The company's shares have already dropped 4% since the photos leaked

last night. And now you bring your scandal in front of the entire board?"

The leaked photos. Yes, the photos of me and Ethan, his best friend, the guy

I used to make him jealous. My stupid secret plan to make him jealous had

backfired. Someone had taken pictures of us at dinner, and now every blog

was writing: "Billionaire's Secret Wife Caught Cheating?"

"I told you it was just a plan," I whispered to Jabari, tears starting to

form. "I didn't want it to be like this."

Jabari looked at me. For the first time since Chapter 11, that unraveled

billionaire, the broken man, disappeared. He became my Jabari from the

first night, the one who told me "don't cry, I'm here."

He turned to face the entire board.

"My wife did not cheat," he said in a terrifyingly calm voice. "She was

trying to make me jealous because I am a fool who never showed her that I

love her. And as for the photos..."

He picked up the remote and pressed a button. The big boardroom screen lit up

with a video.

A video of Ethan in his office.

[VIDEO PLAYS: "Your boss paid me $50,000 to get close to his wife to see if

she was faithful. I didn't want to do it, but the money..."]

Everyone's mouth dropped.

Eleanor's face changed completely.

"Jabari... you paid your own friend to test your wife?" one of the directors asked.

"Yes," Jabari admitted, without shame. "Because I was scared. I was terrified

of losing her. Every woman who has ever come into my life came for my money.

Zara came for my heart, and I didn't know how to keep her without using money."

He turned to me. He held my hands in front of everyone.

"Zara, ever since you walked into my penthouse as my housekeeper, my life

changed. You made me laugh. You made me forget that I'm a billionaire and

remember that I'm just a man. That morning after our first night... the morning

after in Chapter 5... I knew I could never let you go."

Tears were now rolling down my cheeks.

"And about those two pink lines," he continued, and the whole board looked

even more shocked, "Yes, my wife is pregnant. And that child is my only heir.

So if you want me to remain CEO of Sterling Corp, you will respect her as

Mrs. Sterling. If not, I will sell all my shares and start my own company

with my wife."

Silence.

Then Eleanor stood up. She walked straight towards me. I was scared. I thought

she was going to slap me.

Instead, she held my hand.

"My son is lucky," she said in a low voice only I could hear. "In 30 years,

I have never seen him stand up for anyone except himself. Are you pregnant?"

I nodded.

"Twins," I whispered. "The doctor told me yesterday. That's why I hadn't told

you yet, Jabari..."

Jabari's eyes widened.

"TWINS?!" he shouted, completely forgetting we were in a board meeting for

a $20 billion company.

The entire board laughed for the first time.

Jabari picked me up high like a little child, in front of everyone, the red

dress flowing.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, can you please get out of my conference room and go

continue your romance at home?" one of the old directors said with a smile.

When we walked out of Sterling Tower, thousands of paparazzi were outside.

Flashlights everywhere.

Jabari didn't hide me anymore. He didn't put me in the back car like a secret

wife. He held my hand, pulled me close, and kissed me in front of the whole world.

"Write this down," he told the press. "This is my wife. The mother of my

children. And if you have a problem with that, that's your problem."

And there, in his chest, I could hear his heart beating so hard. The heart of

a billionaire who had finally unraveled, not because of business, but because

of love.

END OF CHAPTER 12...

TO BE CONTINUED...

[Next: Chapter 13: Two Heartbeats, One Empire]