The Billionaire Broken Bride

The First Strike

“You should get used to it. People won't dare cross you again”. He said quietly.

Adian looked up, their eyes met, the tension was undeniable.

“You're very confident”.

She whispers.

“I have enough reason to”.

He fixed his eyes in her lips then back to her eyes.

Adian felt it. The adrenaline. The heat and for a moment she didn't want to step away but she did. She broke the moment by taking a step back.

“We should stick to the contract”. She said softly.

Ethan was silent but something in his eyes said otherwise.

That night Adian lay on the bed staring at the ceiling and she couldn't sleep. She was thinking earlier about what she felt with Ethan. Could this be real? Is she falling in love? Does Ethan feel this way too or was he emotionally attached to her. She never thought it could be easy but she is feeling uneasy now. Her adrenaline is rising.

The first sign of trouble was unnoticed because it came quietly. Too quiet. David Carter was in his office, he was staring at the email on his laptop screen which he had read a hundredth time. He couldn't believe what he had just read.

“We regret to inform you that we will be withdrawing from the partnership with immediate effect”.

“They are withdrawing? Just like that? No warning? No explanation? No negotiations?”. David has to close his laptop because he is losing control. His chest tightened and he could barely control his anger.

“This doesn't make sense”. He said angrily to himself.

“Sir….. that's not the only one”. His assistant said from across the room nervously.

“What do you mean? He looked at her sharply.

“Three more companies have pulled out this morning”. She replied as she placed a stack of documents on the table.

David was irritably angry. His fingers curled into fists.

“This is a coincidence….it has to be”. He said to himself but deep down he knew it wasn't.

Ethan Blackwood sat in his walled glass office high above the skyline watching calmly how everything is all unfolding.

He watched every move,reaction,loss every market shift, numbers in real time displaying on his screens. All of it. Calculated.

“Carter's Holdings stock is down by another eight percent”. One of his analysts reported. Ethan didn't react; he knew it was all his doing.

“They are trying to secure emergency funding but most investors are backing out.

“Of course they are. Ensure the pressure remains consistent and not too fast”. Ethan's voice was calm.

The analyst nodded.

“You want him to feel it?.

“Yes”. Ethan replied firmly.

Adian sat in the living room,watçhing the news from the television screen.

“Breaking news: Carter Holdings has suffered a significant financial setback today with multiple investors withdrawing unexpectedly. Sources suggest internal instability following recent personal scandal involving CEO David Carter…..”.

Adian chest tightened her breath caught when the images of David and Molly were shown on the screen. And the headline wrote. “SCANDAL AND CoLLAPSE”.

“Is this the end of Carter's Holdings?. Adian thought. She slowly lowered her head, her heartbeat racing faster. Everything was happening so fast. Everything Ethan had said. Everything he had promised all was real.

Later that afternoon,Adian saw Ethan in his study. He stood by the window, his posture composed as if it was not related to everything that was happening. As if somehow he wasn't dismantling someone's entire life piece by piece.

“You started already”. Adian voice came behind him.

“I told you I would”. He replied without turning around.

“This…all of this….it's because of you”. Adian said as she stepped closer.

“Yes”? He said firmly. He wasn't denying or hesitating; he was stating the truth.

“You're destroying him”. Adian swallowed.

“Am I?.I am not. I am only exposing weaknesses that were already there”. He said calmly. Then he finally turned to face her.

“That sounds like justification, you're not even pretending”. She replied.

“It's strategy”. Ethan defended.

“And if it ruins him completely”. Adian said as she fixed her gaze to his.

“Then he should have made better decisions”. He said. Ethan's expression didn't change. The coldness in his voice sent a chill through her not as fear but as a protection to her.

“You're doing this for me?”. She said calmly.

“This is what happens when someone disrespect what's mine”. He said as he stepped closer.

Adian felt that word again “mine”. And it makes her heart skip.

“You keep saying that”. She said quietly.

“And you keep noticing it”.

Their eyes met and for a moment they both felt something and everything else faded instantly.

David was obviously angry. He wasn't handling it well. Not at all.

“Find out who's behind this”!. He said angrily slamming his hand against his desk.

His office once filled with confidence and authority now felt suffocating.

His phone has been ringing endlessly,messages here and there coming from investors, board members,reporters. All were demanding answers he didn't have.

“We are trying sir but no one is giving us clear information”. His assistant said nervously.

“Then dig deeper! Do your work!.” David shouted.

The door opened suddenly. Molly walked in, her usual body posture which was always filled with pride is now obviously full of anxiety.

“David……have you seen the news?. She asked quickly.

“Of course. I have seen it”. He snapped.

“This is serious, people are talking,my friends, our connection, everyone is distancing themselves”. She said

“Let them talk”. He snapped. He ran a hand through his hair frustration boiling over.

“You don't understand this affects me too”. She said, staring at him.

“Then maybe you should have thought about that before getting involved in this mess”. He said sharply.

Molly was shocked. The words hit harder than he intended but he didn't take them back.