He Discarded Me , Now I Own Him.

Chapter Five – The Fall

MARCUS POV

I stare at them. Her hand in his. Her calm face. His blank expression.

“What do you mean he is your fiancé?” My voice comes out rough, broken. I clear my throat. “Are you doing this for revenge? Why are you with my brother?”

Elena looks at me. Her eyes are cold. Not angry. Not sad. Just cold. Like I am a stranger. Like I never meant anything.

“I do not owe you any explanation,” she says. “What I do with my life is none of your business.”

The words hit me like a slap. She turns to Alexander. She whispers something in his ear. He nods.

I look at my brother. The one who left. The one who could not stand our family. Now he is standing here, holding my ex-wife's hand.

“Alexander,” I say. “What are you doing with my wife?”

He looks at me. “Ex-wife.”

“She is no longer your wife, she is mine now.” he says.

He takes Elena's arm. They turn and walk away. I try to follow. I reach out to grab Alexander's shoulder.

He shakes me off. Just a wave of his hand. Like I am nothing. He does not even look back.

They disappear into the crowd.

I stand there alone. People move around me. They laugh. They drink. They do not see me.

I cannot believe it. This is not real. It cannot be real.

I am in denial. I know it. But I cannot stop it. My mind refuses to accept what my eyes just saw.

My brother. My ex-wife. Engaged.

The drive home is a blur. I do not remember getting in the car. I do not remember the road. I just remember the bottle in my hand.

I drink in the back seat. The driver does not say anything. He never does.

By the time I reach the mansion, I am drunk. Angry. My head spins. My chest burns.

I stumble through the front door. My parents are in the living room. They look up when I enter.

“Marcus,” my mom says. “You are drunk.”

“Of course I am drunk,” I say. My words slur. “You want to know why?”

My dad sets down his glass. “Sit down. You are making a scene.”

“A scene?” I laugh. It is an ugly sound. “You want a scene? I will give you a scene.”

I point at them. My hand shakes.

“This is your fault,” I say. “Both of you. You raised me to be cold. You told me marriage was a transaction. You told me to control her, not love her.”

My mom stands up. “Marcus, you need to calm down.”

“And now she is back,” I say. “Elena is back. And she is engaged to Alexander.”

My dad’s face goes pale. My mom sits back down.

“Alexander?” My dad says. “Your brother?”

“Yes.” I laugh again. “The son who left. The one you never talk about. He is back. And he is taking my place.”

I grab a bottle from the table. I take a long drink.

“He is taking everything,” I say. “My wife. My company. My life.”

No one answers. They just stare at me.

I turn and stumble toward the stairs. “Enjoy your evening,” I say. “I am going to drink until I forget.”

The morning sun stabs through the curtains. My head pounds. My mouth is dry. I groan and roll over.

My phone is ringing. Loud. Insistent.

I grab it. “What?”

“Mr. Calloway.” It is my assistant. “You are supposed to be in the office. The investor is coming at ten.”

I look at the clock. It is nine forty-five.

“I forgot,” I say.

“You cannot forget this,” she says. “This investor is our last chance. If this deal falls through, the company is finished.”

I sit up. The room spins. I hold my head.

“I am coming,” I say. “Give me twenty minutes.”

I arrive at the office looking like death. My suit is wrinkled. My eyes are red. My head still throbs.

My assistant hands me coffee. I drink it black. It does not help.

“Who is this investor again?” I ask.

“I do not know,” she says. “They requested anonymity. But they hold enough capital to save us.”

I nod. I sit in my chair. We wait.

The minutes pass. Five. Ten. Fifteen.

I tap my fingers on the desk. My patience is thin.

The door opens.

A woman walks in. She is dressed in luxury. A cream silk blouse. Tailored pants. Heels that click on the floor. Her dark curls fall past her shoulders. Her brown eyes are sharp.

I freeze.

It is Elena.

My mouth opens. No sound comes out.

She walks to the chair across from my desk. She sits down. She crosses her legs. She places a folder on the table.

“Good morning, Marcus,” she says. Her voice is calm. Professional. Like she is meeting any other business partner.

I cannot speak. I cannot move.

She is the investor. The one who can save my company. The one who holds everything in her hands.

The woman I threw away.

The woman I told to crawl back.

She is sitting in my office. And she owns me.

I open my mouth. Nothing comes out.

Elena waits. She does not smile. She does not gloat. She just waits.

And I realize, in this moment, that I have already lost everything.