Rise Of The Wasted Shadow Wife

Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

A light rain falls outside the Anthony Group building, soaking the large windows in the executive boardroom. The smell of coffee and wet paper fills the air. Laura sits at the end of the table, dressed in an elegant black suit, her hair in a neat bun, her eyes staring unblinkingly at the merger contract sheet.

Meanwhile, from the other side of the room, Axel can't take his eyes off her.

The woman is too calm.

There is a way Laura speaks that is measured but never boring. The way she looks at someone is firm, but there is something inexplicable. A wound, perhaps. Or a past that is buried deep.

And without realizing it, Axel begins to drown in his own feelings.

"Laura..." Axel says her name at the end of the meeting. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Laura nods. She tidies up her files gracefully and waits for the others to leave the room.

"It's not about work, actually," Axel began. He stood up, walking closer while crossing his arms over his chest. "I just want to know why you accepted this offer."

Laura looked at him. There was no nervousness there—just a piercing calmness.

"Isn't your company attractive enough for anyone looking to advance their career?" she replied flatly.

"But you're not anyone, Laura." Axel squinted. "I saw your resume. You could easily work at any law firm, even overseas. But you chose AnthonyGroup."

"Sometimes we choose a place that holds something from the past to be resolved."

The answer hung in the air like the smell of metal after lightning had struck. Axel gave her a long look. There was a sense of familiarity behind Laura's deep gaze. But he hadn't yet realized that the woman before him was Alessia, the wife he had thrown out of his life in the cruelest of ways.

Days passed. Axel appeared near Laura more and more often, giving her extra projects, inviting her to dinner "in the name of work," and occasionally striking up personal conversations seemingly by accident. He tried to keep things professional, but the line was slowly blurring.

And Laura let him.

That evening, they sat together in the lounge on the 31st floor. The French city was beginning to light up with dusk.

"I'm curious," Axel said slowly. "Do you believe people can change?"

Laura turned her head slowly. "Change because of what?"

"Because of love."

Laura smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was more like an old wound being reopened.

"Love doesn't change anyone, Axel," she whispered. "It only unmasks the real person."

Axel laughed softly but couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes.

"You must have been hurt," she said.

Laura took a sip of her coffee. "Haven't we all been there?"

Axel nodded. Then, for the first time, he talked about his old wounds.

"There was a woman I used to love. Alessia was her name. But it all ended badly. Very badly."

Laura froze for a moment, but she showed nothing on her face. Only her eyes were downcast, as if hiding something.

"And now?" she asked calmly.

"She's gone from my life."

Behind the smile and soft speech, Laura made her move. She began to infiltrate the company's internal systems, using her legal access as a consultant. No one suspected anything. Axel even gave her more freedom as her trust grew.

Ironic.

In the old archive data room, Laura opened a folder with the code R3K.2020. Her fingers trembled when she found a transfer document that was not included in the public report. The destination account in the company's name led to a fictitious offshore account.

This was the proof of embezzlement he had been looking for: proof that Axel had committed a business crime or at least covered it up.

"All part of the plan, darling..." he murmured. "You trust me with your heart, and I will repay you with the truth."

That night, Axel couldn't sleep. He dreamed about Alessia, about their last day together, about the rainy night, the screaming, the humiliation, and the wounded look in the eyes that now seemed to be looking back at him through Laura's eyes.

She woke up, her body drenched in sweat. Her breathing was labored; her chest felt like it was being crushed by a boulder.

He turned on his laptop and opened his email. His fingers typed fast, as if he stopped, his heart would explode.

Laura,

There are things I want to say but never have the courage to say. You're different from anyone I've ever known.

Somehow, I feel like you understand my pain more deeply than anyone else.

And... I'm scared. Afraid that I'm starting to fall again.

He stopped there.

He stared at the screen for a long time.

Then... he closed the laptop. The email was never sent.

A few days later, Axel approached her during office hours. The office was deserted. The sky was dark. It was just the two of them in Laura's office.

"Have you ever... loved someone, Laura?"

Laura turned her head slowly, putting on a fragile expression that she had created perfectly.

"I did. But he killed the best part of me," she whispered.

Axel stepped closer. They were only inches apart.

"You make me want to believe again," he whispered.

Laura looked at him deeply. In that second, she could have kissed Axel. She could have closed the distance and let herself fall. But she just looked down slowly and whispered,

"Don't fall in love with me, Axel. I'm not your healer. I'm a wound you don't know yet."