The Billionaire's Revenge Contract

Chapter 1 The rain was coming down hard when I walked into my office that morning. I should have known it was a sign that my life was about to fall apart. My assistant, Sarah, was waiting by my desk with a nervous look on her face. "Mrs. Lancaster, there's someone here to see you," she said quietly. "Who is it? I don't have any appointments until noon." "She says her name is Victoria Chen. She claims she needs to speak with you about your husband." She replied. My heart skipped a beat. Why would someone I didn't know want to talk about Ethan? "Send her in," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. The woman who walked through my door was stunning. She had long black hair, perfect makeup, and a designer suit that probably cost more than most people's monthly salary. But what caught my attention was the way she looked at me – with pity. "Isabella Lancaster?" she asked, though she clearly knew who I was. "Yes. And you are?" She sat down without being invited. "I'm Victoria Chen. I work at your husband's company." She paused, then added, "I'm also pregnant with his child." The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. I couldn't breathe. This had to be some kind of mistake. Ethan and I had been married for five years. We were trying to have a baby of our own. "You're lying," I said, my voice barely a whisper. Victoria pulled out her phone and showed me photos. There was Ethan, my Ethan, with his arms around her at what looked like a company party. Another showed them kissing in his office. The last one was of them leaving a hotel together. "We've been together for eight months," she said. "I thought you should know before everyone else finds out. The baby is due in six months." My hands were shaking. Eight months. He'd been lying to me for eight months. All those late nights at the office, all those business trips – they were all lies. "Why are you telling me this?" I managed to ask. "Because Ethan won't. He wants to keep both of us. But I'm not sharing him anymore. Either he divorces you, or I'm going public with everything." She stood up and placed a folder on my desk. "Those are copies of everything – emails, text messages, hotel receipts. My lawyer said it should be enough for your divorce." After she left, I sat there staring at the folder. Part of me wanted to throw it away, pretend this never happened. But I knew I had to look. I opened it and saw message after message between them. The worst part wasn't the s****l content – it was the 'I love you's that Ethan had sent her. He'd told me he loved me just this morning. I called my best friend, Rachel. "Can you pick me up from work? I can't drive right now." "What's wrong? You sound terrible." "Ethan's been having an affair. She's pregnant." Rachel was at my office in fifteen minutes. She held me while I cried in the parking garage, then drove me home. We sat in my driveway for a moment, looking at the house Ethan and I had bought together three years ago. "What are you going to do?" Rachel asked. "I don't know. How am I supposed to face him?" "You don't have to do anything today. Come stay with me." I shook my head. "No. I need to talk to him. I need to hear it from him." I waited in the living room for Ethan to come home. When he walked in at seven, he was smiling and carrying takeout from my favorite restaurant. "Hey baby, I got us Chinese food. I know you've been stressed with that new project." I looked at him – really looked at him. How had I missed the signs? The new cologne, the gym membership he suddenly cared about, the way he'd been distant in bed. "Victoria came to see me today," I said. The color drained from his face. The takeout bags slipped from his hands. "Isabella, let me explain." He said, coming to my side. "She's pregnant, Ethan. You got another woman pregnant while we were trying to have a baby." He moved toward me, but I stepped back. "It didn't mean anything. It was a mistake." "Eight months is not a mistake. It's a relationship." "Please, we can work this out. I'll end it with her. We can go to counseling." I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "She has pictures, emails, everything. You told her you loved her." "I love you. You're my wife." He said. "Not for much longer." I walked past him toward the stairs. He grabbed my arm. "Isabella, please. Don't do this. I made a mistake, but I choose you. I'll always choose you." I pulled my arm away. "You should have thought about that eight months ago." I packed a bag while he followed me around the bedroom, begging and making promises. But all I could think about was the baby growing inside Victoria. The baby that should have been mine. As I headed for the door, Ethan blocked my way. "Where are you going?" "That's none of your business anymore." "You're still my wife." "Your pregnant girlfriend might disagree." I pushed past him and got in my car. As I drove away, I saw him standing in the doorway, still in his expensive suit, looking lost. Good. Let him feel a fraction of what I was feeling. My phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize. I answered it at a red light. "Isabella Lancaster?" a man's voice asked. "Yes?" "My name is Alexander Cross. I think we need to talk about our mutual problem." "I don't understand. Who are you?" "Victoria Chen's fiancé. Or rather, ex-fiancé, as of this afternoon." My blood ran cold. Victoria had a fiancé?