30 DAYS TO DIVORCE MY BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND

5

The murmur of high society, the clinking of crystal glasses, and the music of a string quartet filled the immense space decorated with golden chandeliers.

"Liam, my boy!" a mature voice echoed a few feet away.

It was the Governor, accompanied by three of the main shareholders of the consortium. We approached with a calm step.

"Governor, a pleasure to see you again," Liam greeted, shaking his hand.

"The pleasure is mine. And I must say..." the older man looked at me with evident admiration, bowing his head slightly. "Mrs. Fabiana looks majestic tonight. That blue color suits her impeccably."

"Thank you very much, Governor," I replied in a sweet, polite tone. "It's an honor to accompany my husband on such an important evening for the corporation."

"She is an extraordinary woman, Liam," one of the shareholders chimed in, smiling at me. "We rarely see her at board meetings."

I felt Liam's hand slide from my fingers to the lower part of my back.

His palm dug into my waist with absolute dominance, pinning my hips to his before everyone's eyes.

"Fabiana is the central figure of our home," Liam answered, using his usual cold, calculating tone. "Her presence is fundamental to the stability of my image."

A young executive from an allied banking firm approached the group with a glass of champagne in hand, his eyes locked on me with overt fascination.

"Mrs. Fabiana," the young man said, stepping forward and extending his hand. "I'm Marcos Vane, from Continental Bank. I've heard so much about your elegance, but photos simply don't do you justice. Would you grant me the honor of serving you a glass?"

Before I could open my mouth to respond, Liam's arm visibly tensed around my waist.

He took a step forward, placing his bulky body between the executive and me.

"My wife already has a drink, Vane," Liam interrupted in an icy, dangerous tone. "And we are discussing board matters with the Governor. If you'll excuse us."

The young man blinked, intimidated by Liam's hostile glare, and took two steps back, apologizing clumsily before losing himself in the crowd.

I looked at Liam out of the corner of my eye. His jaw was clenched and his gaze was fixed on the crowd.

"What was that?" I asked him in a discrete whisper.

"Taking care of what's mine," he answered without looking at me, tightening his grip on my waist even more. "I'm not going to allow some nobody to try and court my wife."

"I can take care of myself, Liam. You don't need to mark territory just for your ego."

"Tonight you are my wife in front of these people, Fabiana," he stated in my ear with a dark tone. "And as long as you wear my ring, you behave as such."

A sudden murmur at the entrance of the room cut our conversation short.

The gazes of several guests shifted toward the main doors and the string quartet seemed to falter for a second in its melody.

I turned my head slowly.

Caitlyn had just crossed the threshold.

She was wearing a flashy red dress with a plunging neckline, theatrically holding both hands over her flat belly to draw the attention of everyone present.

Our eyes met across the distance.

A smirk of superiority formed on her red lips as she walked straight toward us, weaving past the waiters at a hurried pace.

"Good evening, everyone," Caitlyn said upon reaching the Governor's circle. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I was passing by the hotel and felt terribly dizzy. The doctor said the first months of pregnancy are delicate, so I came to look for Liam."

The Governor and the investors exchanged looks of absolute shock. The word "pregnancy" echoed like a bomb in high-society circles.

"Caitlyn," Liam said, freezing. "I told you this was a private board event. You shouldn't have come here to say this."

"Oh, Liam, don't be so harsh," she whimpered, taking another step and grabbing his arm with calculated desperation. "It's our child. I was feeling sick at the hotel and couldn't be without you. Fabiana will understand... after all, she couldn't give your family an heir in three years."

The nerve of her words caused several shareholders to gasp. Two press photographers made their way through the crowd, capturing the clash between the official wife and the pregnant mistress.

I looked at Liam.

I was waiting to see how far his cowardice would go. And he didn't disappoint me.

Liam didn't push her away. He looked at Caitlyn, squeezing her hand.

"Caitlyn, please go up to the suite on the top floor," Liam whispered in a low voice, prioritizing his mistress's well-being over the dignity of the event. "I'll ask the driver to call the doctor. I'll be right up with you."

Instead of pain, a cold laugh was born deep in my chest.

The Governor cleared his throat, visibly disgusted by the lack of respect toward the company's image.

To try and repair the damage in front of the investors, Liam wrapped his arm around my waist again, trying to pin me to his side in a forced gesture.

"Excuse the misunderstanding," Liam told the shareholders, trying to cover up the scandal. "My wife and I will handle this..."

"There is nothing to handle, Liam," I interrupted him with a voice that resonated impeccable and clear, stepping aside to break free from his grip all at once.

Liam looked at me, baffled by my public rejection.

At that exact moment, the giant screens in the main ballroom, designed to project the corporate presentation of Liam's company, flickered sharply.

The logo of Liam's company disappeared, replaced in seconds by the golden emblem of Aura Digital.

A deafening murmur swept through the room as the main presenter's voice announced over the loudspeakers: "Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt the evening to announce that Vanguard Group has signed an exclusive deal with Aura Digital."

Liam's face crumbled live in front of the photographers. He turned toward the screens with his eyes wide in panic, while I took a step back, adjusting my diamond necklace with a triumphant smile.

***

THIRD PERSON POV

Caitlyn squeezed her hands at her sides in the hallway, watching Liam walk away toward the private terrace following the collapse of the giant screen.

Rage burned in her chest.

She could not stomach the dignity with which Fabiana had conducted herself in front of the Governor, making her look like a vulgar intruder and using that alleged pregnancy dizziness to humiliate her.

Taking advantage of the fact that Liam stopped to answer an urgent call from the board of directors to contain the stock disaster, Fabiana walked toward the private balcony to breathe the fresh night air.

She needed a breath of relief from her husband's suffocating hypocrisy while coordinating the final deployment of Aura Digital.

But almost immediately, the echo of hurried high heels resonated behind her.

"You are a hypocrite," Caitlyn hissed, appearing in the glass doorway with her face distorted by fury.

Fabiana did not flinch.

She kept the glass of water between her fingers and turned around slowly, observing her with a composure that was disarming.

"This balcony is private, Caitlyn."

"Shut up!" Caitlyn exclaimed in a violent whisper, stepping forward. "Do you think you won something because Liam held your waist for the photos or because your little friends ruined the presentation? He is only holding on to you so the board doesn't think his marriage is a sham. You embarrass him! He is so disgusted by you that the child I'm expecting is his!"

Fabiana formed a cold smile. She set the glass on the railing with a light clink of crystal.

"Is that all?" Fabiana asked in a unhurried voice. "I thought you had more intelligent arguments to defend your role as the mistress of the hour."

"Sign the divorce tonight and get out of his life!" Caitlyn demanded, pointing at her with a trembling finger. "You don't belong to high society, you have no family name, you have no family. Liam feels sorry for you. He even paid you so you would rot in the street and stop bothering him!"

Fabiana took a step toward her.

Her posture became so majestic and imposing that Caitlyn backed away a millimeter.

"Listen to me carefully," Fabiana said in a low tone. "I will sign when the thirty days are up. Not a minute sooner, not a minute later. And if you are in such a rush to take my place, learn to have the class you lack so you don't go around making desperate scenes, faking dizziness without an invitation."

"You..." Caitlyn was left breathless, her face burning with humiliation. "You're going to regret this. I'll tell Liam you tried to hit me again."

"The one who should start worrying is you," Fabiana declared, holding her gaze. "Because when I leave that house, I will leave with my head held high and with half of Liam's shares in my pocket. Now, clear the way."

Caitlyn clenched her teeth, but could not find a single word to reply.

Swallowing her own venom, she turned around and fled into the ballroom.

Fabiana adjusted the collar of her blue silk dress and let out a deep sigh.

Before she could return to the party, a mature man with graying hair and an impeccable tailored gray suit stopped a few feet away from her.

"Pardon the interruption, miss," the man said in European Spanish. "I have been observing your composure amidst the chaos tonight. My name is Roger Kurt."

Fabiana narrowed her eyes, instantly recognizing the international tech and financial tycoon, one of the most influential men in the global market.

"Mr. Kurt," Fabiana greeted with an elegant nod of her head. "It is an honor. I must admit I love the way you run your empire."

"The honor is mine," the tycoon smiled, observing her with genuine respect. "I see you are knowledgeable about my work."

Fabiana smiled. "Let's just say I understand quite well how Aura Digital and investment flows absorb weak companies in times of crisis, Mr. Kurt."

The tycoon's face lit up with fascination.

"A remarkably sharp vision. It is rare to find that level of executive judgment at these formal events."

Meanwhile, several meters away at the balcony entrance, Liam held his glass of whisky without tasting a single drop.

His dark eyes were fixed on Fabiana, burning with a furious mix of jealousy and panic following the humiliation of the Aura Digital announcement.

He had prepared to step in if any other man bothered her again, but what he saw left him paralyzed.

Fabiana had not only destroyed Caitlyn, but now she was talking as an equal with Roger Kurt, the foreign tycoon with whom Liam himself had been trying to secure a business meeting for months to save his company.

Liam frowned.

Fabiana's posture was different.

She was not the docile woman he assumed would be crying at the mansion.

She possessed a confidence and an intellectual elegance he had never seen in her before.

"Who is she really?" Liam asked himself, feeling a sting of intrigue and a dark urge to subdue his pride.

"Your judgment is formidable, Fabiana," Roger Kurt was saying, amazed by the clarity with which she broke down global market trends. "My consortium is looking for executive advisors with that sharpness for our new investment fund."

"I am always open to exchanging perspectives on smart business, Mr. Kurt," Fabiana replied with an enigmatic smile.

The tycoon reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a metallic business card with gold edges, bearing his private personal contact information.

"This is my personal card, Fabiana," Kurt said seriously. "If at any point you decide to join the high-level corporate world, call me. I would love to offer you a seat on my advisory board."

Fabiana extended her hand to take the card, but before her fingers could touch the metal, a large hand intercepted in midair.

Liam appeared out of nowhere, cutting into the space between them with a dominant presence and lightly cornering Fabiana's body against his side.

Without apologizing, Liam took the card directly from Roger Kurt's hands.

"Good evening, Mr. Kurt," Liam said, his voice laced with dangerous hostility.

The tycoon blinked, surprised by the young CEO's abruptness.

"Liam... I was having a very interesting conversation with your wife. She has formidable financial talent."

"I know," Liam cut in, his eyes locked on the tycoon while squeezing Fabiana's waist with absolute possessiveness. "But my wife is not looking for employment opportunities or negotiating tonight. She is here to accompany me."

Fabiana looked at Liam with contained fury over his arrogant interruption.

"Liam, give that back to me," she demanded in an icy whisper. "Mr. Kurt was being courteous."

"The conversation is over, Fabiana," he stated without looking at her.

With a deliberate movement, Liam tucked the metallic card into the upper pocket of his tuxedo, right over his chest. Then, he looked at the tycoon.

"If there are investment matters to discuss with your firm, Kurt, we will handle them in my office. With your permission, I am leaving with my wife."

Roger Kurt observed Liam, then Fabiana's cold gaze, smiled subtly, and bowed his head.

"A pity, Liam. But the card was for her. Mrs. Fabiana, it was a pleasure."

The tycoon turned around and lost himself in the crowd.

Fabiana turned to Liam instantly, her eyes flashing fire.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she hissed, taking a step toward him. "That card was mine. Give it back to me."

Liam took her by the arm with a burning, possessive grip that admitted no argument, pressing their bodies together until he felt her accelerated pulse against his chest.

His eyes burned with a confused mix of rage, wild jealousy, and a deeply wounded pride at seeing her beside another man.

"We are going to the mansion. Now," Liam ordered in a husky voice, tightening his hold at her side as he guided her toward the private exit. "And you are going to explain to me exactly what you are plotting."