CHAPTER 4 — The Enemy Behind the Curtain
For several seconds, I couldn’t move.
The words hung in the air between us.
Marcus was trying to take everything from him.
A part of me wanted to laugh.
Not because it was funny.
Because after everything Adrian had done, hearing him talk about betrayal almost felt impossible.
“You expect me to believe that?” I asked.
Adrian looked down.
“I know how it sounds.”
“No, Adrian.”
My voice became colder.
“You don’t get to suddenly become the victim.”
He looked at me.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me.”
“Good.”
“Because I know I don’t deserve it.”
That answer surprised me.
For years, Adrian always had an explanation.
A reason.
An excuse.
He was stressed.
He was busy.
He was under pressure.
But now, standing in front of me, he looked like a man who finally realized the damage he had caused.
“I need to understand something,” I said.
He nodded.
“Ask.”
“Were you actually leaving me for Tessa?”
His expression changed.
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
“Then why?”
He sat down on the edge of the sofa.
For the first time in years, he looked older.
“I thought I could fix everything before you ever knew.”
“Fix what?”
He rubbed his face.
“Six months ago, I discovered money was disappearing from the company.”
I stayed silent.
“Large amounts. Millions.”
“Marcus?”
Adrian nodded.
“He had access to our financial systems. He was moving money through different companies.”
I crossed my arms.
“And your solution was to pretend you were leaving me?”
He looked away.
“I panicked.”
“That doesn’t explain Tessa.”
A painful silence followed.
Then Adrian finally spoke.
“I needed a reason to create distance between us.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Distance?”
“Yes.”
He looked ashamed.
“Marcus had been watching everything. He knew my biggest weakness.”
“And what was that?”
His eyes met mine.
“You.”
I said nothing.
“He knew I would do anything to protect you.”
The irony almost made me smile.
Because the man standing in front of me had spent months destroying the very person he claimed he wanted to protect.
“So you decided to make me hate you?”
Adrian nodded slowly.
“I thought if Marcus believed you were leaving me, he wouldn’t see you as a threat.”
I stared at him.
“And Tessa?”
His voice softened.
“Tessa was supposed to be part of the plan.”
My eyebrows lifted.
“Excuse me?”
“She was an intern in the finance department. Marcus trusted her. He thought she was loyal to him.”
I remembered the young woman in the lobby.
The nervous expression.
The envelope.
“She discovered the transfers.”
Adrian continued.
“She came to me because she realized Marcus was using her.”
“And you let me believe she was your affair partner?”
He closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
The honesty hurt.
More than another lie would have.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Marcus had people watching the company. Watching me. Watching everyone close to me.”
I looked around the house.
The house filled with memories.
The house where I thought I was safe.
“So all those messages…”
Adrian nodded.
“They were fake.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“Tessa and I created them to make Marcus believe we had a relationship.”
I remembered the words.
I can't stop thinking about you.
The photos.
The dinner plans.
The heart icons.
All of it.
A performance.
But the pain I felt had been real.
“You should have trusted me enough to tell me.”
Adrian looked down.
“I know.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You don’t understand.”
My voice cracked slightly.
“I spent two days believing my entire marriage was a lie.”
He looked at me.
“I know.”
“You made me feel replaceable.”
His eyes filled with regret.
“I’m sorry.”
For the first time, I believed he meant it.
But forgiveness was not something regret could buy.
Not anymore.
Before I could answer, my phone rang.
Daniel.
I picked up.
“Emma, you need to see this.”
His voice sounded urgent.
“What happened?”
“I found another document.”
My heart sank.
“What document?”
A pause.
Then he said:
“A backup agreement between Marcus and Adrian.”
I looked at my husband.
“What does it say?”
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Adrian signed over control of Beckett Technologies.”
I froze.
“That’s impossible.”
“It’s not.”
My hand tightened around the phone.
“Daniel…”
“Yes?”
“Whose name is on the final approval?”
Another pause.
Then came the words that changed everything.
“Yours.”
I looked at Adrian.
He looked just as shocked as I was.
Because neither of us understood one thing.
May you like
Why would Marcus need my signature…
to steal Adrian’s empire?
