He threw money on the bed after our one-night stand.
I threw it back in his face at his own inauguration.
By sundown, we were engaged. By the week's end — married.
Franklin Flemington needed a wife to secure his empire. I needed a miracle to save my family. For two years, we played our parts flawlessly — the golden couple the whole city envied.
Behind closed doors, I was invisible to him.
When the two years were up, I handed him divorce papers without blinking.
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "I've given you everything a husband should. What more do you want from me, Octavia?"
I smiled, signed my name, and walked out.
I thought that was the end. I thought I'd finally won.
I forgot one thing — Franklin Flemington has never lost anything in his life. And he has no intention of starting with me.
Game on.

Every swing of the pendulum of the clock was a second closer to noon — the hour Dorian Harrington intended to behead the Flemington legacy. I hadn't slept a wink. The adrenaline from the masquerade ball last night was still coursing through my veins, a bitter cocktail of caffeine and cold fury.


I paced the length of the study, my eyes fixed on the door until my grandfather, Frederick, finally entered. He looked as though he had aged a decade overnight. The weight of the world seemed to bow his shoulders.


"The deadline is four hours away, Franklin," he said, his voice raspy and thin. He moved toward the sideboard to pour a glass of water, his hand shaking slightly from a rare, uncharacteristic fear. "I've had the legal team on standby, but without a miracle, we are looking at a hostile takeover of your reputation. If those photos hit the press, the board will convene an emergency session by sunset."


Chapter 24 - ~ 24