"Are you still hovering here? I thought Xavier told you to pack your cheap bags and vanish." Chloe's voice drifted up the grand staircase, sharp and dripping with malice.
Ester stood at the top of the landing, clutching only her small designer handbag and her phone. She hadn't packed a single suitcase. Not one dress, not one pair of shoes, not even the jewelry Xavier had bought her during their happy years. Those things were tainted by the lies of the Blackwood name.
"I'm leaving, Chloe. You can stop acting like a territorial stray dog." Ester replied calmly, her voice echoing through the hollow mansion.
She walked down the stairs, her navy-blue gown trailing behind her. Xavier was standing in the foyer, pouring himself another drink. He looked up, his eyes scanning her empty hands.
"Where are your things, Ester? Don't think you can come back tomorrow claiming you forgot your stuff. Once you walk out that door, the locks are being changed." Xavier said, his tone bored yet cruel.
Ester stopped three steps from the bottom, looking him in the eye. "Keep them. Every dress, every bag, every diamond. They were all bought with the money you made from my designs. Consider it a tip for the five years I wasted being your wife."
Xavier let out a sharp, mocking bark of laughter. "My money? My designs? You're still holding onto that delusion? You're going to regret this bravado when you're shivering in some cheap motel tonight, realize you have no credit cards, and no one to call."
"Oh, she won't be going to a motel, Xavier." Chloe chimed in, leaning against the doorframe. "She'll probably go back to that dusty village she came from. Maybe she can design a nice chicken coop there."
Ester ignored the sting. She walked past them, her head held high, the scent of Chloe's heavy perfume making her stomach turn. She reached the massive mahogany front doors and pulled them open. The night air was chilly, but it felt like the first breath of oxygen she'd had in years.
"Good luck, Ester! You're going to need it!" Xavier shouted after her, his voice laced with the arrogance of a man who thought he held the world in his palm.
Ester didn't look back. She walked down the long, lit driveway toward the iron gates. As she approached, the gates began to hum, sliding open automatically. Just beyond them sat the midnight-black Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, a car worth more than Xavier's entire fleet.
Dominic Sterling was no longer leaning against the car. He was standing directly in the center of the gateway, his silhouette framed by the streetlights. As Ester stepped onto the pavement, she finally saw him clearly. He was taller than she remembered, broader, with an aura of absolute power that made the air around him feel heavy.
"You're late." Dominic said. His voice was casual, like they were old friends meeting for coffee, but his eyes were scanning her face for any signs of trauma.
"I had to sign my freedom away. It took a moment." Ester replied, her voice trembling slightly now that the adrenaline was fading.
Dominic stepped closer, entering her personal space. He reached out, his thumb gently brushing a stray tear she hadn't realized had fallen. "You're shaking."
"It's just cold," she lied.
Dominic pulled off his charcoal-grey suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. The warmth of his body heat and the faint scent of sandalwood and expensive tobacco enveloped her. "No. It's the realization that you've been living with a cockroach for five years. It's a natural reaction to filth."
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps crunching on gravel came from behind them. Xavier had followed her to the gate, likely hoping to see her walking down the street in the dark. He froze when he saw the luxury car and the man standing with Ester.
"What the hell is this?" Xavier's voice was filled with confusion. "Sterling? What are you doing at my gate?"
Dominic didn't even turn around to face him. He kept his gaze on Ester, adjusting the jacket around her neck. "Your gate? I wouldn't be so sure about that, Blackwood. I believe the land this estate sits on is technically under a lease-hold owned by a subsidiary of Sterling Group. I could have you evicted by Monday if I felt like being petty."
Xavier stepped forward, his face flushed with anger. "Ester! Is this why you signed so easily? You've been sleeping with my biggest rival?"
Ester turned, looking at her ex-husband with pure disgust. "You really think everyone is as disgusting as you? I haven't seen Dominic in seven years."
"Then why is he here? Why is he playing chauffeur for my ex-wife?" Xavier spat.
Dominic finally turned his head, casting a chilling glance over his shoulder. The look in his eyes was enough to make Xavier take a half-step back. It wasn't just corporate rivalry; it was the look of a predator watching a piece of trash.
"I'm not her chauffeur, Xavier. I'm her benefactor," Dominic said smoothly. "And as for why I'm here .... I'm simply collecting what has always belonged to me."
Xavier laughed, though it sounded forced. "She belongs to you? She's a failed architect with a signed divorce paper. Take her. She's useless to me now that the Emerald City project is finalized."
Dominic smiled then, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was a dark, dangerous expression. "Finalized? You really think you can build that city without the person who holds the original structural keys? You think you won that tender because of your brilliant presentation?"
"I won because I'm Xavier Blackwood!"
Dominic pulled a small remote from his pocket and pressed a button. Suddenly, Ester's phone chirped. A notification appeared: Transaction Complete. 51% of Blackwood Corp Sub-Development Shares Transferred.
Ester looked at her phone, then at Dominic, her mouth hanging open. "Dominic, what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything illegal," Dominic said, looking back at Xavier, who was now staring at his own phone as it began to ring incessantly. "I just reminded the board of directors that without the lead designer's signature on the final safety permits, your billion-dollar project is nothing but a pile of illegal bricks. And since you just divorced that designer ...."
Xavier's face went pale. "You ... you sabotaged the board?"
Dominic took Ester's hand, his grip firm and protective. He began to lead her toward the open door of the Rolls-Royce. "I didn't sabotage anything. I just bought the rights to your failure."
As Ester climbed into the plush leather interior, she felt the weight of her old life falling away. Dominic closed her door and walked around to the driver's side, but before he got in, he looked at the trembling Xavier one last time.
"By the way, Xavier," Dominic called out over the purr of the engine. "About that 'hobby' of hers you mentioned?"
Xavier looked up, his phone still vibrating in his hand with calls from panicked investors. "What about it?"
Dominic leaned against the car door, his expression one of cold amusement.
"Every single project you've won in the last three years? I was the one who personally approved the funding, just because Ester's name was on the secret drafthouse file. Did you really think a man like you could achieve that much on your own?"