Chapter 5
Grandma Rose sat rigid in her wheelchair, her aged eyes blazing with a sharpness that belied her 80 years.
"Explain," she commanded. One word. That was all Nathan got.
Nathan knelt beside her, his voice low and urgent. I couldn't hear his words, but I watched his grandmother's face transform from confusion to disbelief to cold, terrible fury.
Her hand shot up and slapped Nathan across the face.
The crack echoed through the ballroom.
"You DARE?" Her voice carried despite her age. "I arranged that marriage because Aria was the finest woman I'd ever met! And you threw her away for THAT?"
She pointed a trembling finger at Serena, who was trying to disappear behind a potted plant.
Nathan's cheek burned red. "Grandmother, please let me explain—"
"Three years!" Grandma Rose's eyes filled with tears. "That girl cared for me like her own grandmother. Drove me to every appointment. Called me every single day. And you hid her like something shameful?"
"It wasn't like that—"
"Were you planning to divorce her before or after you stole the CEO position I was going to give you based on the stability of your marriage?"
Dead silence.
Nathan's face was answer enough.
Grandma Rose closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were ice.
"You're removed from the CEO succession. Effective immediately."
"Grandmother, you can't—"
"LEAVE MY SIGHT!"
Nathan stood on shaking legs. He turned toward me, desperate, wild-eyed.
"This is your fault," he whispered viciously. "You turned her against me."
"No." Dominic's voice was quiet but carried lethal authority. "You did that entirely on your own."
Nathan's hands curled into fists. For a terrible moment, I thought he might swing at Dominic in front of everyone.
But even in his rage, he wasn't stupid enough to physically attack the man who owned his company.
He stormed out, nearly knocking over a waiter. Serena scurried after him, her heels clicking frantically.
Grandma Rose beckoned me over. I knelt beside her wheelchair, and she took my face in her wrinkled hands.
"My dear girl." Her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. I thought he would treasure you."
"It's not your fault, Grandma." I held her hands gently. "None of this was your doing."
"You found someone good?" She looked at Dominic, assessing.
"The best," I said softly.
Dominic bowed deeply before her. "Mrs. Cross, I swear on my life — I will never make her cry."
Grandma Rose studied him for a long moment, then nodded once.
"If you break that promise, I'll destroy you myself. Billionaire or not."
Dominic smiled. "I'd expect nothing less."
...
That night, the news exploded.
Every society blog, business publication, and gossip column ran the story:
"ASHFORD EMPIRE CEO REVEALS SECRET MARRIAGE TO EX-WIFE OF CROSS INDUSTRIES HEIR"
"DOMINIC ASHFORD'S FIVE-YEAR PURSUIT: THE LOVE STORY BEHIND THE BILLION-DOLLAR MERGER"
"NATHAN CROSS DUMPED ASHFORD'S WIFE — AND LOST EVERYTHING"
By morning, Cross Industries' stock had dropped 15%.
The board called an emergency meeting. Dominic casually mentioned over breakfast that he'd received seven calls from Cross Industries board members asking him not to pull his investment.
"What did you tell them?" I asked, watching him butter my toast.
"That I'd consider it." He slid the perfect toast toward me. "After I finish making my wife breakfast."
"Dominic."
"Hm?"
"You can't destroy his company just because he's my ex-husband. Thousands of employees—"
"I know." He sat beside me, his expression turning serious. "I won't hurt innocent people. But Nathan's position? That's fair game."
His phone rang. He glanced at the screen and his eyebrows rose.
"Speak of the devil."
He answered on speaker.
Nathan's voice was barely controlled: "Ashford. We need to talk. Man to man."
Dominic leaned back, completely relaxed. "About?"
"You know what about! You married my wife—"
"Ex-wife," Dominic corrected pleasantly. "Whom you divorced. Voluntarily. With pre-prepared papers."
"She was MINE—"
"People aren't property, Cross. Is there something business-related you need? Because personal matters between you and my wife are... concluded."
The line went dead.
Dominic looked at me, eyes dancing with barely suppressed satisfaction.
"He hung up on me," he said, mock-offended.
I threw a blueberry at his head.
"Explain," she commanded. One word. That was all Nathan got.
Nathan knelt beside her, his voice low and urgent. I couldn't hear his words, but I watched his grandmother's face transform from confusion to disbelief to cold, terrible fury.
Her hand shot up and slapped Nathan across the face.
The crack echoed through the ballroom.
"You DARE?" Her voice carried despite her age. "I arranged that marriage because Aria was the finest woman I'd ever met! And you threw her away for THAT?"
She pointed a trembling finger at Serena, who was trying to disappear behind a potted plant.
Nathan's cheek burned red. "Grandmother, please let me explain—"
"Three years!" Grandma Rose's eyes filled with tears. "That girl cared for me like her own grandmother. Drove me to every appointment. Called me every single day. And you hid her like something shameful?"
"It wasn't like that—"
"Were you planning to divorce her before or after you stole the CEO position I was going to give you based on the stability of your marriage?"
Dead silence.
Nathan's face was answer enough.
Grandma Rose closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were ice.
"You're removed from the CEO succession. Effective immediately."
"Grandmother, you can't—"
"LEAVE MY SIGHT!"
Nathan stood on shaking legs. He turned toward me, desperate, wild-eyed.
"This is your fault," he whispered viciously. "You turned her against me."
"No." Dominic's voice was quiet but carried lethal authority. "You did that entirely on your own."
Nathan's hands curled into fists. For a terrible moment, I thought he might swing at Dominic in front of everyone.
But even in his rage, he wasn't stupid enough to physically attack the man who owned his company.
He stormed out, nearly knocking over a waiter. Serena scurried after him, her heels clicking frantically.
Grandma Rose beckoned me over. I knelt beside her wheelchair, and she took my face in her wrinkled hands.
"My dear girl." Her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. I thought he would treasure you."
"It's not your fault, Grandma." I held her hands gently. "None of this was your doing."
"You found someone good?" She looked at Dominic, assessing.
"The best," I said softly.
Dominic bowed deeply before her. "Mrs. Cross, I swear on my life — I will never make her cry."
Grandma Rose studied him for a long moment, then nodded once.
"If you break that promise, I'll destroy you myself. Billionaire or not."
Dominic smiled. "I'd expect nothing less."
...
That night, the news exploded.
Every society blog, business publication, and gossip column ran the story:
"ASHFORD EMPIRE CEO REVEALS SECRET MARRIAGE TO EX-WIFE OF CROSS INDUSTRIES HEIR"
"DOMINIC ASHFORD'S FIVE-YEAR PURSUIT: THE LOVE STORY BEHIND THE BILLION-DOLLAR MERGER"
"NATHAN CROSS DUMPED ASHFORD'S WIFE — AND LOST EVERYTHING"
By morning, Cross Industries' stock had dropped 15%.
The board called an emergency meeting. Dominic casually mentioned over breakfast that he'd received seven calls from Cross Industries board members asking him not to pull his investment.
"What did you tell them?" I asked, watching him butter my toast.
"That I'd consider it." He slid the perfect toast toward me. "After I finish making my wife breakfast."
"Dominic."
"Hm?"
"You can't destroy his company just because he's my ex-husband. Thousands of employees—"
"I know." He sat beside me, his expression turning serious. "I won't hurt innocent people. But Nathan's position? That's fair game."
His phone rang. He glanced at the screen and his eyebrows rose.
"Speak of the devil."
He answered on speaker.
Nathan's voice was barely controlled: "Ashford. We need to talk. Man to man."
Dominic leaned back, completely relaxed. "About?"
"You know what about! You married my wife—"
"Ex-wife," Dominic corrected pleasantly. "Whom you divorced. Voluntarily. With pre-prepared papers."
"She was MINE—"
"People aren't property, Cross. Is there something business-related you need? Because personal matters between you and my wife are... concluded."
The line went dead.
Dominic looked at me, eyes dancing with barely suppressed satisfaction.
"He hung up on me," he said, mock-offended.
I threw a blueberry at his head.