2

Ayana’s POV

Stellan stepped forward and helped me up, his eyes brimming with concern. Yet, beneath that tenderness, I caught the flicker of suspicion in his gaze.

“I just came downstairs,” I said softly, steadying my voice. “I wanted to talk to you about my brother.”

Swallowing down all the anger boiling inside me, I forced myself to appear as though I had heard nothing.

The lawyer, seizing the moment, quickly slipped out of the villa.

Stellan watched him leave, and then he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Darling,” he said gently, “I asked the lawyer about Jayven’s situation too, but…” His voice trailed off, and hesitation clouded his expression.

I looked at him without betraying my emotions, though sorrow welled in my chest. My voice rasped as I asked, “What is it? Is it that difficult?”

Stellan frowned deeply, and then he forced a smile.

“The evidence the other party presented is simply overwhelming. Even after consulting several lawyers, there’s no way to turn things around. And besides…” His eyes darkened. “Zella sent people to warn us. She said if you insist on suing, she’ll cut off your mother’s medication… and even have her thrown out of the hospital.”

As he spoke, he quickly reached out to steady me, as if afraid I would collapse from the weight of his words.

A sharp ache stabbed at my heart. I couldn’t stop myself from retorting, my voice biting, “Is Zella’s influence really so powerful? Stronger than you, the head of one of Alabama’s top financial groups?”

His expression stiffened. A bitter smile curved his lips.

“Darling, the company hasn’t been doing well lately. I truly can’t help it. It’s my fault. But if you push forward with the lawsuit, both your brother and your mother will suffer endlessly. I grieve for the child we lost, too… but please, just withdraw the case. Record a clarification video. Otherwise, I honestly don’t know what else I can do.”

Stellan had never shown weakness before me.

No matter what he faced in the past, he always carried the burden alone. He never once revealed such a vulnerable side.

But I knew the truth—Breitbart Corporation wasn’t in trouble at all.

All of this—his helplessness, his plea—was nothing but an act to make me withdraw the lawsuit. He was doing it all for the sake of protecting his precious first love.

How could he be so cruel?

I fixed my gaze on his eyes, unflinching.

His performance was flawless, even covering his face with his hand as though weighed down by grief.

If I hadn’t overheard the truth earlier, I might have been deceived. I might have been moved enough to give in and agree to withdraw the lawsuit.

But now…

I forced the words out from the tightness in my throat.

“Has it really come to this, Stellan? Zella killed our child. And you truly want me to withdraw the lawsuit?”

My voice trembled slightly.

A flicker of guilt flashed across his eyes, but in the next instant, he spoke without hesitation.

“Darling, I want revenge for our child, too. But right now, your brother and your mother matter more. I swear—when the time is right, I’ll make her pay for killing our baby. Darling, please… listen to me, alright?”

He coaxed me gently, pressing a phone into my hand.

“When you record the video, just say you fell by accident—that Zella only reached out to catch you.”

Eagerness glimmered in his eyes.

And at that moment, I finally understood. In Stellan’s heart, whether it was my brother, my mother, myself, or even the child we lost—none of us would ever compare to Zella.

I shut my eyes, despair washing over me. My voice came out hoarse.

“Fine. I’ll withdraw the lawsuit. I’ll record the clarification video. But it has to be seven days from now.”

His pleased expression froze instantly.

“Why seven days later?”

My hand drifted to my belly, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.

“Because I want… to at least mourn our baby for seven days.”

He probably saw the look on my face because guilt flickered again in his eyes.

“Alright. Seven days, then.”

With that settled, he drew me into his arms.

His embrace was still as warm as ever… yet I could no longer feel any sense of safety within it.

3

Ayana’s POV

The next morning, I had barely woken up when Stellan pulled me along to the prison.

My younger brother was being held there, awaiting an uncertain fate.

Stellan gently stroked my hair, his eyes filled with endless tenderness.

“Ayana, promise me,” he coaxed softly, “when you see your brother later, don’t get too emotional, alright? I just want you to understand what he’s been going through these past few days.”

A chill of foreboding rippled through me at his words.

Before I could ask what he meant, Jayven limped into view.

I had never seen him in such… a miserable state.

His clothes were so filthy that their original color was unrecognizable. His arms, knees—any part of him I could see—were covered with bruises and wounds. Even his once-handsome face was swollen and bloodied, his lips split with dried crimson at the corner.

My chest clenched in unbearable pain. My knees gave out, and I collapsed against the glass partition, the wound on my body throbbing dully.

“Who did this? Who hurt you?”

Fury blazed in my eyes.

Jayven’s gaze flickered with pain. He glanced toward Stellan before forcing out hoarsely, “No one... I accidentally fell.”

Rage boiled over, clouding my mind. I wanted to tear every person in this place apart!

Those injuries—there was no way he had done that to himself.

I was about to demand answers from the guard beside him when Stellan pulled me back firmly.

“Darling,” he murmured, his voice full of false coaxing, “you promised me you wouldn’t lose your temper. You know who’s really behind your brother’s injuries. It’s my failure. I couldn’t protect him. If you don’t want him to suffer like this any longer, then let’s withdraw the lawsuit. Record a clarification video, alright?”

His hand closed over mine, pressing it against his chest.

“Seeing you in such pain feels like knives cutting into me, too.”

On the other side of the glass, my brother struggled to press closer, desperation etched on his battered face.

Tears blurred my vision. Then I heard the guard sneer, “You think you’re still the great lawyer you once were? If you don’t want another leg broken, you’d better think carefully about what to do.”

Something inside me snapped. I slammed against the glass, my voice raw with anguish.

“He’s innocent! It’s you people who hurt him! I swear, I will not let you get away with what you did to my brother!”

Before I could finish, Stellan clamped his hand tightly over my mouth.

“Ayana,” Jayven rasped, bracing his palms against the glass as if trying to touch me, “don’t worry about me. Do what you think is right. I can endure it.”

The next moment, the guards dragged him away without mercy.

I thrashed against Stellan’s hold, but I couldn’t break free. Only a broken, helpless cry tore from my throat as I watched my brother vanish from sight.

When had he ever been reduced to such humiliation?

He had always been the model student, later a respected lawyer. If not for me, he would never have been dragged into this nightmare!

My tears fell uncontrollably.

As if scalded, Stellan abruptly released me. His eyes filled with contrived sorrow.

“Darling, I know how much you’re hurting. I’m hurting, too. But your brother’s situation—it’s beyond my control. Please, just withdraw the lawsuit.”

At last, hatred sharpened my gaze as it fell on him.

For Zella, he had caused the death of our baby, smeared my brother’s name, and now even had him beaten within an inch of his life—just to force me to withdraw the lawsuit as soon as possible.

He was doing all of this only so Zella wouldn’t go to prison.

But years ago, when Stellan was down and desperate, it was Jayven and me who saved his life!

The thought filled me with bitter regret. If only I could go back, I would have left this monster to die!

Clenching my teeth, I spat out, “Stellan. If I refuse to withdraw, will you really stand by and watch my brother die in there?”

My voice was hoarse, like words scraped raw against sandpaper.

His eyes darted away, evasive.

“Ayana, this isn’t up to me.”

“Liar! This is all you—”

Before I could finish accusing him, his phone rang.

He seized the chance to escape, answering quickly. “Darling,” he said hastily after a pause, “I’ll try to see if I can smooth things over. Take care of yourself.”

With that, he left me standing there, abandoning me without glancing back.

Tears poured down my face like rain.

But I saw it—the name flashing on his screen.

The call was from Zella.

Stellan was fucking lying to me again!

4

Ayana’s POV

By the time night fell, I staggered back home.

Stellan’s cruelty had already sealed my resolve. I would have my revenge.

Over the years, I had built some connections within the Breitbart Corporation. They might not look like much on the surface, but sometimes, the information they gathered could be fatal.

With that thought in mind, I began laying out a plan for revenge to be carried out six days later.

One by one, messages were sent out.

Then, unexpectedly, a girl on the inside hesitated before sending me something.

[Mrs. Breitbart, I don’t know if this news is true or not, but I think you should take a look.]

The next second, a file came through—an auction listing.

And among the items for sale… were private photos of me!

My hand clenched around my phone. My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared at the screen.

Another notification popped up. This time, it was from Zella.

Her tone was still as playful as ever, but her words cut like poison.

[Bestie, for the sake of old times, I’ll give you a little reminder. Your private photos are now being openly auctioned across several houses. If you want to buy them back, you’d better withdraw the lawsuit. Honestly, though, I think it might already be too late.]

At the end of her message was a cheeky, tongue-out emoji.

My blood ran cold. I nearly blacked out on the spot.

I quickly dispatched people to different auction houses while I myself rushed straight to the largest one.

By the time I arrived, they were already auctioning off my photos.

To prove authenticity, a massive screen displayed one of me in a swimsuit—my neck still marked all over with the bruises Stellan had left behind.

That photo… had been taken by Stellan himself!

My entire body trembled with rage. I tried to rush forward, but security blocked my path.

From the audience, a man smirked at me, his voice laced with mockery.

“Who would’ve thought Stellan’s wife had such a figure? To be so bold, putting her private photos up for sale—oh, this is going to be interesting.”

Another laughed loudly.

“I just wonder if, after tonight, she will go home to Stellan, breaking her legs or kicking her out. If that happens, I wouldn’t mind taking her off his hands for a little fun.”

Their words, their stares… They were sharp as arrows, piercing straight through my chest.

And at that moment, I understood. All these photos… had been given out by Stellan.

With trembling hands, I raised my bidding paddle again and again, desperate to reclaim even a shred of my dignity.

At last, after pushing the price higher and higher without care, I managed to win them back.

But just as I prepared to leave, staff members blocked my way. Polite smiles thinly veiled their disdain.

“Ma’am, this card has an empty balance.”

My heart thundered painfully in my chest.

So this was how far Stellan was willing to go. Was he truly determined to destroy me?

Hands shaking, I pulled out another card. These were all accounts he had given me after our marriage. I rarely touched them—since I had my own income—but I knew they should contain money.

The card reader beeped twice. The staff’s eyes grew even more disdainful as they handed it back.

I couldn’t hold back anymore. I dialed Stellan.

“Stellan, did you take all the money out of my cards?”

On the other end came the sound of heavy breathing. Behind him, faint and clear, was Zella’s coquettish laughter.

I didn’t need anyone to explain what they were doing.

Fury blazed through me, hot enough to burn them both to ash.

Stellan’s voice came, smooth yet impatient.

“Darling, I told you—the company’s in trouble. I figured you didn’t need the money, so I withdrew it. I had no idea Zella would put your photos out there. Don’t worry—as long as you agree to withdraw the lawsuit, even if the company collapses, I’ll still buy those pictures back for you.”

I was about to speak, but suddenly his breathing grew sharper, quicker, rushed.

“Ayana, I’m still working hard for your brother’s case here. Think it over, or borrow money from someone if you must. I’ll hang up now.”

He ended the call in haste, eager to lose himself again in Zella’s embrace.

Moments later, Zella sent me dozens of photos of her and Stellan together, accompanied by all the taunts she had thrown at me before.

I saved them—every single one.

The man I was staring at… was no longer the Stellan I once knew.

Or perhaps, I had never truly seen him for who he was.

My nails dug into my palms until blood seeped out, my gaze fixed on the photos being returned to the auction platform.

Below, the men jeered at me before resuming their bids as if nothing had happened.

My contacts who had gone to other auction houses also called, their voices heavy with guilt.

Because Stellan had frozen my accounts, they hadn’t managed to buy a single photo.

I stood frozen in place, watching as the images were purchased by a mysterious buyer.

And in that moment, I felt a strange relief.

As long as those photos didn’t end up in the hands of those filthy men, I could finally breathe again.

As for everything else… I no longer cared.