Maeve’s POV
*Present day*
Three days in Alexander's penthouse and I still feel like I'm waiting for someone to tell me this is a prank.
That I'm not actually a billionaire heiress. That my real life is the shitty hotel in Queens, not this glass-and-steel kingdom overlooking Central Park. That I'm not worth 2.3 billion dollars like that's a normal fucking sentence.
I threw up twice.
On the third day, I wake up to silence, so profound it feels crushing. Pulling on a silk robe left for me, I pad barefoot into the penthouse. The smell of fresh coffee and bacon leads me to a sun-drenched kitchen, where Alexander is standing at the stove.
"Good morning," he says, his voice much softer than yesterday. "I thought you might need something substantial. Coffee?"
I nod, unable to speak. I’m waiting for the interrogation, the demands, the plans. Instead, he just asks, "Did you sleep?"
"I... yes. Thank you," I manage, feeling small and out of place. "Thank you for... all of this."
"This is your home, Olivia," he says gently, using the name that still feels alien. "You don't have to thank me for what is yours."
He pours me a cup, setting it on the marble island. His movements are careful, as if I’m a wild animal that might bolt at any sudden sound.
We ate in a tense silence for a while, before he decided to continue.
"I need to tell you what I know about your marriage," Alexander said softly. "About why Kael Dareth really married you."
Here it comes… The truth I've been dreading and craving in equal measure.
"A week before your wedding, the Dareths discovered you were my daughter. They knew exactly who you were when Kael walked you down that aisle."
The room spins. "He knew…"
"They all knew." Alexander's voice is steel. "The Dareths are one hundred and seventy million in debt. Drowning. And marriage law gives spouses access to assets under certain conditions. They planned to use you to save themselves."
I think I'm going to be sick again. "That's why he wouldn't give me a divorce..."
Alexander leans forward. "If he divorced you, he loses any legal claim to your fortune. So he keeps you trapped. Waiting for your identity to be revealed so he can access the real prize. You."
Every cold shoulder, every locked door, every "you're mine" suddenly makes horrifying sense. I wasn't his wife. I was his retirement plan. Yet still… what we had before doesn’t fit this picture.
Something in his tone pierces my defenses. Tears sting my eyes, and I fight them back, desperate.
"But he loved me," I blurted out, not even knowing why I’m defending Kael. "I know he did. There has to be an explanation."
Alexander puts down his fork. He looks at me with an endless, heartbreaking sadness. "Love is not an excuse for cruelty, Maeve."
"But his family... the pressure... The debts you mentioned..." I’m grasping at straws, and I know it. "He was trapped. He was trying to protect them. To protect me."
"Maeve..." He says my name like it pains him.
"No!" I stand, the chair scraping loudly. "You don't know the real him! You're just his rival, you want to use me to hurt him!"
"I want you to see the truth," he says, his calm only fueling my rage.
"Thanks, Dad, but I think I’ve seen enough truth to last a lifetime!" I shout, the word slipping out before I can stop it.
The room freezes. The word Dad hangs in the air between us, new and fragile.
Alexander's entire face changes. His eyes glass over, and he looks like I’ve just handed him the entire world.
"Baby," he breathes, and that one word holds more love than I’ve felt in my entire life.
My anger evaporates, leaving me hollow and shaking. I sank back into the chair, defeated, and thought about how long he had waited for his child to call him Father.
He gives me a moment, his own composure visibly rattling. When he speaks again, his voice is rough with emotion. "There is something you must see too."
I just nod.
He leads me not to an office, but to what he calls the "Strategy Room." Caelen is already there, standing silently.
"You said he was ‘trapped’ by the debt," Alexander begins, his voice flat and hard. "He was. But his panic wasn't just about the money, Maeve. It was about why the debt exists."
"I don't understand," I whisper.
"The rivalry between our families isn't just business," Alexander says, his hands clenching at his sides. "It's blood. The Dareth Industries is bankrupt because I have spent fifteen years destroying them. Because Marcus Dareth killed your mother."
The words hit me like a physical blow. "What?"
"Your mother, Emily, was diagnosed with cancer when you were three.." Alexander turns to the window, unable to look at me. "Aggressive, but treatable. We were fighting it. Winning."
He swallows, his voice thick. "Marcus was our partner. Welch-Dareth Industries. He got greedy and started embezzling. I found out, confronted him, threatened charges."
He pauses, and I can see his reflection in the glass, his eyes squeezed shut.
"He retaliated by destroying a healthcare merger I was orchestrating. The one that was funding Emily's experimental treatment. Without that funding, the trial collapsed."
The fragmented memories of a crying woman, of fighting, slam into me. "And I was kidnapped..."
"Six months after that," he confirms, his voice raw. "By Emily's ex, who blamed me for her death. But Marcus funded him. I have the proof now. Marcus paid to have you taken, to destroy the only thing I had left."
Click.
That was it. The final, sickening snap.
Kael didn't just know his family was bankrupt. He knew his father was a monster. He knew his father was responsible for my mother's death.
He knew, and he still stood at that altar.
He still put that ring on my finger while knowing his family had destroyed mine.
He still said "I do."
The love I was defending curdles, turning to acid in my veins. It doesn't disappear. It mutates into something dark. Cold. Vengeful.
"The polygamy law he used..." Alexander says, his voice pulling me from the void. "...it works both ways, Maeve."
I slowly turn my head to look at him.
"He took a second wife for money," he continues. "By law, you have the right to do the same. To take a second husband."
My gaze slides from Alexander to Caelen. He has been watching me this whole time, his dark eyes unreadable. But now I see something in them.
Understanding.
I walk directly to him, stopping so close I can feel the heat radiating from his body. He doesn’t back down. He just looks down at me, waiting.
The tension in the room is electric. This isn’t just business anymore. It’s personal.
I lift my chin. The pain inside me isn't gone, just been forged into fuel. I stand facing him directly. "Mr. Rhys, would you like to marry me?"
Silence. Complete fucking silence. Both men stare at me like I've lost my mind. Maybe I have.
"Olivia…" Alexander starts.
"No, hear me out." I'm talking fast, thinking faster. "Caelen's been protecting me for months, apparently. He knows the family business. He's loyal to you. And…"
I look at Caelen, searching for a support I didn't know I needed. Till now.
"You said watching the Dareths destroy me made you want to burn their world down. Here's your chance. Marry me. Destroy them. Legally, publicly, completely."
Caelen's face is unreadable. "You're serious."
"Dead serious. I need protection. You want revenge. We both hate the Dareths. It's perfect."
Alexander's watching us both. "This is—"
"This is perfect," I cut him off. "The Dareths wanted to use me as a transaction? Fine. I'll show them what a real power move looks like."
Caelen's studying me. That scar catching light. "And what do you get out of this?"
"Safety. Power. Revenge." I extend my hand. "And a partner who's honest. That's more than Kael ever gave me."
His scarred hand engulfs mine. Gentle despite the obvious strength. On his lips, the barest hint of a dangerous smile appears. "Three months I've been waiting for you to ask."