---- Chapter 20 Alexandra Smith POV: The final nail in the Cardenas coffin was delivered not by me, but by Jamie. Armed with the financial records | had provided, he exposed Dianne's decades of embezzlement to the board and the SEC. The scandal was the final, fatal blow to the already crippled company. Cardenas Corp filed for bankruptcy. The empire had fallen. A few weeks later, my divorce from Edward was finalized. He signed the papers without a fight, transferring his now- worthless shares and what was left of his personal assets to me. | used that money, along with a significant investment from Gabriel, to stage a hostile takeover of the bankrupt Cardenas Corp. | absorbed its assets, its technology, its infrastructure, into my own company, Smith Innovations. | had not just destroyed my rival; | had consumed it. Dianne Cardenas and Frank Miller were arrested and charged with the murders of my mother and Edward's biological mother. They would spend the rest of their lives in prison. ---- Carla Patterson, facing a life sentence for her own crimes, took a plea deal, agreeing to testify against Dianne. She was sentenced to twenty-five years to life. And Edward... Edward was left with nothing. No family, no company, no money. He was a ghost, a pariah, wandering the wreckage of his own life. One rainy evening, months later, | was leaving my office when | saw him. He was standing across the street, a gaunt, haunted figure, staring up at the gleaming glass tower that now bore my name, but had once been his. Our eyes met across the rain-slicked street. He took a step towards me, his face a mask of desperate hope. But | just turned and got into my waiting car, leaving him alone in the rain. | had my revenge. | had reclaimed my power. | had won. But as my car pulled away, leaving the ghost of my past behind, | knew that the victory was a hollow one. The scars of his betrayal, the ghost of my lost child, would be with me forever. | had burned their world to the ground, but | would always carry the ashes. In "CEO, That Intern is Actually Your Wife" by CrushReel, delve into a captivating romance where a billionaire CEO becomes contractually linked to an unexpected partner. When faced with the urgent need to fund her grandmother's critical surgery, our protagonist finds herself in a unique situation—entering a one-year contract marriage with a stranger. As the story unfolds, themes of love, sacrifice, and the complexities of modern relationships come to light. The novel offers a fresh take on the familiar billionaire romance genre by exploring the dynamics of office relationships and the intricacies of contract lovers. Discover this modern tale of unexpected connections and heartfelt emotions, available to read at CrushReel.