---- Chapter 16 Barron Carroll POV: The days bled into one another, a gray, featureless landscape of grief. | let Cydney rot in the basement, her screams fading to whimpers, then to a resigned silence. | let my empire crumble, ignoring Marcus' s increasingly desperate pleas for me to intervene. "Sir, Vance is consolidating her power," he told me, his face etched with worry. "She' s bought out two more of our major shareholders. The board is calling for an emergency meeting. They' re planning to oust you." "Let them," | said, staring at the photograph of Emerson that never left my hand. "It's just money. It' s meaningless." "It's your life' s work!" he protested. "My life' s work was her," | whispered. "And | destroyed it." Marcus fell silent. He knew there was no reaching me. | was a ship without a rudder, adrift on an ocean of regret. Then, one afternoon, Marcus burst into my study, his eyes wide with a strange excitement. "Sir. We' ve just received a legal notification. It' s from an estate lawyer in Zurich." ---- He handed me the document. My eyes scanned the legal jargon, my mind struggling to comprehend. It was a notice of the execution of a will. Emerson' s will. But it wasn' t the will of a dead woman. It was a petition. She had filed for divorce. The documents had been signed and dated six months ago, the day after she had disappeared. The petition cited irreconcilable differences and extreme cruelty. And it laid claim to fifty percent of all marital assets, as stipulated in our prenuptial agreement. The same fifty percent that Elara Vance now controlled. She wasn' t dead. The thought exploded in my mind, a supernova of hope and terror. She was alive. Elara Vance wasn' t a proxy. She wasn't an avenger acting in Emerson' s name. She was Emerson. My world, which had been gray and silent, suddenly roared back into Technicolor. The grief, the despair, it all evaporated, replaced by a single, all-consuming obsession. She was alive. And she was coming for me. At that exact moment, the doors to my study swung open. A ---- man stood there, silhouetted against the light of the hallway. He was tall, impeccably dressed, with an air of amused arrogance. It was Keenan Sullivan. He sauntered into the room, a lazy smile on his face. "Carroll," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "Long time no see. You' re looking... well, you' re looking like hell, actually. But | suppose that' s to be expected." "Where is she?" | snarled, rising to my feet. "Now, now, let' s not get ahead of ourselves," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "I'm just the messenger boy. |' m here to deliver an invitation." He placed a heavy, cream-colored envelope on my desk. "My employer requests the pleasure of your company for a business meeting. Tonight. Ten o' clock. The old observatory on the hill." "Your employer?" | spat. "You mean Emerson." He just smiled. "My employer' s name is Elara Vance. And | highly recommend you attend. She' s not a woman who appreciates being kept waiting." He turned to leave, then paused at the door. "Oh, and Barron," he said, his smile turning sharp and predatory. "A word of advice. Don't bring your security. Ms. Vance values her privacy. It would be a shame if anyone were to get... hurt." He was gone. 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.