THE WIFE HE BETRAYED BECAME HIS GREATEST REGRET

nt down immediately with tears of weakness and regrets in her eyes. She could not sleep, everytime she closed eyes, she saw Adrian

ied to rest, she

t a di

also find a replacement within that same hours. She thought of how she had been defending him in all atmosphere but he had app

ows of the hotel room, tears rolled down her eyes. She removed her wedding ri

from Adrian again, her heart jumped for seconds, hoping maybe he had called to explain

ed up th

r clothes and everything, it will be d

message twice t

all

ballroom, accused her of betraying his company, announced his engagement to another woman, and thrown he

ped a

have to worry, Adrian. I will never beg you

he send button and then

point?" She sa

another minute trying to convince a man to see the wo

hen she stood up and walked into th

barely noticed. She stood beneath it for several minutes,

e was no answer waiting for her in that bathroom. There was only the woman she had become overnight, a divo

dered an alcoholic drink from the hotel waiter, hoping it will help her forget her worries but she

to her at the ballroom, she managed to stand from her bed and stepped out of the hotel wearing a simple cream blouse, black trousers, and low heels. She tied her

Daniel Foster had sent t

vious evening. There are matters concerning your grandmoth

her marriage to end before they told her about the inheritan

through the window at people rushing to work, street vendors arranging their goo

d loved had replaced her before she had even understood that he was leav

this time, it was a mess

have ditched me for has left you, what is

her this kind of a message, she read the message again and t

ed a re

essage was delivered

ill moved through her perhaps it was someone she has forgotten their enco

wording b

it, she did not know why she felt the need to keep

im and then he asked her to come to the third floor. When she entered the building the re

oftening when he noticed the exhaustion on her face, it was looking pal

. Ha

den name spoken so formally after three years

king the seat opposite

cour

ands on the table, when she sat

ffice i

r smiled "Th

t's E

say so" he

aw the announcemen

away. "Everyone

sor

nt smile that did

pose it is the easiest thing to say w

s the only hones

caught her

ombed dark hair and the composed manner of someone accustomed to difficult conversations, he had handled sever

," she sai

nod

ask you something. Did Adrian Blackwood know that your

d. "At least, he never

your grandmother's bus

woman. She never spoke much about money, an

mention the Bl

nsidered t

ily were wealthy, of course, but she nev

ression chan

ll you that she

N

dvise you again

arpened. "Why are you as

leane

concerning your inheritance, and those instructions w

stared

ected

act you when your marriage

owly shook

ne but I could believe because

derst

ink you do." Sh

n and I were married for three years so tell me how

or suspected. I can only tell y

house, the smell of the flowers she kept near the windows, and the way she would sometimes stop in the middle of a conv

ugh Margaret had anticipated a day when E

tact me when she di

specified in her will. However, certain assets were placed under a separate arrangement, their transf

diti

es

nd of co

ached for

brought you he

veral documents, arranging

called Hayes Meridian Investments. Through that company, she

ked. "Blackw

sband's

oice rose before she could stop it. "I am

fore your marriage. Some of those in

rstand. She had attended company dinners with Adrian, she had listened to him discuss acquisitions and expansion plans over breakfast, she had watched

ret had never tol

s she own?" E

exact percentage and its practical effect depend on the final transfer, the

give me a

sed before

major corporate decisions. Once the transfer is completed, you could

s mouth

dmother left me an interes

investment company that holds shares in Black

ited it yet?" Eleano

t been finalized. We must complete the necessary verifi

y, she had been a wife who believed she had a future with the man she loved but Today and now she was lea

do this?" Ele

wanted you to

tio

ility to make decisions without

. "She knew Adria

not answer

ve can make people vulnerable when they surr

impatience, and the way he dismissed her opinions whenever they challenged his own. She had believed that support

ething else,

d a seco

ressed to you. She instructed me not to giv

ld and slightly yellowed at the edges. Her name was writte

Eleanor forgot

ay

cour

ut her fingers trembled so badl

nife across the table and Ele

sheet of paper, she

arest

se words. I hoped you would find a love that gave you peace, a home where you felt safe, and a partner who would never make you question your worth but hope is not the same as c

to your grandfather. Do not accept the first explanation you are give

on the truth, others spend generati

all m

dmot

her eyes, because it was as if she had seen her grandm

ands had begun to shake, sh

ned to my g

refully. "I was hopin

at him in

handled her affairs, sur

estate. I know she was concerned about an old dispute involving the Blackwood fam

ly remembered him. The story she had always been told was simple, he had become ill,

ould she because there had been no rea

he asked, though she a

as Ha

osed her e

grandmother's house, to a handful of stories, and to a family

a business?

ed into the

he things I hoped

er. It was an old corporate agreement, the paper

r. At the top of the

S AND EDWAR

rom one name

d Blac

's gran

sat back

y grandfather knew A

him, according t

the agreemen

rangement many years ago. The details are incomplete, and I don't wa

f business a

't kno

they

n't k

them betra

pression be

f question your grandmother

oss a table from hers, discussing business, shaking hands, perhaps even calling him a friend then

eated her like a stranger, he had looked at her with a coldness she c

ected to this? " she sai

ry unanswered question into evidence of a c

n hide this from

certain that he

ndfather and mine had a serious dispute,

may have been deliberately con

remaining document

more thing you

ginning to dre

t is

d Holdings contacted m

mach ti

ho

lf beyond saying he was making an

did he

your grandmother's estate h

r went

rea

es

they even k

thing we need

ared a

tell them

ot discuss a client's private estate

ink Adrian

nnot

speaking on his phone and a woman hurried past carrying a stack of files.

s world had

randmother's inheritance might place her in a position to influence the future

"if the transfer goes thr

ll depend on the estate documents, the company's governing agreements,

ares give me v

rcise those rights in accordance

moment, the pain in her ches

hispered and sm

ut asking enough questions about the world he had buil

omplete the tran

studi

ncial, and potentially personal consequences. You should unders

document, every condition, every risk.

el s

y what I hoped

k folder that had been sit

ft in my custody. I was instructed to show i

o men stood outside a grand stone building. One was a younger version of Edward Blackwood, h

eyes, the familiar line of his mouth. She had seen that face in th

andfather," s

es

the back, a date had been written on the ba

BLACKWOODS TO

ntence until the wo

oes thi

shook h

sh I

standing close together, they did not look like ene

wo seems likes friends" Eleanor sound curious and find it hard to believe

until my marriage ended before a

came to he

leave anything else? A diary

ry page. We can arrange for you to review them, but I would prefer tha

want to

arrang

ng had been hidden from her. She did not know whether the Blackwood family had wronged her grandfather, she did not know wh

re going to find, it better be something tha

or her husband. She is determined to bring Adrian and his family down and wo