A Divorce He Regrets

XAN

She was going to say no. She had every reason to turn me down and refuse any connection between us, especially after the mess my family had made of the evenin

have orchestrated every move, ensured my family behaved long enough to tolerate her presence if it meant securing her coop

e spoke, my cer

tened, a strange, uncomfortable feeling settling over me. What was her angle? This wasn't the Raina I'd expected to face tonight. She

yself to get distracted by her games. For now, all that mattered was the deal. I'd sort out her motives later,

he held Raina's arm, almost protectively, as if to shield her from any further confrontation. The way he looked at her-it was protective, possessive even. I clenched my

but I didn't need to hear. The way he leaned close, the way she looked back at him-it all told me enough. I'd seen that look on his face befo

ied, nor had it changed the way I knew her down to her core. She was ruthless, resourceful, and if I had learned one thing in our years together, it was that Raina would stop a

tween us. Almost. "Working together is no problem for me, Alexander...as long as I don't have to deal with your family." Her voic

eal." It was impulsive, unguarded, and I knew immediately I'd shown too much. But I needed this partnership. The succ

ething slip, something that would make this arrangement less of a calculated transaction and more of an actual alliance

agile silence. "What's the rush, Alexander? We'll need to review everything o

a small, almost smug smile, savoring every word as he turned to look at

ey honestly think I'd agree to something so unreasonable? Raina wasn't capable of handling something of this scale. She had no experience, no training. Hell, she didn't e

to my words. "When I was married to her," I continued, my eyes locked on Raina, "she was nothing more than a housewife.

ndescending. "And who's to say she hasn't learned something since then?" He leaned forward, vo

of watching me squirm. I felt the walls closing in, the opportunity slipping away even as I stood there, cle

are that I was practically being forced into a corner, with no option but to accept her as my equal-no, as my superior-in this partnership. She was relishing eve

e almost taunting. "Well, Alexander?" he asked, feigni

cision pressing down on me, suffocating. Every instinct screamed at me to walk away, to take back control and refuse

my tongue. It felt like defeat, like I was handing over some part

-

, of what her motives could possibly be. And now, as I sat across from her, the documents laid out in front of us, I could feel

silent audacity almost laughable. What was it now? Just when I was about to take the step she had practically forced me into, s

ring. "I have one condition," she said,

er hand, that every choice I made was a concession to her, another inch of power I'd lost. I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to laugh at the iro