Unexpected Husband, Unexpected Freedom Won

mpany's name, 'NexusAI', was moments away from joining that frantic dance of numbers. Thi

h royalty before a series of scandals tarnished his crown, stood beside me. He wa

we need

it cut through the nois

hard. It's ab

id, his tone flat, final

a cold knot forming in my st

fter his last art scandal. Putting him on your board will l

. Julian. The struggling artist,

"The board is set. This is a tech company,

idance, now held a glint of steel. "

aining influence, the quiet calls he could make to investors

ked away, disappearing into the crowd of suits. He left

his personal demands. A product launch, a key partnership, a funding round. Each ti

gossip site. The headline was a quote from Liam, my big

h genius is about to get married

Without a second thought, I pull

Li

Meet me at the

for a fraction of a second before I

iam, dressed in a ridiculously expensive but mismatched designer suit, pushed t

wide with a mixture of disbelief and

s gaze flicking from my face to th

said, my voice sharp. "Go

ulous laugh. He ran a hand t

come here," he muttered, more to himself t

He got the message. He pulled a tablet from his

last-minute calls to lawyers, and rerouted

hed onto the board, a wave of relief so pro

ide me, meticulously reviewing the newly

livia?" he asked, his voice softe

eling more real than any o

, his usual manic energy rep

I dropped. It' s... important." He paused

eaving me alone once again in the c

ack car pulled up. The window rolled down, revealing

ard said. It w

uments a warm, solid weight inside.

er seat, Richard handed

er

small, exclusive gift. A first-edition piece of tech, a rare gadget. It was his way of saying, "We'r

ched the expensive watch on his wrist. I recognized the logo on the box. The

ection, placing the gift box on th

n smi

?" I asked, my voic

softness in his eyes. "To pick up a special award for Ju

d planned to attend. This, I thought, would be a

ough the mirror, his eyes watched my face cautiou

. "My son, struggling with his reputation alone, will face a lot of gossip. If

indifferent. "A tarnished reputation makes it hard to get ahead, especially wi

arkened. He didn' t like the

our company, yours and mine." He looked at me e

I turned to look at him d

instantly, replaced by a thunderous da

," I

thered. He misunderstood. He thought my "fine" was an

said, his voice condescendingly paternal again. "If you wer

ding scenery outside the car window. Our three-

oard meetings, he' d be there, sketching in a notebook. During business dinners with crucial clients, he' d be there, interjecting with comments abo

eatedly. "This is unp

the same. "He's my son

-in-life child. Their bond was exceptionally, uncomfortably strong

undaries, always performing his closeness

"award." As they walked toward the entrance, Julian deliberately linked his arm with his

For three years, it had been exactly like thi

. I was so invested, so reluctant to throw away that time and effort. He knew that was my weakness.

me from my thoughts.

nsw

f energy. "Patent deal is done. But I have a client dinner to

-