“Bastard.” My COO slammed his fist on the table, shaking up the room, but I remained calm, searching my brain for loopholes and how to salvage the situation.

“Who did they partner with?” If the company was good enough, maybe we might have something to offer, and we might form some sort of partnership. This wasn’t a deal I was willing to let go of without a fight.

“Diamond Corp,” Michael replied, and an alarm went off somewhere in my head.

“Diamond Corp? Do we have any history with them?”

“Not directly, sir, but they’ve beaten us to a deal twice this year.”

Twice? Once was a chance of fate. Twice might be a coincidence, but three was definitely a pattern, and I haven’t come so far in business by not paying attention to patterns.

“Who is the CEO? What do they do, and what do they want?”

Michael pushed his tablet at me, and a document containing information on Diamond Corporation was displayed on the screen.

“I conducted a thorough search on the company after they came for the second deal. They appear to be a finance company and have a long history of expansion through mergers and acquisitions.”

I perused the document as Michael continued.

“The company seemed to have hit rock bottom and almost fell into bankruptcy until two years ago when the founder and late CEO died, leaving the company to his widow.

Its stock prices skyrocketed, and the shares have tripled in price over the last three years.

“And this widow, is she someone we know?” I asked through gritted teeth. He swiped on the tablet, revealing a photo of an elegant-looking woman. She was dressed in all black, and her veil covered almost all of her face. She looked like she was at a funeral.

“This is the only picture we have of her. She is known to be very private. She stays off social media and will sue any paparazzi who film her without consent.”

I took in all the information Michael dumped on me, appreciating how he was always a step ahead and updated on everything.

“Set up a meeting with her. If this is a ploy to get my attention, she has all of it,” I replied, returning the tablet to Michael.

“I don’t think that’ll be possible, sir. She’s known to not honor invites or accept interviews. We’ve tried setting up something with her in the past, but she sent her secretary.

“Then make sure she doesn’t send her secretary this time.

If she’s been going after my deals, she must have something to say to me, and I think I’m ready to hear it.

” I ordered, finalizing the conversation and returning my attention to the board, which was currently engaged in multiple chatters, each expressing their concerns and displeasure.

“Alright, gentlemen, there’s no cause for alarm. I’ve set up a meeting with the CEO of Diamond Corporation. I’ll hear what she wants, and hopefully, we’ll regain our partnership with Donovan.”

My statement was met with nods and murmurs of agreement. The meeting was finalized on the note that I would meet with Mrs. Diamond and figure out what she wanted with us.

I couldn’t wait to meet the woman who had successfully stolen two projects from me, and most importantly, I couldn’t wait to hear her motive.

I was a formidable businessman. Most people didn’t like to get in trouble with me, hence my heightened interest in Mrs. Diamond. My interest was soon watered down and replaced with rage after she declined to meet with me twice .

“Are you sure she’s aware that I am not some journalist seeking an interview with her?” I asked Michael, staring daggers at the generic email from her office.

The woman was not only stealing my deals, but she was also declining my invites and refusing my emails. If that wasn’t a declaration of modern-day corporate war, I didn’t know what was.

“We made sure of that, sir, but it didn’t stick out to her.”

“Then, find me a way to meet with her,” I roared, slamming my fist on the table in my study.

Michael looked visibly shaken by the outburst, but he maintained his cool.

I drew in a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm.

It was difficult to contain myself when my mate was devising a new means of sending a maid to the healer half-beaten to death every day, but I couldn’t afford to make a mess of the situation.

“Find a way to hack into her calendar. Look up events where she’ll be present, and make it look like an accident,”

I added in a calmer tone, and I could feel him relax.

“Donovan will be hosting a gala in honor of her newly signed deal and success in the medical field. I’m certain she’ll be there.”

“Get me on that guest list as soon as possible. If there’s a seating arrangement, I want to be seated next to her,” I ordered, a small smile forming on my face. If Mrs. Diamond wanted to play mysterious, I would beat her at her own game.

During the days leading up to the gala, Mrs. Diamond occupied my mind.

I thought of every motive she could have, deals she could be interested in, and offers I could make to get her off my back.

I didn’t even mind patterning with her if she was up for it.

Someone who was that formidable was someone I’d love to have on my team.

With my intentions well lined up and my goals ready, I added a finishing touch to my outfit and left my room .

I was on my way out of the palace when a cry of anguish exploded from the kitchen. I rushed to the source and was immediately assaulted by the metallic smell of blood that was so potent I could taste it on the tip of my tongue.

“Why are you so slow? I told you not to give her enough of a break to heal. You idiot, whip her!” Lilith’s voice echoed in the kitchen, preceded by the swift hiss of a whip cutting through the air and the nauseating sound of broken skin.

The maid lay in a pool of her blood. Her skin was battered so badly that her bones were visible. Even her clothes were shredded, leaving her almost naked.

A cocktail of rage and nausea poured down my throat, and I ordered the guard to drop the whip and take the girl to the infirmary.

Lilith turned to me, her sinister expression suddenly replaced with a sweet smile. Except for the spatter of blood on her dress, she almost looked like the innocent girl I fell in love with.

“Hey, baby.” She placed a soft kiss on the corner of my lips. “I didn’t see you there.” Her gaze ran over my body, and her nose crinkled in displeasure. “Why are you dressed in a suit at 8 p.m.?”

I turned to the guards and servants still hanging around the kitchen. “Leave us.”

When the kitchen was empty, I turned back to Lilith, who was toying with my tie clip. “What was that?”

“What was what?” she replied, not taking her eyes off the tie.

“Why did you almost beat the girl to death?” I asked, my tone harder.

Lilith rolled her eyes.

“I haven’t seen you the whole day, and the first time we’re spending together, you want to make it about a servant girl? ”

Was she being serious? She had the girl’s blood on her dress and had the nerve to look offended at my question. I gripped the hand on my tie, forcing her to look at me.

“What has come over you?” I questioned, searching her vibrant green eyes. “You almost killed an innocent girl for nothing, and all you can do is ask why I’m in a suit?”

“Maybe if you spent some time with me, I wouldn’t have to resort to extreme measures to get your attention.” She spat out, her tone dripping with venom.

I blinked, my brows knitted in confusion. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re always at work. You never spend time with me. You don’t touch me. You don’t even eat with me. The only time I seem to have a slice of your attention is when I indulge your precious subjects. So, forgive me if I do it a lot. You pushed me to it.”

I took a few steps back, her hands falling from my grip in the process. I had not always been distant. I had done everything within my power to be the best husband and not let a repeat of what happened to my parents find its way to my home. Then, Lilith lost our baby, and everything changed.

Every attempt I made to get closer to her and be with her in her moment of pain was thwarted, and before my eyes, she turned into something I could barely recognize.

In the beginning, I thought it was the pain of losing a child that drove her to such extremes.

Then, the days turned into weeks, the weeks rolled into months, and the months became years.

It became increasingly difficult to know if it was still the pain or if this was who she was.

I had to wonder if I had been so blinded by my love for her and how she fit so perfectly into my life that I hadn’t looked at what was beneath her mask.

“You never look at me. You don’t even laugh at my jokes.

I overheard the elders talking about how you have no heir because I lost our baby.

Maybe you hate me for that,” Lilith continued, her voice breaking into a sob.

I found myself covering the distance I had created between us and gathering her into a hug.

It didn’t matter how vile she had become. I hated to see her cry, and there was a hopeful part of me that still believed the woman I loved was in there somewhere and would come out soon.

“I don’t hate you. I’ve just been really busy.”

“And you can’t have anyone help out? The reason you built a study was so you could work from home and be close to me, but you hardly make use of it.”

Her words were raw and tugged at the strings of my heart. I opened my mouth to convince her I didn’t find her repulsive when the grandfather clock in the living room chimed, breaking through the spell and alerting me of the time.

“Can we talk about this when I get home? I have a very important meeting to attend.”

The solemn look on her face deepened, and she broke the embrace.

“It’s fine. I understand my place.”

I wanted to ask what she meant by the statement, but my phone chimed with a notification from Micheal. So, I settled for a soft pat on the shoulder before heading out to my meeting.

The party was already in full swing by the time we arrived, and I immediately spotted Donovan in the middle of some politicians, sharing a joke.

“Mr. Thorne,” he exclaimed the moment he saw me. “I believe your presence signifies the absence of ill feelings between us.”

“It’s fine, Kelvin. I’ve been in this world long enough to understand how business works,” I replied with a tight smile, shaking his hand .

There was no sign of Mrs. Diamond yet, so I busied myself with the conversation in Kelvin’s circle.

Kelvin was currently retelling his success story for what would be the hundredth time tonight when the potent scent of strawberries and vanilla hit me like a punch in the gut, and I had to employ every bit of strength in me to keep my wolf from surging to the surface.

The room suddenly felt too small, and I struggled to hear the conversation around me over the thudding sound of my heart in my ears.

That was a scent I would recognize even on my deathbed. It was a scent I had been longing for day and night and would give anything to inhale, but it was also a scent that had no business being here.

It wasn’t her. The chances were next to nothing.

Strawberries and vanilla were very popular scents amongst women.

Trying to convince myself it was all in my head, I concluded that someone must’ve applied a bit too much perfume.

Yet, the scent intensified with every second, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep my wolf at bay.

Finally giving in to the magnetic pull of the scent, I started to turn around as Kelvin’s eyes darted to the spot beside me. The breath was knocked out of my lungs.

“Mrs. Diamond.” Kelvin’s voice echoed in my head like a distant siren as I stared in shock at the woman standing in front of me.