Chapter 4 - The Stolen File
Xavier didn't make a scene in the ballroom. He was a billionaire apex predator; he knew that confronting a liar in public only gave them a chance to escape.
He immediately left the gala, marching straight to his armored SUV. He pulled out his encrypted phone and dialed his head of private intelligence.
"I want everything on Richard Vance," Xavier commanded, his voice a low, lethal rumble. "Bank records, real estate, medical files. I want to know exactly what happened on the night Sophia disappeared seven years ago."
Forty-eight hours later, Xavier sat in his private penthouse office overlooking the city.
His head of intelligence walked in, placing a thick black folder onto the mahogany desk.
"It's worse than you thought, boss," the investigator said grimly. "Sophia didn't jump off a bridge. Richard kidnapped her."
Xavier’s hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles turned white. He opened the folder.
The forensic data painted a horrifying picture. Seven years ago, Richard had discovered that Sophia was pregnant with Xavier's child. Knowing that Xavier would protect her with his vast empire, Richard ambushed her, drugged her, and locked her in a remote cabin upstate. He faked her suicide to stop Xavier from looking for her.
"How is he so wealthy now?" Xavier demanded, staring at a recent photo of Richard's luxury estate.
"Blackmail," the investigator replied. "Three years ago, Richard somehow got his hands on the proprietary source code for your company's new AI logistics grid. He’s been quietly selling it to your overseas competitors through offshore shell companies. He used the millions to buy his way into high society, and he forced Sophia to marry him by threatening to kill the boy if she ever spoke up."
Xavier stared at the documents, the crushing, agonizing reality settling into his bones.
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Sophia hadn't abandoned him. She had spent seven years in a psychological prison, sacrificing her own freedom every single day just to keep their son alive.
👉 What brutal, calculated trap will Xavier set for the abusive husband?
