Chapter 3: The Deeper Web
The days following the wedding were a whirlwind of legal firestorms. Julian was a shell of himself, locked away in his study, trying to untangle the corporate records Seraphina had touched.
I was the one who kept digging. If Seraphina was plotting to kill him for the company, who was she working with?
I found it in her laptop—the one we’d seized as evidence. It wasn't just an affair; it was an alliance. Seraphina had been corresponding with Marcus Sterling, Julian’s fiercest business rival. They weren't just plotting a hostile takeover; they were plotting to dismantle Julian's entire infrastructure from the inside, leaving him bankrupt and disgraced.
I brought the files to Julian. He sat in his leather chair, the glow of the monitor illuminating the exhaustion in his eyes.
"She was never in love with me, Clara," he said, staring at the screen. "Every memory, every trip, every 'I love you'... it was all a calculation."
"We have to go to the authorities," I said.
"They've already bought the local DA," Julian replied, rubbing his temples. "I’ve been tracking the payments. If we go to the police, the evidence will 'disappear' before it hits the desk."
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We were alone. The world believed Julian was the spurned groom, but they didn't know he was a target for liquidation. Seraphina, even from behind bars, had assets—men, resources, and people on her payroll who didn't care about the law.
That night, my apartment was broken into. Nothing was stolen, but a single black rose was left on my pillow. A warning.
