Mr. Chairman’s Devious Wife

“I know this is your fight,” Alexander said, his expression serious as the car started moving away from the hospital. Since she did not sustain any serious damage, their doctor allowed her to leave. Moreover, it was safer this way as she did not want to deal with Daniel or Teresa or maybe even Charlotte right now. “But I can no longer let you do this alone.”

His words lingered inside the car, and for a moment, Sofia did not know what to say. She stared at his serious expression. Despite his healthy-looking face, there were still some bandages that can be seen on his forehead. The doctor said he did not suffer any major injuries, just some cuts here and there, nothing to be worried about. However, this is not enough to remove the fact that he suffered because of her.

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“The game has changed,” he clenched his jaws. “Lawrence might leave the -country anytime soon. I know you wanted to have your revenge on your

but risking your life is not the way to do it.”

own,

She narrowed her eyes. As much as she wanted to punish Lawrence for his sins, Sofia was still aware of the laws. She was not planning to kill him. No. Killing is an easy way out. Lawrence deserves to suffer until the day he dies. But leaving the country?

“To where?” she asked.

“I have yet to confirm this.”

She let out a sigh. “What are you thinking?” she asked.

“The spark that you did was too small,” Alexander said. “You are too forgiving.”

“What do you-” Forgiving? Too forgiving? She frowned. She already thought that she was being ruthless yet he is still calling her forgiving?

“Let me take care of it,” Alexander said,

She lifted an eyebrow. This was not his fight, and she didn’t want him to do something that could break the law. Why?

Because living with peace of mind is better than being awake at night, scared that your enemies found your dirty laundry and would use it against you.

10:00

This might sound cowardly, but this was the harsh reality in the real world. She doesn’t want to sleep with one of her eyes open. And she didn’t want that kind of life for him too. “Are you asking for my permission?” she asked. He could do this without her. He could do whatever he wanted without her permission.

“Yes,” he nodded. “Playing games and scheming is fine but… I don’t want to see you die.”

She pursed her lips, her expression turning serious. In fact, she never expected that Lawrence would go to such lengths to harm her. She was the one who dragged Alexander into this matter. “Let me finish

this off,” Sofia said. As much as she wanted to rely on him, this was indeed her fight. “I apologize for dragging you into this matter. I-” Her words stopped when he suddenly grabbed her hand.

“You didn’t drag me into anything,” he uttered, his voice almost like a whisper.

She stilled, surprised at his reaction. For some reason, his touch sent a jolt through her. It wasn’t a painful shock, but a sizzle that danced up her arm and settled low in her belly. His eyes, usually a cool gray, seemed to smolder with a different kind of intensity. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the attack, or maybe it was the way he was looking at her, but suddenly the air in the room felt thick and heavy.

Sofia swallowed hard, suddenly aware of the space between them. It wasn’t vast, just a breath really, but it felt charged. “Alexander,” she started, her voice husky, “I appreciate what you’re saying, but-‘

He cut her off, his thumb gently stroking a circle on the back of her hand. The simple touch sent shivers down her spine. “But what, Sofia?” His voice was a low rumble, sending goosebumps erupting across her skin.

She met his gaze, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. “This is my mess. I should clean it up.” The words came out in a breathless whisper.

A wry smile played on Alexander’s lips. “Maybe,” he conceded, his voice a husky murmur. “But sometimes letting someone help doesn’t make you weak, Sofia. Sometimes, it allows you to fight a little harder, a little smarter.” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

She bit her lower lip. “I already had a plan.”

10.000

pter 96

The smell of alcohol immediately made Lianne frown as she opened the door of her rented motel room.

“What the…” she kicked the empty can of beer near her foot before Lianne slammed the motel door shut, the stale air whooshing out and momentarily pushing back the thick, acrid stench that assaulted her senses. It was a gut punch of stale beer, burnt cigarettes, and something else, something chemical and vaguely sweet that made her nose wrinkle. This place reeked of desperation and bad decisions, the kind that clung to the threadbare carpet and stained the faded floral sheets like a physical manifestation of regret.

Sunlight sliced through a gap in the dusty curtains, illuminating the chaos of the room. Clothes littered the floor alongside crumpled fast food wrappers and overflowing ashtrays. An overturned chair lay sprawled near a chipped nightstand, a half-empty bottle of some amber liquid glinting accusingly beside it.

The pounding in Sofia’s head wasn’t a headache, it was a jackhammer. Every beat echoed in the cavern of her skull, a relentless rhythm that vibrated through her teeth and down to her bones. It felt like someone had stuffed a live grenade in there and pulled the pin a dull ache punctuated by sharp explosions of pain behind her eyes.

—

Each pulse sent a wave of nausea rolling through her stomach, a sour reminder of the cheap tequila shots she couldn’t quite seem to forget. “Disaster…” she uttered. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the pain to recede, but it was a losing battle. This was the price she paid for a night spent drowning her anger, and right now, the hangover felt a hell of a lot worse than whatever she was trying to forget.

“Fuck!” she hissed as she struggled to remove her heels. Unable to remove the other one, Lianne slumped into her bed, ready to rest. To her surprise, however, the light inside her room suddenly turned on. She squeezed her eyes shut. “What the hell?” she jolted-up. “Who-”

“You reeked.” A voice echoed. It took Lianne a few seconds to realize that it was the voice of a woman. “Drag her to the bathroom…” the woman’s cold voice echoed inside the room. Before Lianne could react, two strong hands held her arms and forcibly dragged her out of her bed.

“What- Hey- Let me go!” Lianne screamed as she tried to shake the hand off. “I said let me go! What are you doing?” she struggled and tried to kick the man, but it was futile. The next thing she knew she was already in the shower, cold water pouring against her face. “What are

“Bring her outside once she’s done…” the woman’s voice echoed.

“Hey- “Lianne called out, but the harsh water once again made her

silent. She trembled. The icy water hit Lianne like a physical blow. It stole the breath from her lungs, turning her scream into a choked gasp. It wasn’t just cold, it was bone-achingly, teeth-chattering frigid, a shock that ripped through her hangover fog with a vengeance.

For a while, Lianne’s muffled voice echoed inside the motel room.

A/N: I will start releasing chapters today. My doctor told me to rest for a couple of days because of some health problems that are preventing me from sitting down. I was supposed to have surgery but I had to decline and opt to rest instead. So, I just spent my days lying down. The good thing is that I used this time to finish my plot and now, I have a complete outline of Devious Wife! Yey! Thank you for the support as always! Happy Reading!