Chapter 74 CHAPTER 74
The Pact of Vengeance
Ayisha had never imagined she would be the kind of woman who would one day type out her life story in a desperate plea on the internet. But the world had shifted under her feet in the past week, so violently and without mercy, that she found herself staring at her laptop screen in the middle of her small living room, fingers trembling as they hovered over the keyboard.
Her home was quiet. Too quiet. Tessa’s laughter no longer bounced off the walls, and the children’s footsteps no longer echoed down the hallways. The betrayal had hollowed the space, leaving Ayisha with a silence that pressed on her chest like a stone.
She blinked, took a deep breath, and began to type.
“My name is Ayisha, and I have been betrayed by the one person I called sister. I built a life with her. I invested every coin into our dream, only to find out she was the scammer who stole everything from me. Now I have nothing—no business, no money, and the home we built is about to be taken by the bank. Please, if you read this, help me start again. I promise I will not waste your kindness.”
The words weren’t perfect, but they were raw. They carried the ache in her chest, the shame she felt, and the desperate need to crawl out of the pit Tessa had shoved her into. She attached proof of the investigation, screenshots of the PI’s findings, and even a blurred out copy of Tessa’s farewell letter. Then, with a prayer whispered under her breath, she clicked Publish.
The GoFundMe went live.
For the first twelve hours, nothing happened. A handful of strangers donated twenty dollars, fifty dollars, maybe a hundred. It was barely enough to cover groceries for a week, let alone the mountain of debt she faced.
But then, something changed.
Her story started trending. Perhaps it was the brutal honesty of her words, or the way betrayal resonated with strangers. People began to share it on social media. Comments poured in:
“This is heartbreaking, stay strong queen.”
“I’ve been scammed by someone I loved too. Here’s $200, keep fighting.”
“Tessa deserves to rot. Sending prayers.”
By the second day, the donations climbed into the thousands. Enough to ease some of her panic, but not nearly enough to silence it. Still, she clung to the outpouring of sympathy like a lifeline.
On the third day, her inbox lit up with a message that made her freeze.
It wasn’t from a random stranger. It wasn’t another message of pity. It was direct, personal, and unsettling.
Ayisha, I read your story. You’re a woman wronged, just like me. But I don’t believe in pity. I believe in payback. If you’re interested, let’s talk. Dinner tomorrow night. I’ll send a car.
The signature at the bottom sent a shiver down her spine.
Ethan Grant.
A name she recognized instantly. Billionaire investor. Media tycoon. A man often splashed across financial magazines, his sharp jawline and icy smile impossible to miss. A man whispered about in power circles as ruthless, brilliant, and dangerously private.
Ayisha didn’t know what to think. Why would someone like Ethan Grant care about her small, ruined life?
The next evening, her answer arrived in the form of a sleek black Rolls Royce Phantom that pulled up outside her house. The chauffeur stepped out, expression blank, and held the door for her.
Ayisha hesitated only for a moment before sliding into the plush leather interior.
The restaurant was one of the finest in the city, perched atop a skyscraper with glittering views of the skyline. Candles flickered on the table where Ethan sat waiting, dressed in an immaculate black suit. His dark hair was slicked back, and his cold blue eyes flicked to her the moment she entered.
“Ayisha,” he said, rising smoothly to his feet. His voice was deep, commanding, and strangely calm. “I’m glad you came.”
She swallowed, forcing her legs not to tremble as she took the seat opposite him. “I almost didn’t.”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “But you did. That tells me something already. You’re desperate, yes but you’re also hungry. Hungry enough to listen.”
The waiter poured wine. Neither of them touched it.
Ayisha leaned forward, cutting straight to the point. “Why am I here, Mr. Grant? What do you want from me?”
His eyes glinted with something sharp, predatory. “The same thing you want, Ayisha. Revenge.”
Her breath caught.
“You want to hurt Tessa for what she did to you,” Ethan continued, his tone smooth as silk. “And I want to hurt Ares Langford. Our interests align.”
She blinked at him, stunned. “Ares? What does he have to do with you?”
Ethan’s jaw tightened, though his smile never faltered. “That’s my business. All you need to know is that he took something from me, and I intend to take something from him in return. But I can’t do it alone. And you…” his gaze swept over her, cool and assessing, “…you’re perfect for my plan.”
Ayisha’s pulse quickened. The rational part of her screamed to get up, to walk away from this dangerous man. But another part, the part filled with rage, betrayal, and the hollow ache Tessa had left leaned forward instead.
“What’s the catch?” she asked, her voice low.
For the first time that night, Ethan’s smile widened. “No catch. Just a partnership. You’ll get the satisfaction of destroying Tessa. I’ll get the satisfaction of destroying Ares. Together, we’ll both win.”
The waiter returned with their meals. Succulent steaks, roasted vegetables, fine wine. Neither touched the food immediately. Their eyes remained locked across the table, two broken souls circling the spark of a dark alliance.
Finally, Ayisha picked up her glass. Her hand was steady now, her decision clear.
“Fine,” she said. “We work together.”
Ethan raised his own glass, clinking it against hers with a sharp ting. “To revenge.”
“To revenge,” she echoed.
They drank, sealing the beginning of a pact that would soon ripple across their lives and the lives of Tessa and Ares—in ways none of them could yet imagine.
As the night wore on, they did eat, though their conversation never drifted far from their shared enemies. Plans weren’t set in stone, but intentions were clear. They would plot, they would wait, and when the moment came they would strike.
For the first time since Tessa’s betrayal, Ayisha felt something flicker in her chest. Not hope, not peace but power.
And she wanted more.