Chapter 17 Ex-Husband Regret
Valenticias POV-
Dmitri’s frantic shouts cut through the air outside the Clawford estate gates, and my breath caught in my throat. “Valenticia! Please, I’m begging you!” His voice was ragged, filled with panic, nothing at all like that cold, polished ex-husband who once cast me aside like a used tissue.
He looked wrecked.
His hair was disheveled, his shirt half-tucked, eyes wide, like he hadn’t slept in days. But it was Natasha, emerging from a sleek black car, that coursed ice through my veins. Her face was filled with fury, as her upper lip curled in a snarl, and the metal object in her hand was a knife.
My stomach churned, a chill stilling me in place.
In a matter of seconds, security swarmed in.
Two guards grabbed Dmitri, wrenching his arms behind him as he writhed, his voice cracking. “Val, please! I made a mistake! I need you!” The words burned in my chest, awaking memories of his indifference, the divorce paperwork, the evenings I’d waited without hearing the kind of love he started asking for and he’d never given. Another guard pounced on Natasha, forcing her to drop the knife. She struggled, her screams filling the air. “ you dirty thief, Valenticia! You stole his heart, you conniving whore! You think you can destroy us and leave?’ What she said, each word made my skin crawl.
She spat at me, “You’re just a gold-digging tramp who tricked him into loving you!”
I was standing at the window, trembling hands, but I forced my face to remain blank. Responding would only feed her insanity, and I wasn’t going to let her see me break. Dmitri shouted louder, more frantically. “Natasha, stop! Val, I was the fool — I’m so sorry! I’ll do anything!” I heard his voice break and caught sight of tears coursing down his face. All that was left of the man I’d once loved.
Natasha turned to face him, her hand darting out to slap him across the face. “Silence, you spineless coward!” she hissed. “You’re crying for her? After everything I gave you?” Dmitri recoiled, his head whipping to the side, but he didn’t retaliate, his shoulders sagging in defeat.
Grandma’s hand brushed against my arm, her tone calm. “Inside, Valenticia. This circus does not deserve your attention.'” I nodded, drawing my eyes away from the scene. As I turned, Dmitri’s voice followed me. “I love you, Val! Please, give me a chance!” The words hurt, reopening wounds I thought I had buried, but they also braced my determination.
I was no longer that broken woman hanging on to a man who had picked another. I walked away, the gates slamming shut and drowning out Natasha’s curse and Dmitri’s sobs.
In the sitting room, Grandmother poured tea, “Focus on Clawford,” she said and searched my eyes. “The response to Dmitri’s regrets is not yours. And Natasha’s venom is her vulnerability.” I took a sip of the tea, the heat bringing me present, but my mind swirled. Dmitri’s desperation, Natasha’s rage — it was a distraction, but Elaine’s warning about Gregor’s “silent partner” from my past was something I could not set aside.
“I can’t let them drag me back,” I said, my voice more steady than I felt. “But Gregor… he is the true threat. I have to expose him before he does it again.”
Grandmother’s eyes softened, but there was steel behind them. “You’re right to be cautious, but we require evidence. Pointing fingers without evidence is risky at the board.” She paused, studying me. “What did you discover on that USB?”
I pushed the drive across the table. “Payments to a shell company, Nexus Ventures. Millions siphoned off the books. Also something about the kidnapping attempt. It’s Gregor, I know it.”
She stretched her hands, our fingers touching. “I’ll have it analyzed. But be careful. Gregor’s developed a network here. You push too hard, and you’ll create enemies.”
“We can’t wait. He’s in action now. Secret projects, loyalists in top spots. If we don’t do something, he’s going to bury us.” I pointed out.
She nodded a glimmer of pride in her eyes. “Then we’ll demand an audit. So it’s neutral, it won’t trigger alarms. But you will be questioned at the board meeting tomorrow". Be ready. “I will,” I said, my determination hardening.
Dmitri and Natasha were mere ghosts of my past while Gregor was the enemy of my present.
I entered Clawford Corporation the next morning, playing the part of an analyst for a cover. The office hummed with its normal rhythm of telephones ringing, keyboards clacking but Elaine’s warning rang in my ears. A silent partner from my past, pulling Gregor’s strings. Who could it be? Dmitri, twisted by regret? Natasha, fueled by spite? Or someone I hadn’t yet dealt with? I sat down at my desk and plugged the USB back in; I was ready to get to work on the Nexus Ventures data.
The transactions formed a web, pointing to accounts that screamed money laundering. This wasn’t just a project, it was an abomination to Clawford’s legacy.
___
The finance meeting began, and I prepared a report that flagged budget anomalies without giving my suspicions away. But when Larson summoned me to provide input, my report had vanished from the shared drive. “Ms. Clawford, where’s your submission? he said, his voice firm. Heads turned and then whispers followed. Heat flooded my cheeks. “I submitted it last night, sir,” I replied, my voice strained. Larson glanced at the system, his frown deepening. “It’s not here. This is unacceptable.”
I stood in humiliation. I knew I’d filled it out properly. My gaze darted toward Rita, standing to the side of the projector, her mouth curling into a smirk. She’d undermine me, delete or misplace my work. The effort had Gregor’s fingerprints all over it, a petty shot at discrediting me.
I held my anger, nodding at what Larson said.
Later, in the break room, I cornered Rita, speaking in a low but fierce voice. “What’s your deal, Rita? Erasing my report to make me look incapable?” She smirked wider, unfazed by my glare.
“You’re dreaming, Valenticia. Perhaps you’re simply not made for this.”
Her tone was all mockery, but her eyes shifted toward the door, nervous. “You’re Gregor’s bitch, aren’t you?” I pressed, stepping closer. She laughed. “Paranoid much? You can’t keep this up without crashing hard.”
She pushed past me, her shoulder brushing my shoulder, and I fumed. Her deflection only confirmed my suspicion. Gregor was controlling her buttons.
I needed answers. Over lunch, I ducked out into a quiet hallway to catch up with Elaine, who had promised more on Nexus Ventures. “Nexus is financing Gregor’s work,” she said in a low voice, looking around. “It’s business off the books, and massive. Somebody’s sponsoring him, someone with a personal interest.”
“Who?” I asked, my voice low and barely above a whisper.
“I don’t know yet,” she said. “But they are close to you, perhaps closer than you know. Trust no one.” Her stilled. When she left, I slid down the wall, heart hammering in my ears.
Back at my desk, I opened my computer to review the Nexus data, but the screen froze and then flicked to a login prompt. My files—gone. I panicked when I scanned the shared drive. My Nexus notes and other critical documents appeared to have been wiped. My breath hitched. This was not a glitch; I’d been hacked. Someone knew I was digging. Gregor, Rita or the silent partner Elaine feared? The USB was my road to salvation, but I had to cross-check it with Clawford’s archives before time ran out.
The office was getting empty.
The hum of activity dying.
I felt so lonely.
As I tried to recover the data, my phone lit up with an anonymous text message. “Stop digging or you’ll end up like your parents.”