Returning with Triple Treasures: My CEO Husband Is Obsessed novel Chapter 8

Isabella looked up at Xavier with a smile so deliberately saccharine it was meant to grate on his nerves.

"Husband? Mrs. Moore?" Linda's face lost all color. Each of Isabella's words felt like a precise, twisting stab.

In the five years since Isabella's "death", while Xavier had never spoken of his feelings, Linda had positioned herself steadfastly by his side. She had worked tirelessly for Moore Group, cultivated relationships with the Moore family elders... She was widely acknowledged in their social circle as the future Mrs. Moore.

Isabella feigned surprise. "Ms. Allen, don't tell me you didn't know? Xavier and I were never legally divorced. Quite a shock, isn't it? Frankly, I'm a little shocked myself. After all, I spent five years looking and simply couldn't find a man with deeper pockets than Xavier!"

She was baiting them—provoking Linda and, more importantly, testing how much irritation Xavier could stomach.

The tactic worked. Xavier's expression turned thunderous.

"Isabella, have you no shame whatsoever?"

Xavier's jaw was clenched so tight the words seemed to chip from between his teeth. The look he leveled at her was pure, undiluted venom.

Isabella knew she had struck the rawest nerve—betrayal.

She had wounded him, and in his twisted retaliation, he had trapped them both, consequences be damned.

"Oh, well. I'm moving into my new place tomorrow and will start work the day after. Ta-ta for now, darling!"

Suddenly, a new path to a quick divorce crystallized in her mind. With a final, dazzling smile, she swept out of the office.

Xavier never responded well to direct confrontation. Perhaps a more subtle approach would work. And besides... she could make him repay every ounce of what he owed her, with considerable interest.

The moment the door closed, Linda turned to Xavier, her voice trembling. "Xavier... what she said... it's a lie, isn't it? You couldn't possibly still be..."

Xavier cut her off, his tone devoid of warmth. "What was the purpose of your visit?"

His non-denial was a confirmation. Linda's composure crumbled. Tears welled in her eyes, but she forced her voice steady. "There's confirmed intelligence that the Carter family heiress has returned to the country. Securing her investment would allow for Moore Group's most comprehensive expansion this year. I've already tasked a team with discreet surveillance to locate her..."

The Carter family.

Xavier's expression became inscrutable. "Carter." Isabella's surname before marriage.

The investigations suggested she had been living abroad and had only recently returned.

Moreover, her past was a void; every attempt to trace her history in the years before their marriage hit a wall, as if her entire identity had been professionally scrubbed.

Could there be a connection to the Carter dynasty?

After he finished eating with his usual quiet focus, she kissed his cheek and asked, as she always did, "Was it yummy?"

Jason nodded vigorously, his round face the picture of contentment. Anything made by Mommy was his absolute favorite.

The feeling was mutual for Isabella. Jason's happiness washed away every worry. No one would be allowed to hurt him. Ever.

Early the next morning, she took him back to the center. She had arranged for him to participate in a new, week-long intensive residential program there.

Five years ago, Xavier had been determined to destroy the life she carried. If he discovered Jason's existence now, she couldn't predict what lengths he might go to. The little boy had to be kept safe, and away from prying eyes.

"Sweetheart, Mommy has to deal with some very tricky grown-up business these next few days. Trust me. As soon as it's all sorted, I'll come get you and we'll go to our brand new home, okay?"

Seeing Jason's reluctant figure standing in the doorway of the residential wing, Isabella's heart ached. She scooped him up for one last series of kisses.

Her little boy was impossibly understanding. He simply looked at her with those big, solemn eyes and nodded, accepting her plan without protest.

His quiet compliance only made her heart break more. After a final, tight hug, she turned and left quickly before her own resolve wavered.

Returning to the hotel, Isabella packed a single suitcase with practiced efficiency. Then, she called for a car and gave the driver an address she had never thought she would use again—Xavier's private residence.