Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 104

Chapter 104

El 55 vouchers

Lucia stared at the phone in ker hand, reading the email from Preston & Associates for the fourth time, hoping the words would somehow change if she looked at them again. But they remained the same each letter a knife twisting deeper into

her chest.

*Ms. Smith.*

*After completing our comprehensive audit of Hart Industries and associated accounts, we have found no evidence of financial misconduct or fraudulent activity. All offshore transfers appear to have legitimate business purposes related to international expansion projects. While the timing of certain transactions may seem questionable, we have found no legal irregularities in Mr. Hart’s financial management.*

*We understand this may not be the outcome you were expecting. Please contact us if you require any clarification.*

*Regards.*

*Preston & Associates*

The phone slipped from Lucia’s trembling fingers, clattering onto her office desk. Three weeks of waiting. Three weeks of anticipation. Three weeks of imagining Marco’s face when the handcuffs clicked around his wrists. Three weeks of planning how justice would finally be served.

All for nothing.

“No,” Lucia whispered to the empty office. “No, this isn’t right.”

She grabbed the phone again, her fingers shaking as she dialed the lead auditor’s direct line. The phone rang once, twice, three times before his voice came through the speaker.

“Preston speaking.”

“This is Lucia Smith,” she said, her voice tight with barely controlled fury. “I just received your final report.”

“Ms. Smith, I understand this isn’t the result you were hoping for.”

“You didn’t look hard enough,” Lucia interrupted. “The money was hidden. Five hundred million dollars moved to offshore accounts during our divorce proceedings. How is that not fraud?”

“Ms. Smith, we traced every transaction. The funds were transferred to support legitimate business ventures. We have contracts, correspondence, and documentation proving these were planned investments, not hidden assets.”

“Those documents are fake,” Lucia said desperately. “Marco created them after the fact to cover his tracks.”

“We considered that possibility and had forensic accountants examine the digital fingerprints on all documents. The timeline appears authentic. These business plans were created months before the transfers occurred.”

Lucia felt the room spinning around her. “That’s impossible. I know what he did. I lived through the divorce proceedings. I know what I was told versus what actually existed.”

“Ms. Smith, I’m sorry, but our investigation was thorough. We found no evidence of criminal activity.”

The line went dead. Lucia stared at the phone, feeling something dark and violent rising in her chest. All her planning, all her careful strategy, all her patient waiting for justice, it had all been for nothing.

Marco had somehow managed to escape consequences for his crimes. The man who had stolen from her, lied to the courts,

1/5

12:00 pm Pppp.

Chapter 104

and hidden money that rightfully belonged to her was going to walk free.

“DAMN HIM!” Lucia screamed, hurling her phone across the office.

55 vouchers

The device shattered against the wall, pieces of plastic and glass scattering across the marble floor. But breaking her phone wasn’t enough to contain the rage burning through her veins.

Lucia grabbed the crystal paperweight from her desk, a gift from Alexander when she first became Chairwoman, and hurled it at the window. The impact sent spider web cracks across the glass, but it didn’t break through.

“He planned this,” Lucia said to herself, her voice growing louder with each word. “He knew I would come after him. He prepared for this.”

She swept her arm across her desk, sending files, pens, and her laptop crashing to the floor. The laptop screen cracked on impact, but Lucia barely noticed. She was consumed by a fury unlike anything she had ever felt.

The coffee mug Alexander had given her for Christmas, the one with ‘World’s Best Fiancée‘ printed on the side, became her next target. She hurled it at the wall where it exploded into ceramic shards.

“Seventeen years!” Lucia screamed to the empty office. “Seventeen years of marriage and he steals from me and gets away with it!”

上

She grabbed the crystal vase from the corner table, the one filled with fresh roses Alexander had delivered that morning. Water splashed across her suit as she raised it above her head and smashed it against the floor.

“He’s laughing at me,” Lucia said, her voice breaking between rage and anguish. “Right now, he’s celebrating because he outsmarted me. Because he found a way to escape justice.”

The framed photograph of her and Alexander at their engagement party became her next victim. Glass scattered as it hit the wall, the image of their happiness now lying in pieces among the other wreckage.

Lucia’s breathing was rapid and shallow as she looked around her destroyed office. Every surface was covered with broken glass, scattered papers, and the remnants of her carefully ordered professional life. But the destruction in the room was nothing compared to the devastation in her heart.

All this time, she had been holding onto the belief that truth would prevail. That justice would be served. That Marco would pay for what he had done to her and their family. But justice was an illusion, and truth was whatever story had the best lawyers backing it up.

“Ms. Smith?”

Lucia spun around to see her secretary Jennifer standing in the doorway, her face pale with shock as he took in the destruction.

“Jennifer,” Lucia said, trying to compose herself, “I’m sorry. I’ll pay for everything. I’ll have it cleaned up.”

“Are you hurt?” Jennifer asked, stepping carefully into the room. “Should I call someone?”

Before Lucia could answer, another voice came from the doorway.

“What happened here?”

Alexander stood behind Jennifer, his eyes moving from the broken glass to Lucia’s disheveled appearance. His suit was perfectly pressed, his hair immaculate, but his face showed immediate concern as he assessed the scene.

“Mr. Kane,” Jennifer said with obvious relief. “I was just checking on Ms. Smith. There was some kind of incident.”

2/5

12:00 pm Pppp

Chapter 104-

56 vouchers

Thank you, Jennifer,” Alexander said gently. “Could you give us some privacy? And perhaps arrange for maintenance to clean this up later?”

Jennifer nodded and quickly feft, closing the door behind her. Alexander moved carefully through the debris, his eyes never leaving Lucia’s face.

“The audit results came back,” Lucia said, her voice flat and emotionless now that the rage had burned itself out.

Alexander stopped moving. “And?”

“No evidence of fraud. No criminal charges. Marco Hart is officially innocent of all wrongdoing.”

Alexander’s jaw tightened. “That’s impossible.”

“Apparently not,” Lucia said bitterly. “Apparently Marco is smarter than I gave him credit for. He found a way to make his theft look legal.”

“How?”

“Fake business documents. Backdated contracts. Imaginary international projects that justified moving the money offshore.” Lucia kicked at a piece of broken glass. “The auditors say the paperwork is authentic, that everything was planned in advance.”

“But you know that’s not true.”

“Of course it’s not true!” Lucia exploded again. “But knowing the truth and proving it are two different things!”

Alexander stepped closer, careful not to cut himself on the broken glass. “Lucia, look at me.”

She raised her eyes to meet his, and he saw pain there that went beyond disappointment. This was the anguish of someone who had believed in justice and been betrayed by the system meant to provide it.

“I’m sorry,” Alexander said simply. “I know how much you were counting on this.”

“I wanted him to pay,” Lucia whispered, tears finally beginning to flow. “I wanted him to face consequences for what he did to me. To us. To our children.”

“I know.”

“I wanted to watch him realize that actions have consequences. That you can’t destroy people’s lives and walk away unscathed.”

Alexander reached out and gently touched her arm. “He will face consequences. Maybe not the legal ones you wanted, but consequences nonetheless.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s lost his family,” Alexander said quietly. “His children see him for what he really is. His current wife is already looking for his replacement. His business is hanging by a thread under your control. He may have avoided prison, but he hasn’t avoided justice.”

Lucia shook her head. “It’s not enough. After everything he took from me, watching his family fall apart isn’t enough.”

Alexander was quiet for a moment, studying her face. When he spoke, his voice carried a weight that made Lucia look at him more carefully.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked.

3/5

12:00 pm p p p p

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify