Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Marco sat in his car across from the empty Kane mansion, his hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. The house stood dark and silent, no lights in the windows, no cars in the driveway, no signs of life anywhere. Even the security guards were gone

He had been watching for three hours, waiting for some movement, some sign that his children were inside. But nothing. The place looked abandoned, hollow, like a shell that had been discarded and left to rot.

“Where are they?” The whisper came to himself his voice hoarse from the cigarettes he had been chain–smoking since morning.

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number he had memorized years ago. Marcus Webb, the private investigator who had helped him dig up dirt on business competitors. If anyone could find where Alexander had taken his children, it would be Marcus.

“Webb Investigations.”

“Marcus, it’s Marco Hart. I need you to find something for me.”

“Marco, after what I heard about the court case, I don’t think…”

“I’ll pay double your usual rate.” Marco interrupted, desperation creeping into his voice. “Triple. Whatever it takes.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “What do you need?”

“Alexander Kane has moved my children somewhere. I need to know where. I need an address, security details, everything you can find.”

“Marco, that sounds like stalking. I can’t help you with…”

“They’re my children!” Marco exploded, his voice echoing in the empty car. “My own flesh and blood! He’s stolen them from me and hidden them away like I’m some kind of monster!”

“The court gave him custody…”

“The court was wrong!” Marco’s voice cracked with emotion. “They were manipulated, lied to, tricked into believing I was unfit. But I’m their father. I have rights!”

Marcus sighed heavily. “Marco, I understand you’re upset, but…

“Find them.” Marco’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. /Find my children, or I’ll find someone who will.”

He hung up before Marcus could respond, throwing his phone onto the passenger seat with such force that the screen

cracked.

Marco climbed out of his car and walked to the front gates of the empty mansion. He pressed his face against the iron bars, staring at the house where his children had been living just days ago. Somewhere behind those walls, they had been happy without him. They had been building a new life, a new family, as if he didn’t exist.

“Ria!” He called out, his voice carrying across the empty grounds. “Lucas Monica! I know you can hear me!”

But only silence answered him back.

He began shaking the gates, the metal clanging loudly in the quiet afternoon air. “Come back to me! Come home where you belong!”

A neighbor walking her dog stopped and stared at him, pulling out her phone to record the scene. Marco didn’t care. Let them watch. Let them see what Alexander Kane had driven him to.

After twenty minutes of shouting at an empty house, Marco finally gave up and returned to his car. His throat was raw, his clothes wrinkled, and his hair was sticking up from running his hands through it over and over.

He sat in the driver’s seat, staring at the mansion through the windshield, his mind racing with thoughts of revenge. Alexander thought he was so clever, so untouchable. He thought his money and his lawyers and his security guards made him invincible.

But Marco knew something Alexander didn’t understand. When a man has nothing left to lose, he becomes capable of anything.

Marco started his car and drove slowly through the city, his eyes scanning every expensive neighborhood, every gated community, every mansion that might be hiding his children. But the city was huge, and Alexander had endless resources He could have moved them anywhere.

As the sun began to set, Marco found himself parked outside a coffee shop, staring at his reflection in the storefront window. He looked like a stranger. Wild–eyed, desperate, broken. When had he become this person? When had he fallen so

Chapter 165

far from the successful businessman he used to be?

The answer came to him immediately. When Alexander Kane decided to play God with his family.

Marco pulled out his cracked phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the number he was looking for. Eva Mendes, a reporter at Channel 7 News who had interviewed him several times about his business success over the years. “Eva Mendes.”

“Eva, it’s Marco Hart. I have a story for you. A big one.”

“Marco? Oh my goodness, it’s been so long. How are you?”

“I’ve been better.” Marco forced his voice to sound calm and reasonable. “Eva, I need your help with something important. It‘ s about my children.”

“Your children? What’s wrong?”

Marco took a deep breath, preparing to tell the story he had been crafting in his mind for the past hour. “They’ve been kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped? Marco, have you called the police?”

“It’s not that simple.” Marco injected just the right amount of pain into his voice. “They’ve been taken by someone with money and power. Someone who thinks he can buy children like they’re pieces of property.”

Eva’s voice sharpened with interest. “Who are we talking about?”

“Alexander Kane. The billionaire. He seduced my ex–wife and then convinced her to take my children away from me. He’s using his wealth to manipulate the court system, to make me look like an unfit father.”

“Marco, that’s a very serious accusation…”

“I have proof.” The lie came smoothly. “Documents, recordings, evidence of how he’s systematically destroyed my relationship with my children. But every time I try to see them, his security guards turn me away. He’s holding them prisoner in one of his mansions, and I don’t even know where.”

Marco could hear Eva typing in the background, already taking notes.

“This sounds like it could be a huge story.” Her words came slowly. “A billionaire using his influence to steal children from their biological father. But I’ll need to verify everything you’re telling me.”

“Of course.” Marco spoke with false sincerity. “I’ll give you everything I have. Financial records showing how he’s bought their affection with expensive gifts. Court documents proving how his lawyers manipulated the system. Witness statements from people who saw how happy my children were before he came along.”

Most of it was lies, but Marco had learned how to twist the truth until it served his purposes. By the time he finished talking to Eva, she was convinced she had stumbled onto the story of the year.

“I’ll need to do some research.” Eva’s tone came professional. “Talk to sources, verify your claims. But if what you’re telling me is true, this could be front–page news.”

“How long will it take?” Marco asked.

“Give me three days. Maybe four. I want to make sure I have all the facts before we go to air.”

“Three days.” Marco repeated. “I can wait three days.”

After he hung up, Marco sat in his car and smiled for the first time in weeks. Alexander Kane thought he could hide Marco’s children away and the world would never know what he had done. He thought his money and his reputation would protect him from any consequences.

But Marco was about to show him how wrong he was.

He picked up his phone again and began making more calls. The local newspaper. The morning radio show. The evening news program. By the time he was finished, half the media in the city would be investigating the story of Alexander Kane, the billionaire who stole children from their loving father.

Marco drove home as darkness fell over the city, feeling energized for the first time in days. He might not know where Alexander was hiding his children, but soon the entire world would know what kind of man Alexander Kane really was.

And when the media was finished with him, when his reputation was destroyed and his business empire crumbled, maybe then Alexander would understand what it felt like to lose everything that mattered.

Marco pulled into his driveway and sat in the dark car for a moment, thinking about tomorrow’s headlines. He could already see them in his mind.

BILLIONAIRE ACCUSED OF CHILD MANIPULATION

Chapter 165

WEALTHY BUSINESSMAN TEARS FAMILY APART

CATHER FIGHTS TO SAVE CHILDREN FROM BILLIONAIRE’S CONTROL

Voucher

Margaret was waiting in the living room when he walked inside, her face puffy from crying and her hair uncombed. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days.

“Where have you been?” Her question came small and broken.

“Working.” Marco spoke simply, walking past her toward the stairs.

“Marco, we need to talk. About us. About the baby. About what happened the other night…”

“Not now, Margaret. I’m busy.”

“Busy with what? Chasing after children who don’t want to see you?”

Marco stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned to look at her. “They do want to see me. They’ve just been brainwashed into thinking they don’t.”

“Marco, please. Be realistic. The court made its decision. Maybe it’s time to accept…”

“Accept what? That some billionaire can just steal my family because he has more money than me?” Marco’s voice was rising again. “Never. I’ll burn his whole world down before I accept that.”

Margaret stared at him, seeing something in his eyes that scared her. “What are you planning?”

Marco smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “Justice. I’m planning justice.”

He climbed the stairs, leaving Margaret alone in the living room with her fears and her unborn child.

In three days, the media war would begin.

And Alexander Kane had no idea what was coming for him.

Marco went to his study and pulled out his laptop. He began drafting documents, creating fake financial records that showed Alexander bribing court officials. He photoshopped images of his children looking sad and scared. He wrote false testimonials from people who supposedly witnessed Alexander’s manipulation.

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