Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 166

The morning felt different from the moment Lucia opened her eyes. Something hung in the air, thick and wrong, though she couldn’t name it yet. Downstairs, the breakfast table was set with fresh fruit and pastries, sunlight pouring through windows that overlooked the garden. Lena chattered about an assignment while Monica nodded along, syrup dripping from her fork.

Alexander sat at the head of the table with his tablet propped against the coffee pot. Lucia watched him scan the screen, watched his jaw tighten, watched the color drain from his face like someone had opened a valve.

“What?” The word came out before she could stop it

He turned the tablet toward her without speaking. The headline blazed across the top in bold black letters.

BILLIONAIRE ACCUSED OF STEALING CHILDREN FROM DESPERATE FATHER

Underneath sat a photograph of Marco. He looked destroyed. Eyes red and puffy, shoulders hunched, hair uncombed. Next to it, a professional shot of Alexander in a tailored suit, looking every inch the wealthy businessman. The contrast was deliberate. Calculated.

Lucia’s throat closed as she read the first paragraph. The article painted Marco as a heartbroken father fighting for his children. It painted Alexander as a predator who used money to steal a ready–made family. It painted her as a weak woman manipulated by wealth.

Her hands started shaking. The tablet screen blurred.

“Don’t.” Alexander reached across and gripped her wrist. His fingers felt ice cold. “Don’t let them see.”

2

Around the table, the children ate breakfast. Oblivious. Lena showed Lucas a photo on her phone. Monica asked Ria about weekend plans. Normal. Safe. Unaware their private pain was now public entertainment.

“The lawyers.” Lucia managed to force the words past the tightness in her chest.

“Already contacted Morrison.” Alexander’s voice came out flat. Dead. “He’s handling it.”

His phone buzzed. Then buzzed again. And again. The screen lit up with notification after notification. Text messages. Emails. Unknown numbers. The media smelled blood in the water.

“Do we tell them?” Lucia glanced at her children. At their relaxed faces. At the ease in their movements. Alexander’s grip on her wrist tightened. “Not yet. Let them have this. A few more hours of peace before the storm hits.” After breakfast, they retreated to the study. Alexander shut the door and turned on the television. Channel after channel ran variations of the same story. Marco appeared on morning shows, dabbing at his eyes with tissues. His voice cracked when he spoke about missing his children. About how much he loved them. About the billionaire who thought money could buy anything.

He was good. Convincing. Almost believable.

“Seventeen years.” Lucia’s voice shook. “Seventeen years of marriage and I never saw this side of him. This level of manipulation.”

“You’re seeing it now.” Alexander switched channels. More Marco. More tears. More lies. “This is what desperation looks

like.”

The lawyer called back within the hour. Morrison’s voice came through the speaker calm and measured. “Most of what he’s saying is protected speech. Carefully worded to avoid direct defamation. We can explore legal options if he crosses certain lines, but for now, the best strategy is silence.”

“Silence.” Lucia repeated the word like it tasted bitter.

“Don’t engage. Don’t comment. Don’t give them more fuel. Let him dig his own grave.”

Alexander ended the call and looked at Lucía. “He’s right. We wait this out. It’ll die down when the next scandal breaks.”

“And the children?”

“When they find out, we deal with it. Together.”

But the children found out on their own.

Three hours later, Ria sat cross–legged in the libr

windows, dust motes dancing in the beams. Sh Successfully unlocked! earbuds.

“d on her knees. Sunlight streamed through tall

media feed, half–listening to music through her

Then a notification popped up. A link from a classmate with three words. “Is this real?”

Chapter 166

Ria clicked it. The headline loaded first. Then Marco’s photo. Then the article.

All the blood drained from her face.

“Lucas!” Her voice came out strangled. Panicked. “Monica! Lena! Get in here! Now!”

Footsteps thundered through the hallway. Lucas appeared first, followed by Monica and Lena. They crowded around the laptop screen, reading over Ria’s shoulder.

Lucas’s face turned red. “This is complete garbage.”

“They’re making him sound like a victim.” Ria scrolled down, her hands trembling. “Like some poor father fighting for his kids.”

Monica’s eyes filled with tears as she read. The article claimed Alexander had manipulated them. That they’d been stolen from a loving home. That Marco was desperate to get them back. It twisted everything. Made their rescue look like a kidnapping.

“Why would he do this?” Monica’s voice broke. “We’re finally happy. Finally safe. And he’s trying to ruin it.”

Lena grabbed the laptop and slammed it shut. “Because he’s selfish. He can’t stand that you guys picked people who actually care about you.”

к

“Everyone’s going to believe him.” Ria stood up and started pacing. “They’re going to think Mom and Dad are monsters who stole us.”

Lucas clenched his fists. “That’s exactly what he wants. Make himself look good. Make us look like we were brainwashed.”

“What do we do?” Ria stopped pacing and looked at her siblings.

They stood in a circle in the library. Four kids who’d survived hell together. Who’d protected each other when no one else would. Who’d built something beautiful from the wreckage of their old lives.

And now Marco wanted to tear it all down.

Monica wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. When she spoke, her voice was quiet but steady. “We tell our side.”

Lena looked up. “What do you mean?”

“We tell what really happened. In that house. What he did. What Margaret did. We tell the truth.”

Lucas stared at his youngest sister. “You want to go public?”

“He’s on television lying about us. Why can’t we tell the truth?”

Ria shook her head. “Mom and Dad specifically said to stay out of it. They’re trying to protect us.”

“We’re already in it.” Monica’s voice grew stronger. “Our names are in those articles. People are talking about us. We can’t hide anymore.”

Lena nodded slowly. “She’s right. If you guys are part of the story anyway, shouldn’t you get to tell your own version?” The four of them looked at each other. No words needed. They’d been through the divorce together. The abuse. The custody battle. The escape. They knew how to communicate without speaking.

“What are you thinking?” Lucas asked.

r

Monica took a breath. “We make a statement. A video. We tell everyone what actually happened and why we’re here.” Ria’s eyes widened. “A video that no one can edit or change.”

“Yes.” Monica nodded. “Just us. Telling our truth.”

“People need to know you guys weren’t kidnapped.” Lena added. “You were saved.”

Lucas was quiet for a long moment. His jaw worked. His hands unclenched and clenched again. “Mom and Dad won’t like

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