Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The car pulled up to a private airfield. Early morning. The sun barely up.

Lucia stared out the window. A jet waited on the tarmac. Sleek. White. Enormous.

“That’s yours?” she asked.

Alex glanced at it. “Yeah. Makes travel easier.”

Easier. Like owning a private jet was normal.

Lena bounced in her seat. “I love flying. No security lines. No waiting.”

The driver opened Lucia’s door. She stepped out. The air was crisp. Cool.

A flight attendant appeared. “Good morning, Mr. Kane. Everything is ready.”

They boarded. Lucia climbed the stairs. Each step felt surreal.

Inside was. She didn’t have words. Cream leather seats. Polished wood. Soft lighting.

“Sit anywhere,” Alex said.

Lucia chose a seat by the window. Sank into it.

Lena flopped across from her. “This is going to be amazing.”

Sarah brought drinks. Orange juice. Coffee. Water.

“Anything special you’d like, Miss Smith?” she asked.

Miss Smith. The new name.

“Whatever you’re making is fine.”

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The engines roared. The jet moved. Lucia watched the ground fall away. Buildings became toys. Then just clouds.

She was leaving. Everything behind.

Marco. The kids. All of it.

Her hands started shaking. Suddenly. Without warning.

She gripped the armrests. Tried to breathe.

What was she doing? Running away to another country with a man she hadn’t seen in eighteen years?

Depending on him. Like she’d depended on Marco.

The thought made her stomach turn.

Alex unbuckled. Moved to sit across from her. Lena had headphones in. Lost in her phone.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

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Chapter 8

“Scared,” she admitted. Voice tight. “This is. A lot.”

“I know.”

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“I don’t know anything about Germany. About business. About any of this. I’m completely dependent on you now. Just like I was with Marco.”

The words came out sharper than she intended.

Alex was quiet. Processing.

“You’re not dependent on me,” he said finally. “You’re learning from me. There’s a difference.”

“Is there?”

“Yes. Dependency means you can’t leave. This means you can leave anytime. I’ll even help you.”

She looked at him. “Why should I trust you? I trusted Marco for seventeen years. Look how that ended.”

“You shouldn’t trust me blindly. Trust is earned. But I’m going to show you everything. How the money works. How the business works. So you never have to depend on anyone again.”

Never depend on anyone again.

The idea sounded impossible. She’d never been alone. Never handled her own finances. Never made her own decisions about anything important.

Sarah brought breakfast. Eggs. Fresh bread. Coffee.

Lucia ate. Hands still unsteady.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

“Always.”

“Your business. You said you own shares in Marco’s company.”

Alex set down his coffee. “Thirty percent.”

“How long?”

He was quiet. “Eight years.”

“Eight years?” Lucia stared at him. “You’ve been watching him?”

“Not just him. The company. It’s a good investment.”

“But you knew. You knew about Marco. About his business. About us.”

“I knew some things.”

“How much overlap is there? Between your business and his?”

“More than you’d think. Same circles. Same conferences. Similar clients.”

Lucia’s heart pounded. “So you’ve been monitoring him. For eight years. And you never told me anything. Never warned

me

Alex’s jaw tightened. “I tried to warn you. Before the party. I tried to get there in time.”

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Chapter S

“But before that? Eight years you watched him hide money. Cheat. Plan to discard me. And you said nothing?”

“I didn’t know everything. The offshore accounts. The affair. That was recent.”

“But you knew something was wrong.”

Silence.

“Yeah.” Alex said quietly. “I knew something was wrong.”

Lucia’s hands clenched. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

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“Because.” He stopped. Started again. “Because I didn’t know how. We hadn’t spoken in eighteen years. I couldn’t just call and say your husband was bad news. You would have hung up. Thought I was crazy. Or jealous.”

Jealous.

The word hung there.

“Were you?” she asked. “Jealous?”

Alex met her gaze. “Yes.”

The admission was raw. Honest.

“But that’s not why I watched him. I watched him because I wanted to make sure you were okay. That’s all.”

Lucia looked away. Out the window. Just clouds.

“I don’t know what to think,” she said.

“That’s fair.”

“Part of me is grateful. Part of me is angry.”

“Both are valid.

She was quiet for a long time. Watching clouds. Thinking.

Then. I need you to promise me something.”

“What?”

“No more secrets. If you know something that affects me, you tell me. Even if it’s hard. Even if you think I won’t like it.”

Alex nodded. “I promise.”

“Good.”

Hours passed. The pilot announced descent.

Lucia looked out the window. Green fields below. Mountains in the distance. A lake. Huge and blue.

“Lake Starnberg, Alex said. “The villa is on the north shore.”

The jet touched down. Smooth. They got into another waiting car.

They drove through countryside. Trees. Fields. Small villages.

14:17 Sat, May 30

Chapter 8

Then the lake appeared. Sparkling.

The car turned onto a private road. Wound through trees. And then.

The villa.

Lucia’s breath caught.

Massive. Stone and glass. Perched on the lakeshore. Gardens everywhere. A dock extending into water.

“Home,” Lena said.

“It’s beautiful,” Lucia whispered.

A woman appeared from the house. Older. Kind face.

“Mr. Kane. Welcome back.”

“Helga. This is Lucia Smith. She’ll be staying with us.”

“Welcome, Miss Smith. Your room is ready.”

Inside was stunning. High ceilings. Windows overlooking the lake. Art on the walls.

Helga led her upstairs. Down a hallway. Opened a door.

“Your suite.”

Lucia walked in. Stopped.

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The room was huge. King bed. Sitting area. Balcony doors. And the view. The lake stretched endlessly. Mountains beyond.

“If you need anything, just press this button.” Helga pointed to a panel.

She left.

Lucia stood alone. Center of the room.

This was it. Her new life.

She walked to the balcony. Opened the doors. Stepped out.

The air was perfect. Warm. A breeze off the lake.

She gripped the railing.

Then she started crying.

Without warning. Without control.

Everything hit her at once. The party. The bridge. The jet. This villa. This life that wasn’t hers.

She was in a foreign country. Alone. With nothing.

No husband. No children. No home.

Nothing.