She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 547

Aria's eyes gleamed with manic excitement, looking as though she had just won the lottery.

Beside her, Dominic clenched his fists, raw ambition blazing in his gaze as victory finally seemed within reach.

"If we have the formula, should I call my dad right now? We can rally all the Hale Group's investors..."

"No."

Aria shut down Dominic's proposal instantly.

Dominic scowled.

"What do you mean, no? We agreed to a partnership. Are you backing out?"

His voice dropped, his eyes narrowing with deep-seated suspicion.

Aria was nothing like Melanie.

When he was married to Melanie, his mother had been completely paranoid, terrified that Melanie was secretly plotting to drain the Hale family's wealth.

Yet in their four years of marriage, Melanie hadn't taken a single dime she didn't earn.

Melanie was the trueborn eldest daughter of Nathaniel Royce—dignified, brilliant, and completely devoid of Aria's desperate vanity.

If he were partnering with Melanie, he wouldn't have to worry about a knife in his back.

But he was partnered with Aria.

Even though their goals aligned, Aria and her homewrecker of a mother, Sabrina, were notoriously ruthless. Dominic had to keep his guard up.

Noticing his blatant distrust, Aria let out a cold laugh.

"Dominic, you really underestimate me, don't you?"

She stalked over to him and slammed the lab report against his chest.

"If I chose to partner with you, I'm not going to screw you over. Stabbing someone in the back and driving their company into bankruptcy—that's Melanie's signature move, not mine."

Aria's jab hit a raw nerve.

But in Dominic's twisted mind, he didn't blame Melanie for what she did.

Melanie had only destroyed him because he had cheated on her with her adopted sister and fathered a child. It was a crime of passion.

His pulse kicked into high gear.

He suddenly couldn't wait to see the Royce Group collapse. He couldn't wait to see Melanie stripped of everything.

Because only then—when she was utterly broken—would she finally admit that her revenge, her hostility, and her coldness were just a desperate mask hiding how deeply she still wanted him.

While Dominic was lost in his narcissistic delusions, Aria was staring at him, completely disturbed by the sickeningly arrogant grin plastered on his face.

"Dominic... what is wrong with you?"

Her sharp voice dragged him back to reality.

"What do you mean?" he deflected, realizing he had completely zoned out.

Aria rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh.

Just as he didn't trust her, she had absolutely zero respect for him.

If Dominic actually had a brain, he wouldn't have been utterly outplayed by Melanie, bankrupted, and forced into this desperate alliance with her in the first place.