She Was Never Just the Wife novel Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Chapter 51

47

As Laylah’s retreating figure disappeared behind the private room door-trying to look composed, yet unable to hide the panic in her back–the man leaning against the wall let the faintest, almost amused smile touch his lips.

He adjusted his cuff, turned, and walked toward the far end of the corridor in the exact opposite direction. His footsteps made no sound, and before long, he had melted into the shadows.

Cloudscape had more hidden corners than most people realized. Moving like he knew the place by heart, the man stepped around a tall potted plant and casually pressed a few spots along the grain of a wooden wall panel.

A soft click sounded, and one section of the panel slid inward without a sound, revealing a narrow opening just wide enough for one person to slip through.

He turned sideways and stepped inside. The panel closed silently behind him. The room inside was nothing like the refined luxury of the restaurant outside. It was small and stark, stripped down to the point of feeling cold.

Dark gray walls. Dark wood flooring. A line of recessed lights casting a soft white glow that felt more sterile than warm. There was only a black leather sofa and a sleek metal coffee table.

Someone was already sitting on the sofa.

He looked to be under thirty, dressed in a dark blue velvet casual jacket tailored to perfection, left unbuttoned over a simple white T-shirt. He lounged with one arm resting on the sofa, the other holding a crystal glass filled with dark red wine.

His gaze was lowered, as if watching the wine swirl in the glass-or perhaps lost in thought. The light from above slanted across his face, illuminating his profile.

He had a strikingly handsome face. A sharply defined jaw. A straight nose. Full lips pressed into a tight line. But what stood out most were his eyes-dark, steady, and unreadable, with a calm weight to them that felt far older than he was.

There was a quiet authority about him, the kind that came from being used to controlling the room. His hair was cropped short and neat, and his whole presence carried that rare mix of looseness and edge.

If Tanner were here and saw that face, he would probably feel a strange jolt of surprise-not because he recognized the man, but because of some vague, unexplainable familiarity that seemed to stir something deep inside him.

The young man seemed lost in his own thoughts until he heard the door open and footsteps approaching. Only then did he slowly lift his eyes.

“Is it done?” he asked, his voice low, even, and clear.

“Yeah.” The man in the gray suit sat down on the other side of the sofa. “I gave her the card and made the situation clear. She has no other choice.”

, May 11

Chapter 51

347

SX 66 vouchers

The young man didn’t answer right away. He set his glass down on the coffee table with a soft click, then leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees, fingers loosely laced together.

“What makes you so certain she’ll say yes?” he asked, his tone calm, to which the man in the gray suit smirked.

“Someone like Laylah might look clever on the surface, but she’s impatient and greedy underneath. Right now, she’s backed into a corner. Even if the rope I’m tossing her is covered in thorns, she’ll still grab it. She can’t afford to lose.”

The young man gave the faintest nod. Then he leaned back against the sofa, and his gaze drifted off again, distant and unreadable.

The room fell silent for a moment.

The man in the gray suit looked at him, hesitated, then finally said, “There’s something I still don’t understand.”

The young man lifted his eyes, signaling for him to go on. At that, the man in gray chose his words carefully.

“It’s easy to take down the Ross family. Even if the Lucero family was backing them before, Celia and Beckham are divorced now, and Tyshawn is gone. If we pushed a little, there’s no guarantee the family would keep protecting a useless former in-law.”

After a pause, he added, “The Ross Group is already riddled with problems and will go bankrupt soon. Why go through all the trouble and use a woman like Laylah for this?” He trailed off, but his point was obvious.

The young man listened without a flicker of expression. Only after the man in gray finished did he finally speak.

“Who told you I was going after the Ross family?”

The man in gray froze. “Not the Ross family? Then who…”

“A family that only managed to latch onto the Lucero family through marriage, and is already rotten on the inside anyway,” the young man said, open contempt in his voice. “What about them is worth my trouble?”

The man in the gray suit looked even more confused. “Then why are we doing all this?”

The young man didn’t answer right away. He picked up his glass again and slowly swirled it, watching the dark red wine cling to the sides.

After a sip, he said, “You’ve been asking a few too many questions.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but the man in gray fell silent at once, a cold sweat prickling across his back. He knew immediately that he had crossed a line.

“Apologies, I spoke out of turn,” the man in gray said, lowering his head.

The young man, however, didn’t seem bothered. He drained the rest of his wine in one go and set the glass back on the coffee table.

7.55 Mon, May 11 d

Chapter 51

47

$5 vouchers

Then the man in gray seemed to remember something else and added in a lower voice, “I saw on the surveillance feed that Celia’s here too. She’s upstairs in the Oak Suite with her lawyer friend, Haley. Just the two of them.”

The young man’s fingers stilled around the empty glass for the briefest moment.

“Got it.” He set the glass down, his tone unchanged as he ordered, “Stick to the original plan. Keep a close eye on Laylah. As for Celia…”

For the first time, the faintest ripple stirred in his dark eyes.

“Leave her alone for now.”

“Understood,” the man in gray replied.

The young man rose and straightened his jacket. Nothing in his movements was hurried; everything about him carried an easy, effortless composure. Under the light, the lines of his profile sharpened, and that faint trace Tanner found so familiar surfaced again.

He walked to the door and grasped the handle.

“Oh, and one more thing.” He didn’t turn around as he added, “That bottle earlier-the vintage was right, but it was decanted a little too long. By the last sip… there was a hint of bitterness.”

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