The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Anna's POV

I was restless, pacing back and forth in my apartment like a caged animal, my phone clutched in my trembling hand, waiting for an update.

The plan had been simple. Clean. A single shot at a public event where chaos would provide the perfect cover for escape. By the time security figured out what had happened, Cynthia would be dead and the shooter would be long gone, lost in the panicked crowd.

Simple.

Except my phone had been silent for over an hour now, and the silence was eating me alive.

I'd turned on the news — every channel, flipping between them obsessively — but there was nothing yet. No breaking news alerts about a shooting at the holiday party. No emergency broadcasts. Nothing.

What the hell was taking so long?

Finally… finally — my phone rang.

I answered before the first ring finished. "Tell me it's done."

"I missed." His voice was flat, emotionless, delivering the news like he was reporting the weather.

My blood ran cold. "What?"

"I missed the hit. Ethan pulled her close at the last second, some kind of instinct or luck, I don't know. The bullet hit a waiter instead. Waiter is dead, but Cynthia is alive."

"No." The word came out strangled. "No, that's not… you said you were a professional. You said you never miss."

"I never have missed before," he said, and now there was an edge of defensiveness in his voice. "But Walker moved her at the exact wrong moment. Or the exact right moment, depending on your perspective. Either way, she's alive."

I felt rage building inside me like a tidal wave, hot and destructive and threatening to consume everything in its path.

"Where are they now?" I demanded.

"Ethan drove Cynthia away immediately — smart move, actually. He didn't wait for security or police. Just grabbed her and ran. By the time I got to my car and navigated through the chaos in the parking lot, they were gone. I couldn't keep up. He was driving like a maniac, and I couldn't risk drawing attention by doing the same."

"So you lost them." My voice was deadly quiet now, the kind of quiet that preceded an explosion. "You missed your shot, and then you lost them."

"Anna…"

"You incompetent piece of shit!" I screamed into the phone, not caring if my neighbors heard. "You had one job! One fucking job! And you couldn't even do that right!"

“I guess I know what your answer is. Now, do what you know how to do best, I need cover as I attack Walker industries”

Then he hung up.

I stood there, phone pressed to my ear, listening to the dial tone, feeling like the ground had just disappeared beneath my feet.

I fucking promised that I was going to be his wife if he gets this job done, and he failed.

He fucking failed?

So why is he angry now? He needs to finish the job, he loves me… he should do what I want… I’ll marry him when he is done killing Cynthia.

What the fuck!

I took my phone and opened the browser, The plan was to spread implicating news about Walker Industries on the net, as cover while he attacks from the background, it was dark and desperate and possibly insane, but what did I have to lose at this point?

If I couldn't have Ethan, if I couldn't destroy Cynthia through violence, if I couldn't win through conventional means...

Then I'd do what I'd always done best.