The CEO's Contractual Wife (Olivia and Alexander) novel Chapter 301

Chapter 301

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Victoria

I sat in my living room, scrolling through business news on my tablet. The morning light filtered through the floor–to- ceiling windows, painting everything in harsh clarity that matched my mood perfectly.

Another article about Alexander Carter’s latest triumph. Stock prices are climbing. Board members are practically writing love letters about his strategic vision.

I threw the tablet across the room. It hit the wall with a satisfying crack, the screen spidering into a thousand fractures.

“Was that really necessary?” Thomas asked from his position at the dining table, laptop open in front of him.

“Shut up.”

He knew better than to push when I got like this. Smart man. That’s why I married him, among other reasons.

I paced to the bar cart, poured myself three fingers of scotch despite it being barely nine in the morning, and drank half of it in one swallow.

“Victoria.” Thomas started carefully, “maybe you should—”

“I said shut up!” I whirled on him, scotch sloshing over the rim of my glass. “Do you have any idea how infuriating this is? Every single move I make, he counters it. Every trap I set, he walks right around it like he can see the damn wires.”

“You’re obsessing.”

“I’m strategizing!”

“You’re drinking scotch at nine AM and throwing expensive electronics at walls.” Thomas closed his laptop, giving me his full attention. “That’s not strategizing. That’s having a breakdown.”

I drained the rest of my scotch and poured another. “He bought those companies in the Caymans specifically to get dirt on me. Do you understand that? My own cousin spent one hundred and eighty million dollars just to destroy me.”

“You’ve been trying to destroy his marriage for months,” Thomas pointed out. “Seems fair.”

I spun on him, ready to throw my glass this time, but the doorbell chimed.

“That’ll be Penelope,” I said, smoothing down my robe. “Let her in.”

Thomas hesitated, clearly wanting to say something, then thought better of it and went to answer the door.

Penelope swept in moments later, perfectly put together as always in designer athleisure that probably cost more than most people’s monthly rent. She took one look at me and raised an eyebrow

“Starting early today?”

“Don’t you start.” I gestured to the bar cart. “Help yourself.

“It’s nine in the morning, Victoria.”

“Your point?”

Penelope poured herself a small measure of vodka and added orange juice from the fridge. “Well, this should be an

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Chapter 301

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“That’s enough!” I stood, pacing again. “Every day there’s something new. Another deal closed. Another acquisition announced. Another article praising his genius. And meanwhile, what do I have? A husband who thinks I’m obsessed, a cousin who’s blackmailing me with evidence of embezzlement, and a marriage that I can’t prove is fake despite knowing in my bones that it is.”

The embezzlement evidence.” Penelope said slowly. “How bad is it really?”

I stopped pacing. “Bad enough that I could go to prison if he releases it.”

Jesus, Victoria.”

“I know.” I sank back onto the sofa. “I borrowed against what I thought would be my future controlling shares. Used shell companies to hide the transactions. It was supposed to be temporary, just until I took over the company and could legitimize everything retroactively.”

“But now Alexander has all the documentation.”

“Every transaction. Every wire transfer. Every shell company.” I closed my eyes. “He laid it all out for me over dinner like he was presenting a business proposal. Very calm, very professional. Said he’d keep it locked away as long as I leave his marriage alone.”

That’s blackmail.”

That’s leverage.” I opened my eyes. “And he’s very good at using it.”

Penelope finished her drink, setting the glass aside. “So what’s the plan? Because sitting here drinking scotch at nine AM isn’t going to change anything.”

‘I don’t have a plan!” The admission burst out of me, raw and frustrated. “For the first time in my life, I don’t know what to do next. Every move I make, he’s three steps ahead. It’s like playing chess against someone who can see the entire board while I’m stumbling around in the dark.”

Then we need to change the game.” Penelope’s eyes gleamed with something sharp. “Stop playing chess. Start playing dirty.”

I’ve been playing dirty.”

‘No, you’ve been playing strategically. There’s a difference.” She leaned forward. “You’ve been trying to outsmart Alexander at business, which is his home turf. What if we stopped going after him directly and focused on the weak link instead?”

‘Olivia.

“Exactly Penelope smiled. “She’s not a Carter. She doesn’t have decades of experience navigating corporate warfare. She’s just a girl who got lucky and landed a rich husband.”

I sat up straighter, feeling the first stirrings of genuine interest. “Go on.”

“Think about it. All your attacks have been aimed at Alexander or their marriage as a unit. But what if we targeted her specifically? Made her so miserable, so uncomfortable, so convinced she doesn’t belong in your world that she walks away on her own?”

“She won’t leave. The contract probably has penalties.”

“Contracts can be broken.” Penelope stood, warming to her subject now. “Especially if the emotional cost becomes too high. What woman wants to stay in a marriage where she’s constantly reminded she’s not good enough? Where every social event is a reminder of how out of place she is? Where her own husband seems embarrassed by her?”

“Alexander would never be embarrassed by her in public. He’s too controlled for that.”

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Chapter 301

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Then we create situations where control doesn’t matter.” Penelope’s smile turned predatory. “Put her in environments so far outside her comfort zone that failure is inevitable. Watch her stumble, watch her fall, watch Alexander’s mask slip when he realizes his perfect little arrangement is falling apart because his fake wife can’t handle the pressure.”

I felt a genuine smile spread across my face for the first time in days. “That’s actually brilliant.”

“I know.” Penelope moved to the bar cart to refresh her drink. “The beauty is, you’re not attacking their marriage directly. You’re just… facilitating opportunities for Olivia to demonstrate exactly how unsuited she is for this life.”

“And when she fails enough times publicly-”

“She’ll quit.” Penelope finished. “She’ll resign from Carter Enterprises, walk away from the marriage, whatever. Because nobody wants to keep living in a situation where they’re constantly humiliated.”

“But if she quits her job at the company, that makes the marriage look even more suspicious.” I stood, excitement building. “Why would a successful marketing executive throw away her career unless something was wrong?”

“Exactly.” Penelope raised her glass. “It’s perfect. You’re not sabotaging anything. You’re just creating opportunities. If Olivia can’t handle them, that’s on her.”

I grabbed my scotch glass, clinking it against Penelope’s. “You devious bitch. I love it.”

“That’s why you keep me around.” She took a sip. “So, what kind of situations are we talking about?”

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