The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 220

Chapter 220

Chapter 220

The courtroom shifted.

What began as an attack-

was turning.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Into something else.

Arthur Cross leaned forward, fingers laced together, trying to maintain composure.

But the crack was there.

Small.

Almost invisible.

Lila saw it.

And pressed.

“Let’s examine Exhibit C,” she said calmly, flipping another page. “This transaction trail supposedly links Blackthorne to an offshore account.”

She looked at the judge briefly, then back at the document.

“There’s just one issue.”

A pause.

“That account doesn’t exist.”

Murmurs spread across the room.

The opposing counsel straightened. “That’s impossible. The records-”

“-were fabricated,” Lila cut in smoothly.

Not louder.

But sharper.

Cleaner.

More precise.

She placed the document down.

“Not poorly,” she added. “In fact, I’d say whoever did this had technical knowledge.”

Her eyes flicked-just for a second.

Enough.

Toward Arthur.

“But not enough.”

Arthur’s jaw tightened.

Simon leaned closer to the screen back at the office.

“She’s isolating him,” he said quietly.

Jade nodded.

“She’s not attacking the case,” she replied. “She’s dismantling the creator.”

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Back in court, Lila continued.

“Your Honor, if permitted, I’d like to submit a comparative analysis,”

She handed over another file.

“This contains verified Blackthorne transaction patterns versus the fabricated ones presented.”

The judge reviewed it briefly, brows furrowing.

“Proceed.”

Lila turned slightly, addressing the room now.

“Whoever created this evidence made one critical mistake,” she said.

“They copied the surface.”

Her voice dropped just enough to pull everyone in.

“But not the structure.”

She tapped lightly on the table.

“Real financial systems have rhythm. Flow. Behavior.”

Another pause.

“These?” she glanced at the fake records, “are static.”

That word-

landed.

Arthur shifted in his seat.

For the first time-

uncertain.

Lila straightened.

“And that tells me

g important.”

The roo

ened.

Blackthorne.”

ereated by someone trying to imitate us…”

step forward.

“…badly.”

The judge leaned back slightly, now fully attentive. “Are you implying falsification of evidence?”

Lila didn’t hesitate.

“I’m stating it.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Then-

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whispers erupted again, louder this time.

The narrative had flipped.

Completely.

Arthur’s confidence was gone.

Not shattered-

but slipping.

And Lila saw it clearly.

He wasn’t the mastermind.

Just the front.

Just like she expected.

She sat back down slowly, composed.

Unshaken.

But inside-

everything was aligning.

Because now-

they would panic.

And when people panic-

they make mistakes.

Back at the office, Simon let out a breath.

“She just destroyed the case in one move.”

Jade shook her head slightly.

“No,” she said, eyes still on the screen.

“She opened the door.”

A pause.

“For the real enemy to step in.”

And somewhere-

behind Arthur Cross-

someone was watching.

Realizing-

too late-

that Lila wasn’t defending Blackthorne.

She was pulling them out-

into the light.

One by one.

When the case ended, Lila didn’t stay.

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She didn’t wait for the press.

Didn’t entertain questions.

The moment it was over-

she left.

By the time she reached the estate, the sun had already begun to set, casting a quiet glow through the tall windows.

Everything felt still.

Untouched.

Like time itself had slowed within those walls.

Lila walked straight to Damon’s room.

No hesitation.

No pause.

She pushed the door open gently and stepped inside.

There he was.

Exactly as she left him.

Unmoving.

Silent.

Waiting.

She walked over and sat beside his bed, her movements slower now, the weight of everything finally settling in.

“We won,” she said softly.

No response.

She let out a small breath, leaning back slightly in her chair.

“And I realized something…”

A faint smile touched her lips.

“Your job wasn’t that bad.”

Her eyes stayed on him, searching-hoping.

“So if you wake up one day…”

Her voice softened just a little more.

“Don’t you dare complain about how terrible it is.”

Silence answered her again.

But she didn’t stop.

“Being a CEO isn’t so bad, actually,” she continued, a quiet humor threading through her words. “But honestly…”

She leaned forward slightly, resting her arm near his hand.

“I’d rather stay at home.”

A small pause.

“And let you do all the work.”

Her smile deepened, though her eyes carried something more fragile beneath it.

“Then just… feed us.”

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The room remained still.

Unchanged.

But Lila stayed there-

watching him.

Waiting.

Holding onto the smallest possibility-

that this time-

he might finally wake up.

Bryan didn’t knock when he burst into Lila’s office, breath uneven, urgency clinging to every word.

“Lila-there’s a woman downstairs. She’s claiming one of Damon’s… girls. She brought a child. And-” he hesitated, placing a folder on her desk, “-a paternity test. Says the boy is Damon’s.”

Lila didn’t respond immediately. She flipped the folder open, eyes scanning each line with clinical precision. Her brow slowly tightened, forming a sharp crease.

“I brought them to the boardroom,” Bryan added. “She insisted. The kid’s with her.”

Lila stood, the chair sliding back with a faint scrape. Her heels struck the floor in measured steps as she walked out, but her mind drifted elsewhere-cold, calculating.

*What is this? A setup? Another desperate grab at his estate?*

When she reached the boardroom, she didn’t pause. The door swung open under her hand.

Inside sat a woman and a boy.

Lila’s eyes went straight to the child.

Something about him tugged at her attention-not Damon. No… something else. Something she couldn’t immediately name.

The boy met her gaze but didn’t move, small hands folded neatly on his lap.

“How old are you?” Lila asked, her tone even.

“I’m seven,” the boy replied.

Seven.

That meant he existed during her marriage to Damon. The realization settled heavily, but her expression didn’t

shift.

“I know this is sudden,” the woman began, her voice controlled but edged with strain. “I’m only here because I believe Damon left something for my son.”

Lila turned her attention to her.

The woman looked fragile-skin pale, almost lifeless-but her lips were strikingly red, like fresh blood. It gave her an unsettling presence.

“I heard Damon is dead,” she continued. “I came to claim what my son deserves.”

Lila stepped closer, folding her arms.

“Then you came too late,” she said flatly. “Damon didn’t know he had a child. Your son’s name isn’t in his will.””

“He knew,” the woman insisted, her voice tightening. “He knew this child existed.”

Lila’s gaze sharpened.

“Strange,” she replied coolly. “Because he didn’t mention either of you on his deathbed.”

Silence stretched between them.

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Then Lila shifted her stance slightly, glancing once at the boy before returning her eyes to the woman.

“So,” she said, her voice precise and controlled, “what exactly are you proposing we do?”

“Give my son the share he deserves,” the woman said, her voice lowering into something sharper, more dangerous. “And I’ll keep my mouth shut… or else.”

The room seemed to tighten around those words.

Lila didn’t flinch.

Her gaze drifted from the woman-steady, unblinking-to the document still in her hand. The paternity test. Clean. Official-looking. Convenient.

Then, calmly:

“Tell me your name.”

The woman lifted her chin slightly. “Emily.”

-Lila nodded once, almost absently, as if filing it away.

Then her eyes snapped back to her.

“Or else what, Emily?”

Her voice cut through the air, cold and precise.

“You’ll slander a dead man?” Lila continued, stepping closer. “You expect me to be intimidated by threats built on timing that doesn’t make sense?”

Emily’s lips pressed together, but she didn’t interrupt.

“In the first place,” Lila went on, “you never told him about this child while he was alive. Not once. No record. No attempt. And now-” she gestured lightly toward the boy, “-you walk in here after his death with documents and demands.”

Her tone didn’t rise, but every word landed harder than the last.

“Now tell me,” Lila said, locking eyes with her, “what exactly are you trying to get from this sudden appearance … and this claim that the child is Damon’s?”

A silence followed-thick, suffocating.

The boy shifted slightly in his seat, his small fingers tightening against the fabric of his clothes.

Lila noticed.

And for the briefest moment, something flickered in her expression-something almost human-but it vanished as quickly as it came.

Emily exhaled slowly, her composure cracking just enough to reveal the strain beneath.

“I told you already,” she said, quieter now but no less firm. “Security. A future for my son.”

Lila tilted her head slightly, studying her like a puzzle she hadn’t decided to solve yet.

“Security,” she repeated. “Or leverage?”

Emily didn’t answer.

That was answer enough.

Lila turned slightly, pacing once across the room before stopping near the head of the table. Her fingers. tapped lightly against the polished surface-measured, deliberate.

“When did you take this test?” she asked without looking at Emily.

“A month ago.”

“And Damon?”

Emily hesitated.

“…He didn’t come with me.”

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Lila’s lips curved faintly-not a smile, not even close.

“Of course he didn’t.”

She finally turned back, her gaze sharper now.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Lila said. “I will have this document verified. Independently. Thoroughly. If there’s even a single inconsistency-this conversation ends permanently.”

She paused, letting that sink in.

“And if it *is* real…” her eyes flicked briefly to the boy again, “… then we discuss terms. Properly. Legally. Not through threats.”

Emily straightened. “And if I don’t agree?”

Lila met her stare without hesitation.

“Then you can try your ‘or else,” she said evenly. “And we’ll see how far it gets you.”

The room fell silent again.

But this time, the balance had shifted.

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