How To Lose Your Billionaire Alpha Husband In 365 Days (Or Less)!-Chapter 64: Always Known...

JASMINE’S POV

"I haven’t been here since... well, since I got married," I said, quietly, as I opened the door to my previous apartment.

The scent of cinnamon candles and expensive wood polish hit me like a ghost of the lady I used to be, before bloodlines and bond marks rearranged my life.

Sophia followed behind me, scanning the place like it was a museum display.

"This feels weird," she muttered. "Like stepping into a parallel timeline."

"I just needed to grab something," I said, brushing past her into the bedroom.

She leaned in the doorway. "You sure that’s all?"

I didn’t answer.

Instead, I opened my closet and pulled out a sleek, navy-blue jumpsuit I hadn’t worn in months.

It was one of those power pieces, featuring sharp lines and a don’t-mess-with-me zipper, that I used to wear when I needed to command attention without saying a word.

Sophia arched a brow. "You dressing for battle or brunch?"

"Maybe both," I said, zipping up. "We’re stopping by the boutique on the way. I need heels that don’t say ’I ran barefoot through a thunderstorm last night.’"

She didn’t push. But her silence said plenty.

By ten-thirty, we were walking through the front doors of Heart Enterprises. My heart tightened the second I stepped inside.

It was like nothing had changed.

And yet everything had.

Lisa greeted me at the reception with a nervous smile. "Welcome to the office today, ma’am."

I nodded, smoothing my hands down my jumpsuit. "What’s waiting for me?"

"Several flagged emails, two board memos, and this." She handed me a thick file with a bright red post-it: URGENT.

Sophia gave me a questioning look as we rode the elevator up. "So... you gonna tell me what’s going on?"

"Just tying up loose ends," I said, eyes on the floor, ticking upward.

Sophia crossed her arms. "I’m gonna call bullshit on that in three... two..."

"I’m handling it," I said, cutting her off as the elevator dinged open.

I stepped out into my office. Lisa followed behind with a fresh stack of files. "Also... there’s been a few inquiries about the company’s leadership, given your... absence."

"Keep it quiet," I said. "If the board wants answers, they can come ask me directly."

Lisa nodded and slipped out.

Sophia stood by the window, watching me. "Jazz."

I pulled out my phone and stared at Vale’s message again: Heard you’re dodging family. Meet me at the old headquarters tonight, or the board hears everything.

I typed out a reply before I could think too long.

On my way.

"Is that who I think it is?" Sophia asked.

I slipped the phone back into my bag. "It’s just business."

Her brows rose. "You lie worse than my ex."

I tried to smile, and trust me... I failed.

Sophia stepped closer. "Don’t go alone."

"I’ll be fine," I said, more to assure myself than to assure her.

"If anything feels off—"

"I’ll call," I promised, even though I knew for a fact that I wouldn’t.

She sighed, but didn’t press again. "Just come back alive... in one piece."

—

The drive to the old headquarters was like crawling back into a memory I never wanted.

The place was rundown.

Half the windows were boarded up, and the air was thick with mildew and rot. The parking lot was cracked. The building looked abandoned from the outside, but the power still ran. I could feel it, like static against my skin.

I stepped inside.

The main hall hadn’t aged well. Dust clung to every surface like secrets, and the smell of old carpet made my stomach turn.

Vale was waiting in the old boardroom, seated at the head of a long, faded table. He wore a three-piece suit, of course. Always dressing for the throne he thought was his.

Beside him, a sleek tablet flickered to life.

Daniel Frost’s face appeared on the screen, his expression smug as ever. "Jasmine. Looking radiant. Rain and fear must suit you."

I didn’t sit.

Vale gestured to the chair across from him. "Come, Jasmine. No need to be dramatic. We’re all family here."

"You forfeited that word the second you forged my signature and shut down operations, making it seem like I was the one who did it."

His smile thinned. "So? I’m pretty sure you have no proof."

I folded my arms. "I don’t have one; what do you expect?"

"I expected you to break under the pressure. Instead, you ran into the woods and got cosy with animals who bite."

I didn’t flinch.

"You abandoned this company," he continued. "Chose your fantasy over your responsibility. The board will listen when I tell them you’re unfit—mentally, emotionally, biologically."

"You’re bluffing," I said coolly.

He arched a brow. "Am I? What happens when the press finds out about your marriage to a... not just a billionaire, but a billionaire alpha?"

That hit me like a punch in the gut.

"Y-you... you know?"

"I’ve always known. You too... your parents, that too. So, tell me, what happens when they they find out all these? And not jus that, but also about your violent episodes? Your ’visions’? You think they’ll let you stay CEO?"

Daniel smirked from the screen. "She’s unstable, Vale. A ticking bomb."

I leaned forward. "You try to go public with this, and I swear to every god listening, I will hit back so hard, the board will forget your name. I will leak every expense you buried, every backroom deal. I will destroy you with truth. And when it’s done, you’ll be lucky to manage a parking lot."

Vale didn’t blink.

I smiled coldly. "So go ahead. Tell them. I dare you."

The silence that followed stretched thin. Daniel’s smile faded slightly.

Vale’s voice dropped. "You’ve changed."

"No," I said. "You just stopped seeing me clearly."

I turned on my heel and walked out before they could say anything else. My heels echoed down the hallway like punctuation marks.

The air outside was chilly, and the wind bit at my skin. I approached my car and reached for the door when I suddenly felt a sharp heat in my palm.

I pulled my hand back, startled. There was a symbol glowing on my skin, like it had always been a part of me.

I stared at it, my heart racing, and then, just like that, it disappeared.

I gasped, my breath quickening. "What the...?"