Chapter 41

41 Desperate Measures Alex barely glanced up as Nathan fumed in his office. “If you’re going to make a fool of yourself, don’t expect my sympathy. Now leave; I’ve got work to do.”

Reaching his breaking point, Nathan stormed out, vowing to unearth dirt on Alex. “You’ll regret this. I’ll expose whatever you’re hiding,” he threatened, his mind whirling with plans for retribution.

Unperturbed, Alex remained focused on his work, secure in his clean record with Emma throughout their marriage. Nathan’s antics were just a minor irritant compared to the shock of Emma’s divorce request That afternoon, Nathan issued a bold public statement, refusing to apologize and suggesting Emma was no angel herself. His accusations backfired, unleashing a fresh wave of public condemnation.

Boycotts against his company’s products began trending online almost immediately, Still determined to bring down Emma and all she stood for, Nathan hired an expensive private investigator to track Emma’s movements. However, the investigator’s report was disappointingly mundane, detailing nothing but Emma’s routine life.

“How can anyone live so… ordinarily?” Nathan mused, puzzled by Emma’s lack of scandal. “How could a billionaire like Emma have almost no social life in this city?” He paced his lonely living room, thinking hard and fast.

Out of the blue, his phone rang. It was Lillian calling on the phone. “I’ve got a plan against Emma.

Interested?”

Nathan hesitated, aware of Lillian’s dubious reputation. But desperation pushed him to listen. He pressed a button on his phone, secretly recording the call, just in case.

“What’s your plan? I’ve been hounded for days over this, and all I’ve found is Emma’s boringly perfect life. My business is plummeting fast; if I don’t do anything about it, I may go bankrupt soon. And now you want to target her? Why?”

Lillian’s laugh was scornful. “It’s because you have been going about it the wrong way! Perfect?

Emma’s far from it. I’ve got something on her that will turn the tables. Interested or not? I want to know!”

Nathan considered revealing Lillian’s offer to Alex. Such betrayal within a family would indeed cause a stir. He played along, intrigued by Lilian’s confidence and encouraged by the fact that he was recording the entire conversation.

“Alright, show me what you’ve got. But make it good. I’m not playing games.”

Lillian’s response was quick; a file of photos was sent his way. But upon opening them, Nathan’s frustration grew. The images were innocuous, showing Emma in casual conversations, nothing incriminating.

“These are useless, Lillian. You think staged photos will bring down Emma?” Nathan moved to delete 41 Desperate Measures them from his phone immediately but paused to contemplate this next move.

He thought about showing them to Alex if only to see his reaction. Would the perfect brother believe his sister capable of such pettiness? Nathan’s resolve hardened. He would show Alex, not for sympathy, but to expose the family’s hidden fractures and laugh in Alex’s face.