A Night With The Ruthless Billionaire

The morning air in the penthouse is thick with a tension that has been building between Alex and Victoria for weeks, if not years. 

Victoria sipped her coffee, the only sound in the quiet room. The silence felt heavy, like a storm was coming. They had avoided talking about their problems for months, but now it seemed impossible to ignore. The tension between them was about to burst."

Their marriage has been as a result of the relationship with their parents, and also for business establishments. Initially, they never wanted it, but for the sake of their parents and selfish desire for wealth and affluence, the union had to be established.

Alex stands by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring out over the city skyline, his hands in his pockets, his jaw clenched. His reflection in the glass is a distorted version of the man he used to be - powerful, composed, always in control. But now, he feels like a shadow of that man, a prisoner in a marriage that's more a business transaction than a partnership.

Victoria's voice cuts through the stillness, sharp and cold. "We can't keep pretending everything's fine, Alex." Her words are clipped, as though she's been rehearsing them for days, waiting for the right moment to strike.

He doesn't turn to face her. "I know."

The admission feels like a crack in the foundation of their marriage, and for a moment, neither of them speaks. The silence stretches between them like a bridge.

Victoria sighs, setting down her cup with a clatter. "This... charade, whatever it is, can't go on. We've become strangers living in the same house. And now, with this child..."

At the mention of the child, Alex's heart skips a beat. The child. Emma's child. His child. He clenches his fists in his pockets, his mind flashing to the letter Emma had sent him, the way she had written those words with so much pain, so much fear. 

He had stood on the doorstep, staring at the letter in disbelief, knowing that his life would never be the same.

Victoria watches him closely, her eyes narrowing. "I know about her, Alex," she says, her voice dripping with bitterness. "Emma. The girl from the hotel. Do you really think I wouldn't find out?"

His stomach twists, but he keeps his face impassive, his gaze fixed on the skyline. "It's not what you think."

Victoria lets out a hollow laugh. "Isn't it? You've humiliated me, Alex. Publicly. And now she's pregnant with your child." 

She stands, her chair scraping against the marble floor as she walks toward him. "Do you expect me to just stand by and let you play house with some maid while our marriage falls apart?"

Alex finally turns to face her, his eyes cold but calm. "I'm not playing house, Victoria. This isn't about us anymore."

Her eyes flash with anger, and she steps closer, her voice rising. "It's always about us, Alex. You married me for a reason. We had an agreement. We're supposed to be partners - equals."

He shakes his head, his expression softening. "We haven't been equals for a long time, Victoria. Our marriage has been dead for years, and we both know it."

Her face pales, and for a brief moment, the anger in her eyes is replaced by something else. Pain. 

But it's gone just as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the icy mask she's worn for so long. "So what now?" she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you going to leave me for her? For Emma?"

Alex exhales, rubbing a hand over his face. The thought had crossed his mind more times than he could count. Leaving Victoria. Starting over. Being a father to his child. But it was never that simple, not with the weight of the Cardwell name on his shoulders, not with the legacy he had to protect.

"I'm not leaving you," he says, his voice steady. "But things are going to change. I'm going to be a part of this child's life, whether you like it or not."

Victoria's expression hardens, and she takes a step back, her arms tightening around herself. "I won't let you bring her into our lives, Alex. I won't."

"You don't have a choice," he replies, his tone firm but not unkind. "This isn't about you or me. This is about the child."

Victoria's gaze dropped to the floor, her breathing shallow. For the first time in years, Alex witnessed a crack in her icy exterior, exposing a vulnerability she had worked tirelessly to conceal. But when her eyes met his again, her resolve had returned, fortified and stronger than ever.

"If you want to be a part of this child's life," she says, her voice low and dangerous, "then you'll have to do it without me."

Her words hang in the air like a death sentence, and Alex feels the finality of them settle in his chest. He knows she means it. There's no going back now. Their marriage, whatever it once was, is over.

"Fine," he says after a long pause. "If that's what you want."

Victoria nods once, her eyes hard. "It's what has to happen."

They stand in silence for a moment longer, the weight of their decisions pressing down on them both. And then, without another word, Victoria turns on her heel and walks out of the room, her footsteps echoing through the empty penthouse.

Alex watches her go, the door closing behind her with a soft click. And for the first time in a long time, he feels a strange sense of relief.

As Victoria's footsteps faded, Alex's phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it at first, the weight of the conversation with his wife still settling in. But the phone buzzed again, insistent.

With a sigh, he pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

A message from an unknown number.

You're making a mistake, Alex. You have no idea what's really at stake here.

His heart skipped a beat as he stared at the message, dread curling in his stomach. He quickly looked around the empty room as if someone were watching him.

Before he could react, another message flashed across the screen:

If you think this child will save you, think again.