Hell Hath no fury like a billionaire's Ex-Chapter 76: A Good Heart

Diane’s POV

I placed the stack of documents my mother had given me on the nightstand, my mind still reeling from what I’d just learned. Liam had actually tried to kill me at the farmers market. He was still planning to hurt me. And Sophie—the sister I’d sworn to hate forever—had risked her life to protect me.

The sound of the front door opening downstairs pulled me from my thoughts. Joan was home. I glanced at the clock—earlier than expected. Perhaps the word of my interview had caused enough commotion at the firm that she’d decided to leave. I needed her legal expertise now more than ever.

"Diane?" Joan’s voice called from downstairs. "Are you here?"

"Coming!" I replied, gathering the documents and carefully placing them back in the manila folder. I took a deep breath, steadying myself before heading downstairs.

Joan stood in the living room, her briefcase discarded by the door, her normally composed face animated with excitement. "You’re not going to believe what’s happening," she said without preamble.

"What is it?" I asked, still clutching the folder to my chest.

"Your interview—it’s causing absolute chaos." She shrugged off her blazer and tossed it onto the couch. "Synergy Sphere’s stock dropped nearly fifteen percent today. Investors are starting to pull out. The press is swarming the company offices, demanding statements about the CEO’s alleged mistreatment of his pregnant wife."

I sank onto the nearest chair, taking in this information. "That was... fast."

"Oh, it gets better," Joan continued, pacing the room with unusual energy. "And besides a friend from the office someone leaked that they’re discussing whether Liam is still fit to lead Synergy Sphere given the current PR nightmare."

A strange mix of satisfaction and disbelief washed over me. I’d wanted to hurt Liam, to make him face consequences, but I hadn’t expected things to unravel so quickly.

"Turn on the TV," Joan urged, gesturing to the remote. "It’s been all over the news since midday."

I reached for the remote and switched on the television. Sure enough, a news anchor was mid-sentence, my interview playing in a small box beside her head.

"...shocking revelations from Diane Ashton, wife of tech mogul Liam Ashton and CEO of Synergy Sphere. Sources close to the company report that several major investors have already expressed concerns about the future of the company under Ashton’s leadership..."

The segment cut to footage of reporters crowded outside the Synergy Sphere headquarters, shouting questions at employees trying to enter or exit the building. I watched, transfixed, as my private pain became public spectacle.

Then the scene changed, and my breath caught in my throat. There on screen was Sophie, my sister, surrounded by angry people as she tried to reach her car—a car covered in vicious graffiti. Someone threw what looked like a coffee cup at her as she scrambled to get inside.

"Oh my God," I whispered, my hand flying to my mouth.

"That’s your sister," Joan said, her voice solemn. "The public is... not being kind to her after your interview."

I watched in horror as Sophie drove away, debris still being thrown at her car. Whatever my feelings about her betrayal, seeing her publicly humiliated like this sent an unexpected pang through my heart.

"They’re having a field day with all of this," Joan observed, her lawyer’s analytical mind clearly assessing the situation. "Your interview, Sophie’s involvement, Synergy Sphere’s stock plummeting—it’s the perfect storm of scandal."

I switched off the TV, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. "I need to show you something," I said, holding up the folder. "My mother brought these earlier. From Sophie."

Joan’s eyebrows shot up. "From Sophie? You’ve been in contact with her?"

"Not me. My mother." I opened the folder and spread the documents across the coffee table. "Sophie got these from Liam’s safe last night. Look."

Joan sat beside me, her expression shifting to professional focus as she examined the papers. "Offshore accounts... property deeds transferred solely to his name..." Her eyes widened as she flipped through more pages. "Diane, this is... this is evidence of serious financial crimes. Embezzlement, tax evasion, potentially even securities fraud."

"That’s not all," I said, pulling out my mother’s phone from my pocket. "Listen to this."

I played the recording Sophie had made, watching Joan’s face pale as Liam’s slurred voice confessed to attempting to kill me.

When it ended, Joan looked up at me, her expression grave. "We need to take this to the police."

"Will they be able to use it? Is it even legal evidence?"

Joan frowned, considering. "It’s complicated. The recording might be inadmissible if it was obtained without consent in a private setting. But the financial documents—those are solid evidence of crimes that we can definitely use."

I nodded, trying to process everything. "Sophie got these at great personal risk. According to my mother, she drugged Liam to access his safe, then fled to a hotel. She’s afraid to go back to her apartment."

Joan’s eyes softened slightly. "Whatever she did, that was brave of her."

"I know," I admitted, conflicted emotions swirling inside me. "I don’t know what to feel about her anymore. I’m still so angry, but..."

"But she’s trying to protect you now," Joan finished for me.

I nodded, unable to articulate the complex tangle of feelings I had toward my sister. Instead, I refocused on the documents before us. "I need time to study these thoroughly. But I think they’re exactly what we need to completely change the game with Liam."

As if on cue, Joan’s phone began to ring. She glanced at the screen and raised her eyebrows. "Speak of the devil’s advocate. It’s Holbrook."

She answered, putting the call on speaker. "This is Joan."

"Ms. Joan," Holbrook’s voice came through, sounding strained. "I was hoping we could schedule another meeting."

Joan caught my eye, a small, knowing smile playing at her lips. "I wasn’t aware we had anything left to discuss, Mr. Holbrook. Your client made his position quite clear at our last meeting."

"Circumstances have... changed," Holbrook replied carefully. "Mr. Ashton is prepared to reconsider the terms of the settlement. He believes we can reach an agreement that would be fair to Mrs. Ashton."

I had to stifle a laugh. Fair. Now he wanted to be fair, when his back was against the wall.

"Fair?" Joan repeated, her voice deceptively pleasant. "You mean he’s willing to give my client what she initially requested? How generous of him."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Well, yes. Essentially."

Joan’s smile widened as she looked at me. "I’m afraid that offer is no longer on the table, Mr. Holbrook."

"Excuse me?" The surprise in his voice was evident.

"The stakes have changed," Joan stated firmly. "My client’s demands have adjusted accordingly. When we meet again, we’ll be presenting a new set of terms."

Another pause, longer this time. "I see," Holbrook finally said, his voice tight. "And may I ask what prompted this change?"

"Let’s just say we’ve come into possession of some very interesting information," Joan replied cryptically. "Information that makes the previous settlement offer seem... inadequate."

"Mrs. Ashton should be careful about making threats," Holbrook warned, his professional demeanor slipping slightly.

"Oh, it’s not a threat," Joan assured him, her eyes still locked with mine. "Just a statement of fact. We’ll be in touch to schedule that meeting."

She ended the call, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. Then, simultaneously, we burst into laughter—mine tinged with disbelief, hers with triumph.

"Did you see how quickly they folded?" Joan said, shaking her head. "One television interview and suddenly they’re ready to ’be fair.’"

I leaned back against the couch, feeling a glimmer of hope. "And that was before they knew about these documents."

Joan’s expression turned serious again. "Diane, with what we have now, we could potentially put Liam in prison. This goes beyond divorce proceedings."

The weight of that reality settled over me. Prison. It seemed almost unimaginable that the man I had married, had loved, had built a company with, could end up behind bars. Yet he had tried to kill me. Was still planning to hurt me. Where was my compassion supposed to lie?

"I need to think about how far I want to take this," I said quietly, rubbing my belly. "But first, I have another call to make."

I pulled out my phone, remembering Noah’s words from earlier. "Before he hung up on me, Noah mentioned he’d spoken to Mr. Guerrero—the board member who controls the largest share of votes after Liam. He said Guerrero wants to meet with me."

"That’s huge," Joan said, eyes widening. "If you can get Guerrero on your side, you might be able to force Liam out of the company entirely."

I nodded, scrolling through my contacts until I found Guerrero’s number. Taking a deep breath, I pressed call.

The phone rang three times before a gruff voice answered. "Guerrero speaking."

"Mr. Guerrero, this is Diane Ashton," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "I believe Noah mentioned I might be calling."

"Mrs. Ashton, yes," he replied, his tone warming slightly. "I saw your interview the other day. Quite revealing."

I winced slightly at the reminder of how public my personal troubles had become. "Yes, well, desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Indeed," he agreed. "Noah speaks very highly of you. He says you have concerns about the direction of Synergy Sphere under your husband’s leadership."

"I do," I confirmed. "Concerns that have only grown more serious recently. I was hoping we might meet to discuss them."

"I think that would be wise," Guerrero said. "As it happens, several board members share your concerns, particularly in light of today’s market reaction to your interview." And worst of all, your husband has refused to pick anyone’s call.

My heart raced at this confirmation that the board was wavering in their support of Liam. "When would you be available?"

"Tomorrow," he said decisively. "I’ll have my assistant send you the details of a location. Somewhere private, away from prying eyes."

"That would be perfect," I agreed, catching Joan’s excited expression across from me.

"Until tomorrow then, Mrs. Ashton."

"Thank you, Mr. Guerrero."

I ended the call, letting out a long breath. "He wants to meet tomorrow. Says other board members share my concerns."

Joan clapped her hands together. "This is it, Diane. This is your chance to take back what’s yours. The company you helped build, your reputation, everything."

"I know," I whispered, feeling simultaneously terrified and exhilarated. "I just hope I’m ready."

"You are," Joan said firmly. "You’ve been preparing for this since the day you found out about Liam and Sophie. And now, with these documents, you have everything you need to win."

I nodded slowly, trying to believe her. My gaze drifted back to the television, though it was now turned off. The image of Sophie, being publicly humiliated, still burned in my mind.

"I can’t stop thinking about Sophie," I admitted. "Seeing her like that on the news..."

Joan’s expression softened. "It’s complicated, isn’t it? Loving someone and hating what they’ve done."

"She risked everything to get these documents for me," I said quietly. "After what I said in that interview, knowing how people would react... she still went to Liam’s house to help me."

"Does that change how you feel about her betrayal?" Joan asked carefully.

I considered this, my hand absently stroking my belly. "No," I finally said. "But it complicates things. I’m still furious with her. I don’t know if I can ever forgive her for sleeping with my husband. But I’m worried about her safety now. If Liam figures out she stole these documents..."

The implications hung heavy in the air between us. Liam had already tried to kill me. What would he do to Sophie if he discovered her betrayal?

"We should focus on one thing at a time," Joan advised gently. "Meeting with Guerrero tomorrow, using these documents to strengthen your position in the divorce. And after that..." she smiled, clearly trying to lighten the mood, "we can start planning your baby shower. And your birthday is coming up too, isn’t it?"

Despite everything, I found myself smiling at the reminder of normal, happy events still waiting in my future. "Yes, though a baby shower seems almost trivial compared to everything else going on."

"It’s not trivial," Joan insisted. "It’s important. Your life isn’t just about Liam and this divorce. You’re about to become a mother to twins. That deserves celebration."

Her words warmed something inside me, a reminder that beyond all the drama and pain, I’m about to bring two beautiful new lives into the world. A future that had nothing to do with Liam’s betrayal or Sophie’s mistakes.

"You’re right," I agreed, my hand still resting on my heavily pregnant belly. "After tomorrow’s meeting with Guerrero, let’s talk about the baby shower."

Joan squeezed my hand, her expression determined. "One battle at a time. And trust me, Diane—you’re winning this."

I hoped she was right. Tomorrow’s meeting with Guerrero could change everything. If I could convince the board to support me over Liam, combined with the evidence of his financial crimes and the recording of his threats against me... maybe I really could reclaim everything I’d lost, and more.

But as my twins kicked inside me, I was reminded that I hadn’t lost everything. Far from it. Whatever happened with Liam, with Sophie, with the company—I was about to gain something far more precious than anything that had been taken from me.

Tomorrow would bring new challenges. But for tonight, sitting with Joan, surrounded by evidence that would help me fight back, I allowed myself to feel hopeful.