The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 118: Eyes on the target

Darkness had long dipped below the skyline by the time Rhina stepped out of the cab. Her face was blank, but her fingers were clenched tightly around her phone.

She walked past an apartment building, then doubled back and slipped into the old flower shop next door. It had been closed for over a year, but the back room. Still had a purpose.

She pulled out a key from her coat and opened the dusty side door.

Inside, it was dim. A single bulb flickered to life overhead.

Rhina didn’t hesitate she sat down at the desk, locked the door behind her, and pulled up a secure messaging app.

Encrypted Line Activated.

The screen glowed.

Then a voice crackled through the speaker.

Philip Shepherd.

Still commanding. Still terrifying. Even from behind bars.

"Tell me something good, Rhina."

"I met Stefania today," Rhina said, steadying her breath. "She’s... not what I expected."

"Of course, she’s not. She’s a Shepherd. They hide the knife behind the charm."

Rhina stayed silent.

"You’re not there to make friends. You’re there to finish my bidding. I gave you everything. A new name. A new life. I made you someone important."

"I know," she said softly.

"Then act like it."

There was a pause.

"Get closer to Steve. Learn the cracks. Find what breaks him. And when the time comes take it all from them."

Rhina looked away from the screen, biting her lip.

"They’re not like you said," she murmured.

"No," Philip said, "they’re worse."

"You think Stanley cares about you? He doesn’t even trust his own shadow. And Stefania? She’s a virus. She poisoned everything I built. Her and that ungrateful husband of hers."

Rhina shut her eyes.

"I need time," she said. "Stef... trusts me."

"Then don’t waste it."

"Remember why you’re there, Rhina. You owe me."

The line went dead.

Rhina sat in the silence, her heart pounding.

She reached up and touched the pendant around her neck—the only thing she had left from her childhood. The only thing he had returned to her after rescuing her from the streets and giving her this mission.

The man who claimed to know the secrets behind her real parents... and the reason she’d been left behind.

The Shepherd brothers were her target. But Stanley... She loves Stanley and he trusts her. And for the first time, Rhina felt like a traitor not to Philip... but to herself.

—

The morning sun cast a golden hue across the Shepherd mansion’s gardens, painting the marble pathways in amber and bathing the lush hedges in a honeyed glow. Birds chirped in the distance, and the subtle rustle of the breeze was the only sound that filled the quiet between Mara and Stanley as they sat beneath the pergola, sipping tea.

Mara leaned back in her seat, her gaze following the lazy swirl of her drink. "So... I met up with Rhina yesterday as you requested."

Stanley, who had been focused on trimming a small loose thread from his shirt cuff, froze mid-motion. His eyes lifted slowly to meet hers. "You did? What do you think of her?"

Mara nodded, a soft smile playing on her lips. "Yeah. We had tea" Stanley’s shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t speak. "She seems nice," Mara continued gently. "Kind, in her own... quiet, watchful way. A bit strange, I’ll admit. There’s this mysterious air around her, like she’s holding back a part of herself. But I didn’t get any bad vibes. She seems... mature. Grounded. Like someone who’s had to learn to survive on her own."

Stanley exhaled, his gaze dropping to the stone floor. "Yeah. That’s Rhina."

Mara tilted her head slightly, watching him. "You don’t sound sure about her."

He hesitated. "Because I’m not. I mean... I care about her. But everything happened so fast. One minute we’re just messing around, the next—she’s pregnant." He rubbed a hand down his face. "It wasn’t part of my plan, Stef. You know how much I enjoy my freedom. How careful I try to be."

She reached across the table and placed a hand over his. "I know."

"But," he continued, voice steadier now, "regardless of how I feel, or what I planned... I made a decision. I’m going to step up. I’m going to be there for my child. I’m going to be the man my kid needs me to be. Even if Rhina and I don’t end up together romantically... I’ll show up. Every single day."

Mara’s heart swelled with a mix of pride and tenderness. There was something different in Stanley’s eyes less of the CEO, the man who carried the weight of a corporation, and more of the boy she’d grown up with. The boy who always stood up when it mattered.

"I’m glad to hear that," she said, squeezing his hand gently. "You’re going to be an amazing dad."

He gave her a faint smile, something sad and hopeful blended in one look. "Thanks. That means a lot."

A brief silence fell again, only broken by the rustle of trees swaying above them. Then Stanley spoke again, more casually this time.

"Oh Rhina’s coming by next 2 weeks." Mara blinked. "To the mansion?"

"Yeah. She’s got some deals to close at work, some real estate projects she’s been managing. But after that, she’ll stop by. I want her to meet the rest of the family."

Mara laughed lightly. "Oh, that should be fun. Can’t wait to see how Steve interrogates her over wine."

"And Stanford," Stanley added, chuckling now. "He’ll probably look at her like she’s a business acquisition and start calculating her net worth in real-time."

"And Stefan... well," Mara grinned, "he’ll charm her in five minutes flat. Call her ’beautiful soul’ or something poetic and annoyingly perfect."

They both laughed and for a moment, the tension dissolved. The conversation was no longer about uncertainty or duty it was about family. About the messy, complicated, beautiful tangle of it.

Stanley glanced toward the mansion, the tall silhouette casting shadows over the garden.

"I just hope they like her," he said, quieter now.

"They will," Mara replied. "And if they don’t? They’ll still love you."

Stanley met her gaze again, something flickering in his eyes gratitude, maybe. Or relief.

"Thanks, Stef," he said softly. "For always being on my side."

"Always."

—

The waiting room smelled like uncertainty. Ethan leaned against the pale-yellow wall, arms crossed, expression unreadable. He didn’t want to be here but he had to be. He needed answers, and Lucy had offered him a way to get them.

Lucy sat nearby, cradling her small purse like it was a lifeline. Her expression was carefully crafted—neutral, with a hint of vulnerability. The kind that might tug at someone’s conscience, if that someone were Ethan.

But Ethan had long since hardened his heart.

"Ready?" she asked quietly, her hand resting on her barely-there bump.

He didn’t respond at first, just gave a nod and followed her when the nurse called her name. They walked down a sterile hallway in silence, the only sound the soft echo of their footsteps and the occasional squeak of rubber soles.

Inside the dimly lit sonogram room, Lucy lay on the table while a nurse adjusted the screen and called in the doctor. Ethan stood off to the side, eyes darting between the monitor and Lucy’s face, arms still folded.

The gel spread cold across her stomach, and Lucy flinched slightly. The doctor, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and tired hands, moved the wand carefully over her abdomen, frowning just a little too long for comfort.

Lucy noticed it immediately.

"Is... everything okay?" she asked, her voice low, almost shaky.

The doctor didn’t answer right away. She kept her eyes on the screen, slowly angling the probe, lips pressed in a thin line.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Doctor?"

Still no clear response.

Just then, Ethan’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked down—Steph. He debated ignoring it, but the screen flashed urgent. With a tight sigh, he stepped out into the hallway.

"I’ll be right back," he muttered. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, Lucy’s voice cracked.

"Doctor, what’s going on? Is something wrong?" The doctor finally looked at her, her expression neutral. Too neutral.

"There are... some inconsistencies with the scan. Nothing we can conclude yet, so I’d like you to run a few more tests. Just to be sure." Lucy’s chest tightened. "Inconsistencies? Like what?"

The doctor shook her head gently. "We’ll know more after the tests." But that wasn’t enough. It wasn’t even close. Panic tightened around Lucy’s lungs like a rope. This baby, this pregnancy was the last thing standing between her and the truth coming out. If anything was wrong with the baby if she couldn’t keep this going...

No. That wasn’t an option. "I’ll do the tests," she said quickly. "Right now." The doctor gave a small nod. "The nurse will come in shortly to take you."

The door opened again, and Ethan stepped back in, slipping his phone into his jacket pocket.

"What did I miss?" The doctor turned to him. "We’ve asked Lucy to undergo a few additional tests. Just precautionary. We want to be thorough."

"Precautionary?" he asked, looking from the doctor to Lucy. "What kind of tests?"

She gave the same vague response: "We won’t know anything until we get the results. Try not to worry too much just yet."

Ethan nodded slowly but said nothing more. He wanted to ask. Badly.

He wanted to look that doctor in the eye and ask, When can we do a DNA test? Because he knew deep down, he knew he hadn’t slept with Lucy. He hadn’t touched her. This wasn’t his child. It couldn’t be.

But something about the way she looked right now small, shaken, anxious made him hesitate. Not out of sympathy. But because, even now, Ethan had learned never to play all his cards at once. Not when someone like Lucy was at the table.

He watched her as the nurse returned and wheeled her away for testing. Her eyes didn’t meet his. She was too wrapped up in whatever fear had begun to stir inside her.

And he didn’t follow. He didn’t wait. He turned on his heel and left.