The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 95: The Heavens are with me

Taking a deep breath, Lucy steadied herself. "Because she is framing my father for fraud and tax invasion."

The amusement in Ethan’s gaze faded slightly, replaced by a more serious curiosity. "Alright," he said, crossing his arms. "Tell me everything."

Lucy pieced everything together and realized that Ethan had lost his memory. For some reason, fate seemed to be on her side. He had no recollection of everything she had done, and she intended to take full advantage of the situation.

She feigned distress and told Ethan how terrible Mara was. Ethan, unaware of the truth, agreed to help his father get out of jail. "Don’t worry too much, Lucy," he assured her. "You need to take care of yourself. I don’t want your heart acting up again."

Lucy smiled sweetly, but inside, greed and ambition swirled within her. If she played her cards right, she could secure her position. If only she could use this opportunity to make Ethan marry her before he regained his memory. That would make her Mrs. Anderson, untouchable. But first, she had to finalize his divorce.

As if fate had aligned perfectly with her plans, the divorce papers were still in her purse. How lucky was she?

She took a deep breath, crafting the perfect sob story. "Ethan," she murmured, her voice quivering as she held his hands, "you may have forgotten, but I love you so much. I even risked my life to pull you out of the car before it caught fire. The doctors say I don’t have much time left... My only wish is to wear a wedding dress before I die. Could you grant me this one last wish?"

Crocodile tears streamed down her face as she sniffled dramatically.

Ethan sighed, his gaze soft but distant. "Lucy, I see you as my sister, you know that."

Lucy quickly wiped her tears. "I’m not asking you to love me, Ethan," she whispered, her voice laced with desperation. "Just help me fulfill my dream of walking down the aisle. That’s all."

After a long pause, Ethan finally nodded. "Don’t worry. I promise I’ll make your dream come true."

Though he didn’t seem excited, Lucy grinned, knowing she had him right where she wanted him. But instead of stopping there, she pushed further, poisoning his mind against Mara.

"Ethan, she’s a horrible woman. She got pregnant while married, had an abortion, and just now, I saw her in a hotel hallway, sleeping with another man. She’s shameless!"

Lucy continued to hurl accusations, her words cutting like knives, until her mouth ran ahead of her mind. "She never deserved you, Ethan. You were right to want to divorce her. In fact—" She quickly pulled out the papers from her purse. "Here! The divorce papers. Just sign them, and you’ll finally be free of her."

Ethan took the papers in his hands, his fingers trailing over them as he processed what Lucy had just said. His expression darkened, his gaze flickering with something unreadable.

"Lucy," he said sweetly, looking up at her, "go to your office. I’ll come to you soon."

Lucy beamed, oblivious to the shift in his demeanor. "Okay, Ethan! I’ll be waiting."

She turned and left, confident that her plan was falling perfectly into place. But Ethan, now alone, kept staring at the papers in his hands, his mind racing.

He couldn’t believe what he had just learned, a flash memory of him and Mara happily at the altar.

Ethan shut the door behind him, his heart pounding as an intense pain shot through his head. The doctors had warned him not to push himself, not to try and force his memories back, but he couldn’t help it. The pain was unbearable, but the need to remember was stronger.

Flashes of images swirled in his mind, overwhelming him. The woman he had seen just hours ago the one who lingered in his thoughts wasn’t just anyone. She was his wife. His Mara.

A wave of emotions crashed over him, and before he knew it, he was on his knees. The pain was excruciating, his vision blurring, but he didn’t stop. He needed to piece everything together.

Memories surged forward like a flood, his first proposal to Mara, the moment they saved Maria-Isabel, the undeniable attraction he felt for Mara, her heartbreak when she saw him with her best friend, discovering that she was an heiress, her pregnancy, the DNA test... and then the abortion.

His breath hitched as another wave of pain struck him. And then Lucy.

The truth unraveled before him like a cruel puzzle. The way he had treated Mara, the way he had been manipulated... and Lucy. She had been behind it all.

Ethan gasped, his hands clutching at his head as everything came crashing down on him. He felt sick, disgusted with himself, with everything he had done. The weight of his mistakes, the deception, and the love he had lost it was too much.

Just then, the door swung open.

Steph froze in place, eyes wide as he took in the sight before him. His boss Ethan Anderson was on the floor, trembling, lost in his agony.

"Sir!" Steph rushed forward, kneeling beside him. "What’s happening? Are you okay?"

Ethan barely registered his assistant’s voice. All he could hear was the rapid pounding of his heart, the echoes of his past crashing into his present.

And one thought burned fiercely in his mind. He doesn’t deserve Mara’s forgiveness.

"Should I call the doctor?" Steph asked, his voice laced with worry.

Ethan, still catching his breath, pushed himself off the floor. "Close the door," he ordered, his voice cold and firm.

Steph hesitated but obeyed, shutting the door behind him. He turned back just in time to see Ethan rip the divorce papers in half, his expression unreadable.

"Boss..." Steph started cautiously. "Are you okay? Is your head hurting again?"

He was already reaching for his phone, ready to call the doctor, but Ethan’s sharp command stopped him.

"Put the phone down."

Steph hesitated again, but Ethan’s piercing gaze left no room for argument. Slowly, he lowered the phone.

Ethan stepped closer, lowering his voice to a whisper as he spoke into Steph’s ear. "Do something for me."

Steph frowned, his unease growing. There was something different about Ethan now. Had he regained his memory?

As he pulled back, Steph finally recognized the change in his eyes. The warmth that had once softened them since meeting Mara was gone, replaced by the dangerous glint that had once earned him the name "The Little Devil."

For a brief moment, Steph forced himself to feel relief. The cold monster he had always known was back.

Ethan never smiled. Not once. Not as he turned away. Not as Steph quietly walked out of the office, his hands shoved into his pockets, a strange weight settling in his chest.

—

Mara headed back home, her mind clouded with thoughts of what she had just witnessed at the hotel. Shopping bags lay scattered around the living room as she lazily sank into a chair. The maid appeared, gathering the bags.

"Would you like lunch, ma’am?" she asked politely.

Mara nodded absentmindedly, but before she could respond further, a phone rang. She instinctively searched for her personal phone in her bag. When she finally reached it, she realized it wasn’t her usual phone—it was the other one. The one Valerie had given her.

Her heart skipped a beat.

If Valerie was calling this phone, it meant something was wrong.

Mara shot up from her seat, a sense of urgency washing over her. "No, I’m heading out," she said sharply, grabbing her bag and rushing to the door.

Her bodyguards immediately followed. "To the office," she instructed the driver as she slid into the back seat.

On the way, she dialed Steve, Stefan, and Stanford. Stanley, being in a meeting, had his phone on silent and didn’t answer. The others, however, quickly agreed to meet her at Shepherd Corporation, in Stanley’s office.

When her car finally pulled up in front of the towering glass building, she wasted no time. Stepping out, she strode straight toward the entrance, her heels clicking against the marble floors as she entered the grand lobby.

It was her first time at Shepherd Corporation, and she took in her surroundings briefly before heading toward the reception desk. Before she could proceed further, a woman behind the desk raised a hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"Excuse me, miss. Where do you think you’re going?" the receptionist asked, eyeing Mara with thinly veiled skepticism.

"I need to see Mr. Shepherd. Please take me to his office," Mara stated firmly.

The receptionist, however, merely scoffed, looking her up and down. "And you are?" she asked, her tone dripping with condescension. "Do you think just anyone can walk in and demand to see our boss?"

Mara narrowed her eyes, irritation flickering across her face. She hadn’t expected to be stopped—let alone questioned about her identity in a building that practically belonged to her family.

"You really don’t know who I am, do you?" she asked, crossing her arms.

The receptionist let out a small, unimpressed laugh. "Should I?"

Mara smirked, tilting her head slightly. "I’m Stefania Shepherd."

The receptionist’s confident expression wavered slightly, but she quickly masked it. "Miss, if you don’t have an appointment—"

Before she could finish, a familiar voice rang out from the entrance.

"Let her through." Mara turned toward the source of the voice, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.

"Mr. Steve Shepherd!" The receptionist’s demeanor changed instantly as she quickly fell in line, offering a flurry of apologies.

Mara didn’t blame her. Instead, she let Steve take her hand as they stepped into the elevator. The tension was thick, unspoken yet understood between them.

When they stormed into Stanley’s office, he was still in the middle of a meeting. Seeing their expressions, he wasted no time in dismissing everyone, sending his team out without explanation.

"What happened?" Stanley asked, his sharp gaze locking onto Mara. He knew something serious must have prompted them to barge in like this.

Mara took a deep breath and called Valerie. "Steve and Stanley are here with me."

"Good," Valerie responded, her voice urgent. "Philip is planning something. He’s gathering members from the dark web killers. He’s coming for your head. We can’t wait any longer—we need to take him out. One word, and he’s gone."

Valerie’s confidence was unwavering, her own methods brutal yet efficient. But before Mara could respond, the door swung open, and Stanford and Stefan entered.

"Do it," Stanley said without hesitation. His expression was cold, decisive.

Steve, however, remained uncertain. His protective instincts warred with his sense of morality. "Stef’s safety is our priority, but... we are not murderers like him. We want him in jail, not dead."

Mara exhaled, thinking quickly. "What about the evidence we have?"

Valerie shook his head. "Strong, but with the current government in power, he has connections everywhere. And most of the major CID heads are members of the underground web. It’s only a matter of days before the case is dismissed."

Mara’s eyes narrowed as an idea formed. "Then what if we release the evidence my mother found? The pendant. What if we put it on the internet and expose them? Make the public aware of their dark activities?"

Valerie glanced at her on the screen, intrigued. "With my computer skills, I could do it in a way that can’t be traced back to us."

Stanford nodded. "If we destroy their image first, the authorities will be forced to act."

"That’s good, but the authorities are involved," Stefan pointed out.

"Yes, but a politician will do anything to protect their public image first," Mara countered. "That’s our start."

Silence hung in the air before Stanley finally smirked. "Yeah, we could do that. I hate Uncle Philip, but we are not killers."