Chapter 2

Three years later, I was sitting in the back of a Rolls-Royce in New York City, reading a financial report, when Leo tugged on my sleeve.

"Mommy, that man on TV looks like me," he said, pointing at the screen mounted in the headrest.

My blood ran cold.

Damian Cross was on Bloomberg, announcing Cross Corp's expansion into the pharmaceutical sector. He looked the same—sharp jaw, dark eyes, the kind of face that made women forget he had no soul.

"He doesn't look like you, sweetheart," I lied. "Eat your crackers."

Nora, always the perceptive one, stared at the screen and whispered, "He looks sad, Mommy."

I turned off the monitor.

Three years had changed everything. I'd returned to London, reclaimed my position at Ashford Pharmaceuticals, and tripled the company's market value. Forbes had recently named me one of the most powerful women in business under thirty. Vogue profiled me as "The Heiress Who Came Back From the Dead."

No one connected Vivienne Ashford to Vivienne Lane—the invisible wife Damian Cross had discarded. I'd made sure of that.

But now, Ashford Pharmaceuticals was acquiring a biotech firm in New York. And Cross Corp was our direct competitor for the deal.

"You could send someone else," Rachel said carefully. "You don't have to go to New York yourself."

"If I avoid him, he wins," I replied. "Besides, he won't recognize me."

I was right about that. The woman Damian married had been mousy, quiet, and desperate to please. I wore no makeup back then, dressed in whatever was on sale, and kept my head down at every family gathering while his relatives mocked me for being "plain."

The woman I was now wore custom Valentino, sat on a board of directors, and had a net worth that dwarfed Damian's entire portfolio.

The acquisition meeting was held at a glass-walled conference room in Midtown Manhattan. I arrived first, flanked by my legal team.

When Damian walked in, he didn't even glance at me. He was on the phone, murmuring something to someone in a soft voice. I caught the tail end of his conversation.

"I'll be home soon, Serena. Don't wait up."

So they were still together. Interesting.

He hung up, sat across from me, and extended his hand.

"Damian Cross. Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Ashford."

I shook his hand. His grip was firm. His eyes swept over my face with mild curiosity but zero recognition.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Cross," I said with a polished smile.

For the next two hours, I systematically dismantled every argument his team presented. I undercut his offer, exposed the flaws in his financial projections, and secured the acquisition at fifteen percent below asking price.

Damian's jaw tightened with every concession he was forced to make. By the end of the meeting, his team was in shambles.

As I gathered my documents, he blocked my path.

"You're quite aggressive for someone who just entered the American market, Ms. Ashford," he said. His eyes were cold.

"And you're quite unprepared for someone who's supposedly been in this industry for years, Mr. Cross," I replied.

His expression flickered. For a split second, something passed through his eyes—confusion, maybe. As if he'd heard my voice somewhere before.

Then it was gone.

"This isn't over," he said.

"For you? It might be." I walked past him without looking back.

That evening, I was bathing the twins when Rachel called.

"We have a problem," she said. "Damian Cross just requested a private dinner meeting to renegotiate the deal. He specifically asked for you."

I paused. "He doesn't know who I am."

"No. But he's clearly interested. And not just in the deal."

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. The woman staring back at me was unrecognizable from the girl Damian had married.

Good.

"Accept the dinner," I said. "Let him come to me."

From the living room, Leo shouted, "Mommy! Nora drew on the wall again!"

I smiled. Whatever Damian Cross was planning, he had no idea what he was walking into.

But someone else did. Because the next morning, I found a note slipped under my hotel room door.

"I know who you are, Vivienne. And if you don't leave New York, I'll make sure Damian finds out about the twins."

The handwriting was unmistakable.

Serena.