Reborn as his captivating wife

Ripples in the Dark

At a lavish private lounge uptown, the mood was anything but celebratory. Julia Moore sat with tightly crossed legs, swirling the untouched glass of wine between her fingers. Across from her sat Devon Grant, a known opportunist in Oakridge's business world, infamous for prying into rising companies and exploiting weaknesses.

Julia's lips twisted in annoyance. "Elena Hart," she spat, "that little orphan girl now walks around like she's some queen of Oakridge. She doesn't belong in high society, let alone running a company."

Devon raised an eyebrow, amused. "From what I hear, Stratus Innovations is making moves. That woman's name is suddenly on the lips of investors who wouldn't have blinked twice before."

Julia slammed the glass down, wine splashing. "I want her gone. Out of the spotlight and back where she belongs."

Devon leaned forward with a sly grin. "Then maybe it's time we work together. Your family's little incident didn't get rid of her, but I have other methods. I make my living off crumbling companies and people."

Julia's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

"Simple," Devon replied. "I want Stratus Innovations—crippled, cheap, and ready for acquisition. You want Elena's reputation in tatters. We both win."

Julia considered it, bitterness curling in her chest. After everything they'd done, Elena should've disappeared, but instead she was thriving—dressed in luxury, attending galas, making business deals.

A slow, wicked smile formed on Julia's lips. "Let's burn her little empire to the ground."

As the two shook hands, neither noticed the quiet waiter in the corner, who subtly sent out a text message.

Back in the Hart mansion, Mason's phone vibrated. Reading the encrypted message, he stood abruptly, rushing to Sebastian's office. "Sir," Mason said urgently, "there's fresh trouble brewing… and it's targeting Mrs. Hart."

Sebastian's fingers stilled on the keyboard, his expression darkening. "Then it's time they learn the consequences of touching what's mine."

Later that evening, Elena returned to the Hart mansion after a long day of meetings. The success of her presentation at Stratus Innovations still lingered in her mind, but exhaustion was starting to seep through. She kicked off her heels and had barely taken two steps when Mason approached, his expression more serious than usual.

"Madam, Mr. Hart requests your presence in the study," Mason informed respectfully.

Elena blinked, slightly confused, but nodded. Moments later, she pushed open the grand oak doors to find Sebastian standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his jaw tight, his phone in hand.

"Sebastian?" she called softly.

He turned around, eyes sharper than usual. "Come here."

Her steps were hesitant as she approached, surprised when Sebastian handed her a tablet. "Read this."

Elena's gaze fell onto the screen. Her pupils constricted as she scrolled through private investigation reports. Photos of Julia with Devon Grant, snippets of conversations, records of Devon digging into Stratus Innovations' internal operations.

"They're planning something…" Elena whispered, a chill settling in her chest.

Sebastian's voice was calm but iron-edged. "Julia and Devon want your company to fail, and they're willing to play dirty."

Elena took a breath, straightening her shoulders. "Then let them try."

Sebastian's lips quirked slightly, impressed. "We'll strike first. I'm assigning a dedicated legal and cyber team to Stratus. No backdoor sabotage will touch your business."

Her chest warmed unexpectedly at his protective tone. She was used to fighting alone, but having Sebastian's weight behind her…it felt different.

"I won't let them take what you've worked for, Elena," Sebastian said firmly, closing the distance between them. "I meant it when I said you'd have three months, but now… it seems I have other reasons to keep you close."

Elena's heart skipped, but her smile was calm. "Good. Let's see who topples first Julia, Devon, or the empire I'm building."

From that moment, a new front was established. Elena was no longer just protecting herself; she had an unlikely ally at her side.

And the game had only just begun.