25 Betrayed
Inside were private financial documents, detailed reports of the Montgomery family business, capital breakdowns, confidential deal records, everything that should have been locked away. Sensitive data that should only be in the hands of the Montgomery family.
Her breath hitched. Her gaze shot back up to Adrian’s broad back, unable to move.
Her mind raced.
‘Could it be him? The one who’s been sabotaging Theo’s business from the shadows?’
Her hand shook as she carefully placed the phone back on the table, heart pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.
Everything began to piece together.
Was it Adrian who leaked Theo and Rosie’s relationship? Was he the one who exposed the photos? Destroyed their reputation? Tore apart Theo’s life, and hers, all while promising not to hurt him?
Her breath caught in her throat. Her vision blurred with shock. She couldn’t believe it.
A sudden hug from behind jolted Rosie back to reality.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist, and Adrian’s tall frame leaned into her. His face dipped into the curve of her neck, his breath warm as he nuzzled her skin and pressed soft, lingering kisses along her neckline.
He held her tighter, inhaling her scent with a content smile before turning her gently to face him. His arms stayed locked around her as he looked at her with a rare, boyish smile.
“Let’s spend the whole day together,” he said with a rare, boyish smile. "Just us. I want to take you out, be alone with you, show you around. We’ll do whatever you want, however you want. Or, I’ll plan the day and you just be my princess and come along."
He lifted his hands, cupping her cheek, brushing his thumbs over her face. He leaned in for a kiss.
But Sienna turned her face away abruptly. She looked off to the side, her expression unreadable, then reached for his wrists and pulled his arms off her.
"I’m not in a good mood," she mumbled absently, snatching her purse off the table without glancing at him. "I’m going home to take care of Theo. He needs me right now."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked straight out of the house.
Adrian stood frozen. After last night, and this morning, when she’d spoken to him in that soft, teasing tone, he had believed things were finally getting better between them. More real. More loving.
But now?
Rage surged through him. He grabbed the glass of juice from the table and hurled it across the room. It shattered into a thousand pieces.
It wasn’t enough.
He turned to the breakfast spread he’d prepared for her. Everything untouched. Cold.
With a roar, he swept his arm across the table, sending dishes, cutlery, and food crashing to the floor. Glass shattered, food splattered, what he had made with love now lay in ruins, destroyed just like him.
His lips curled into a snarl. “You won’t forget that bastard until I erase him from your life for good,” he growled under his breath. “You’ve given him enough of you. Now—” his voice dropped, cold and final, “you’re mine. And there’s no damn way I’m letting him see you again. Not even for a second.”
***
Rosie’s phone buzzed on the table. She picked it up and stared at the unknown number, frowning.
She hesitated. Could be another reporter. With Theo and Sienna both out of the house, she didn’t want to say something that would make things worse.
But the phone kept ringing.
Finally, she answered. “Hello?”
“Miss Rosie?”
“Yes?”
“This is Matthew, Mr. Adrian Vaughn’s secretary.” His voice was sharp, all business. “We have an offer for you. We want you to convince Mr. Theo to sell his entire share of Montgomery Corporation to Atrium Industries.”
Rosie blinked, stunned. Was he serious?
“What are you talking about?” she blurted, forgetting to stay calm.
“If you get Mr. Theo to sign the papers,” Matthew continued, "we’ll transfer twenty million dollars to your account."
Her chest tightened with anger. “No!” she snapped. “Are you insane? I’m not doing that! I don’t want your money—"
“We already know about your relationship with him, Miss Rosie.” Matthew cut in, his tone colder now. Across the room, Adrian stood by his office desk, watching the conversation with a hard expression. "You mean something to him. And now that he’s on the verge of losing everything, wouldn’t it be better for him too to cash out and live in peace?"
"I’m not convincing him of anything! You people are out of your minds!"
Just then, Sienna appeared behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Rosie jumped slightly in surprise, and turned. Sienna quickly covered the phone’s mouthpiece and leaned in.
“Agree to the deal,” Sienna whispered. “Convince them you’re in.”
"What?" Rosie mouthed in confusion.
"Just trust me," Sienna whispered. "Do it."
Rosie’s brows furrowed in confusion, but something in Sienna’s tone made her pause. She looked down at her stomach, took a deep breath, and nodded.
“Fine,” she said into the phone. “I’ll do it. But I want thirty million dollars, not twenty.”
There was silence. Matthew glanced back at Adrian, who gave a silent nod.
"Deal," Matthew said.
The moment she hung up, Rosie’s phone dinged with a bank notification. Her eyes widened in disbelief, thirty million had already been transferred.
She looked up at Sienna, still stunned. "What’s going on, Sienna?"
“He’s trying to take over everything,” Sienna said through clenched teeth. “Our lives, our choices, all of it."
“What do we do now?”
“Leave it to me,” Sienna said. “I’ll handle it.”
***
A few hours later, Adrian walked into a hotel with Matthew trailing behind him.
"Sir," Matthew said cautiously, "it’s odd that Rosie insisted you come in person to get the signed contract of Theo’s shares."
Adrian’s brow furrowed. "That girl used to be Theo’s secretary before he and Sienna got married. She doesn’t even have a degree from a decent university. For someone like that, she’s actually pretty smart."
Ignoring the nagging suspicion, Adrian entered the hotel suite. The moment he stepped inside and glanced around, Sienna stepped out from behind a corner and stood directly in front of him.
He froze.
That cold, emotionless mask he wore cracked within a second.
But her eyes were blazing.
"You don’t have any more lies to hide behind, Adrian?" Her voice was sharp, laced with fury. "There’s nothing left between us anymore. You made sure of that."
Her glare could have burned him to the ground.
Adrian was taken aback as he looked at Sienna, his eyes scanning her face. But then, as the shock passed, he walked closer to her. Looking at her face, he spoke with determination.
“I’m in love with you. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're safe and happy."
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp slap echoed through the room, landing across his cheek.
The sting was immediate, but Adrian didn’t flinch. His jaw tightened, but he held his ground. His eyes, dark and intense, remained focused on her, absorbing the anger she threw at him.
"If it calms your anger, then slap me again," he said, his voice deathly calm. "You can hit me as much as you want if it makes you feel better."
Sienna scoffed, her face a mixture of fury and hurt.
“Do you really think that with your words, you can convince me that you’re a good man? That all your plans and everything you’ve done against me, without telling me, is for my good? And now you’re sacrificing yourself to let me hit you because I’m angry? You’ve ruined Montgomery business completely, even after I told you not to get in between me and Theo!”
Adrian’s face hardened, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might snap. "It had to be done!" he snapped, his voice a low growl. "Theo betrayed you, and you still blindly supported him, as if it doesn’t matter! I had to do it to get him out of your life for good. I won’t let him ruin you."
Sienna’s hands flew up in exasperation, her fury now fully unleashed. "It’s none of your goddamn business!" she cried out, her breath quickening.
Adrian’s chest tightened as he stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "Everything about you is my business," he snapped, his tone rough with anger. He reached out, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her roughly against him. His hands were strong, possessive, but his touch wasn’t just about control. It was desperation. "If anyone tries to hurt you, they’ll have to go through me first. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re never hurt by anyone in this entire fucking world!"
She pushed against him with all her strength, her chest rising and falling with the force of her frustration.
"The person who’s hurt me the most is you!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "You’ve always been the one who hurts me the most. In the past, and now. You ruined me, Adrian. And now that things have come to this, I will never forgive you for what you’ve done to Theo. I’ll never forgive myself for bringing you back into my life and ruining Theo."
Sienna turned and stormed out of the room.
Adrian stayed rooted in place, his fists clenching as a pained expression crossed his face. The silence that followed was suffocating.
“Why don’t you understand what you mean to me?”
Just then, Matthew rushed into the room, a panicked look on his face.
“Mr. Vaughn, I just got the news that Ms. Donovan has arranged a press conference at this hotel’s press hall. She’s going to reveal everything about her life in a public announcement.” he paused, hesitating.
Adrian’s body stiffened, his heart pounding. "Where is she?" he demanded, his voice cold with urgency.
“Yes, sir. It will be in the press hall on the second floor,” Matthew replied, his voice tight with concern.
Adrian didn’t waste another second. His feet moved on their own, carrying him out of the room, his mind racing. He sprinted toward the elevator.
‘You’re willing to destroy your life, your reputation, just to save that fucking bastard?’ His anger burned inside him. ‘How can you do this, knowing he’s got a pregnant girlfriend? You’re still that blind in your fucking love for him.’
He could barely contain his panic.
Matthew kept pace with him, his eyes worried as they rushed toward the elevator. "Mr. Vaughn, when you started to take Theo down, you made sure she was never caught in the crossfire. You paid off the media to keep her name clean, and never badmouth her. But now she’s the one pushing this. Is this going to be a disaster?"
Adrian didn’t answer. He couldn’t. The only thing on his mind was getting to her before she made the biggest mistake of her life.
When the elevator doors finally opened, he bolted out. His eyes scanned the hall, and there she was, heading toward the room, her back straight, her posture defiant. Without thinking, Adrian sprinted forward, his hand grabbing hers just before she could touch the door handle.
She froze, startled by his touch. In an instant, he yanked her toward him, his body rigid with frustration and fear. "What the hell were you about to do?" he growled, his voice raw.
Sienna placed her hands on his chest, trying to push him off. "I told you, my life isn’t your business anymore," she spat, her voice venomous.
Adrian’s anger flared, the heat of it spreading through his body. He grabbed the back of her head, pulling her in closer, his lips brushing hers. "Just because of Theo, you’re going to ruin everything?" he hissed, his breath ragged. "Your past, your future, everything you’ve worked for—you’re going to throw it all away?"
Sienna’s eyes flashed with fire, her lips tight with anger. "I want to protect my husband. How is that bad? How am I ruining myself?" She tried to break free, but Adrian pulled her even closer, their bodies flush against each other.
His grip tightened. "Why don’t you understand, Sienna? Theo doesn’t deserve you. He was never good enough for you, and he never will be. He’s out there with his pregnant girlfriend, kissing her in front of your eyes! He doesn’t deserve your sacrifices!” =
His chest rose and fell with each labored breath, his emotions a storm.
“Why don’t you just give me a chance to take care of you?” His voice softened, but there was still an edge. “Let me be your man. Forget him and choose me. Accept me. I’ll do everything you want. Just come back to me, and I promise everything I have will be yours. I’ll give you a life that every fucking person on this earth dreams about. I will give you everything you’ve ever desired!”
Sienna’s eyes bored into his as she stepped closer, her gaze cold as ice. “When did I not give you a chance to take care of me, Adrian?” She lowered her voice, searching his eyes.
"I gave you five years, Adrian. Five damn years, and you discarded me for another girl. Then again, I let you back into my life. I let you be my bedmate. We had sex, and you promised me you wouldn’t hurt Theo. But here you are, telling me that Theo shouldn’t even be in my life. You just want to control me."
“I don’t want to be your sex partner, for fuck’s sake!” Adrian roared, his hands tightening around her waist and the back of her head. “I want to be your husband! I want you to never even look at Theo again. Or any other man. I want you to look at me. I want you to belong to me. Only me!"
Sienna’s gaze turned cold, her eyes cutting through him like a knife. Without another word, she ripped herself from his grip and stormed away, leaving Adrian standing there, seething with frustration, his heart pounding in his chest.
Adrian immediately moved to follow her, but Matthew, who had been intently looking at his phone, suddenly looked up, alarmed. He quickly approached Adrian.
“Mr. Vaughn!” he called out.
But Adrian was storming off toward Sienna, not pausing for anything.
“Mr. Vaughn, please wait!” Matthew said, grabbing Adrian’s shoulder to stop him.
Adrian shoved Matthew’s hand off roughly and barked, “What the hell?!”
Matthew thrust his phone into Adrian’s hand. “Look at this.”
The screen flashed a video, a live broadcast of the conversation that Adrian and Sienna had just shared. It was all over social media.
“Ms. Donovan deceived you. There was never any press conference," Matthew said grimly. "She broadcasted the entire conversation live, and posted it on social media."
Adrian’s grip tightened around the phone, his body stiffening as his chest tightened. “Because I plotted against her, she took her revenge.” He muttered, his voice rough with anger.
The live broadcast spread like wildfire. Within an hour, it was all anyone was talking about.