Chapter 11 He’s Not Really Her Husband #2
Evening had settled over Manhattan, and the club was already packed. It was the weekend, and the crowd inside had grown louder and wilder with the music, alcohol, and reckless energy of people looking to forget their problems for a night.
Lucius stepped out of the car and headed inside.
His friends, Elias, Cassian, Xavier, and Maverick, were already gathered in the VIP section upstairs.
All four men owned powerful businesses with operations spanning the globe, and each of them was every bit as wealthy as Lucius.
Their names were counted among the most influential men in the world, and billionaire status was something their families had held for generations, passed down like an inheritance.
Within an hour, the drinking had picked up.
Everyone knew what had been going on between Lucius and Stella, so no one needed to ask why he was in such a foul mood.
Cassian leaned back in his chair, whiskey in hand, and studied Lucius for a moment before speaking.
“Are you really serious about this? I mean, she got angry just because you invested in her business for her?”
“Yes,” Lucius muttered.
He took a long drink of whiskey, his expression still dark and brooding. He had been trying to bury his anger ever since he left the office, but the harder he tried to push it down, the more it seemed to consume him.
Cassian watched him for a moment.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It just doesn’t seem like we’re seeing the whole picture. There has to be something else going on.”
Lucius shrugged, his fingers tightening around the glass.
“I have no fucking idea what else it could be.” He leaned back, his jaw tense. “She’s fighting with me all the goddamn time. It’s making me lose my fucking mind.”
“Then just get a new girlfriend.”
Elias suggested with a smug smile as he watched Lucius drink his whiskey, clearly entertained by his friend’s misery.
“Shut it, Elias,” Lucius growled.
His warning only made Elias laugh out loud.
Xavier straightened in his chair and glanced around the table before turning his attention to Lucius. A triumphant smile spread across his face.
“You know what? I can tell you what’s really going on in Stella’s life.”
Lucius narrowed his eyes.
Xavier leaned back, looking pleased with himself. “I had Stella and Shane investigated. I found out what their life was like in London during the year Stella lived there with him.”
Lucius’s expression hardened instantly. A flash of jealousy crossed his face, and his fingers tightened around the whiskey glass.
“Do you really think I want to know about that?” he snapped. “I’m not interested.”
He took another drink, forcing his expression into an impassive mask as he tried to push down the emotions twisting in his chest.
Xavier raised an eyebrow and pointed at him with a short, mocking laugh.
“Trust me, you want to know. It’s very interesting.”
Lucius’s expression darkened.
“I don’t give a fuck what happened between my woman and that bastard while she was living with him in London.
” He leaned forward, his jaw tightening as his gaze turned dangerously sharp.
“I was here in Manhattan while she was there with him for an entire fucking year. I don’t want to hear a single goddamn detail about what they did together. ”
His voice dropped into a low, lethal growl.
“Are you trying to make me kill you?”
He set his glass down with deliberate care, never taking his eyes off Xavier.
“Trust me, I’m already pissed off. Keep talking, and I swear I’ll throw you out of this fucking room myself.”
Xavier threw his head back and laughed.
Elias slapped Lucius on the back, grinning. “You’re really losing your mind. Just listen to him first. Let him say what he has to say before you threaten to kill him.”
Maverick, who had been silent since they arrived, finally spoke.
“The only reason he doesn’t want to hear it is because he’s dying of jealousy, imagining Stella in bed with her husband.”
The moment the words left Maverick’s mouth, Lucius lunged forward and grabbed him by the collar.
“Stop calling him that,” he snarled. “He’s not her husband!”
He shoved Maverick back into his seat before letting go.
“I’m just stating the facts, aren’t I?” Maverick asked, raising his eyebrows.
Xavier looked between them, while everyone else at the table watched Lucius carefully.
Lucius sank back into his chair, his expression becoming unreadable. Anger still flashed in his eyes, his jaw tightening as he pressed his lips into a thin line. He said nothing, forcing himself to swallow the fury rising inside him.
“That’s the good news,” Xavier said. “He’s not really her husband.”
Everyone’s attention immediately snapped toward him, including Lucius’s.
Xavier leaned forward, a satisfied smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Now I have your attention, don’t I? I told you you’d want to know.”
Lucius straightened at once. The blankness disappeared from his face, replaced by sharp impatience and barely restrained urgency.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he demanded. “What’s going on? If this is a lie, I swear to God, I’m going to kill you.” Lucius growled.
Xavier picked up his drink and took a measured sip of whiskey before setting the glass down.
“I’m not lying. I looked into it. She’s really not married. She has never been married to him. She’s still single on paper. There’s no record of a marriage or divorce.”
Everyone around the table fell silent.
Lucius stared at Xavier, his expression changing at once. The anger that had hardened his features moments ago shifted into something more serious, his gaze sharpening.
“Then what the fuck is going on between Shane and Stella?” he demanded. “Why did she tell me they were married?”
Xavier shrugged.
“That’s what I’m trying to find out. But it turns out Shane Garcia isn’t even his real name.”
Maverick leaned forward, his eyes flashing with interest as he fixed his attention on Xavier.
“What the fuck is going on? That’s not his real name?” He frowned. “He works at a hospital and is a doctor. Is that fake, too?”
“No,” Xavier replied. “That part is real. He’s an actual doctor. His name just isn’t Shane Garcia.”
He paused, allowing the information to settle before adding, “It’s Shane Herrera.”
Lucius’s gaze narrowed.
“Have you heard of Evermont Healthcare?” Xavier asked, raising his eyebrows. “The healthcare-products conglomerate that manufactures medicines, medical equipment, and other supplies for hospitals across the country?”
“Of course,” Maverick said. “Who the hell hasn’t heard of them? They’re one of the biggest names in the healthcare industry. Their products have been around for years, and they’re involved in everything from medical devices to hospital equipment.”
He frowned, clearly growing impatient.
“What the fuck does that have to do with Shane?”
Lucius remained silent, but his attention had sharpened. His fingers rested against the arm of his seat, his entire body still as he waited for Xavier to explain.
Xavier leaned back, a knowing look crossing his face.
“Well, he has everything to do with it. It turns out Shane is the owner of Evermont Healthcare. He has a sister named Allison, and the two of them own the company together. They each hold an equal share.”
Everyone around the table straightened.
Lucius’s eyes became more penetrating, his expression growing increasingly difficult to read.
“Then why the fuck is he living in a small apartment with Stella and introducing her as his wife?” he demanded.
His voice cut through the room.
“Why would Stella lie to me? Everyone knows they got married. The news was all over the city. People were talking about it.” His jaw clenched. “What the fuck is going on?”
He dragged a hand through his hair, the relief rushing through him tangled with fresh anger. It surged through his body like pressure building beneath a volcano, threatening to erupt even as he struggled to make sense of everything.
Lucius turned toward Xavier.
“Explain.”
Xavier nodded. “There’s something else. They also have ties to Blackwell Industries. There’s been talk that Blackwell has some of its men following Shane.”
Lucius’s expression changed immediately. His eyes sharpened, and the relaxed look disappeared from his face.
“Blackwell Industries?” His voice turned serious. “You mean Silas Black?”
Xavier nodded.
“Blackwell Industries?” Elias asked, his interest immediately sharpening. His expression turned serious as his eyes shifted toward Cassian. “Are they talking about Silas Black?”
Cassian gave a brief nod.
“You got into a fight with Silas a while ago,” Elias continued, his gaze fixed on him. “Then you encountered him again recently, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but it’s over,” Cassian answered. He leaned back slightly, his expression calm. “I paid him, and our deal was finalized. There was a misunderstanding in the beginning, but it was cleared up. We are not in a conflict anymore.”
Lucius’s expression grew even more tense at the mention of Silas’s name. He set his glass down on the table, his fingers tightening around it for a moment before he looked directly at Xavier.
“How the fuck is Silas Black involved in all this?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous. “That man is dangerous. He sells guns, has ties to the underworld, and now he’s somehow involved in Stella’s life too?”
His jaw clenched as his eyes hardened.
“He has his men following Shane? Then Stella could be in trouble. What the fuck is going on?”
Xavier shook his head, remaining calm despite the tension in Lucius’s voice. “It doesn’t look like he’s trying to harm Shane. If anything, it looks like his men are protecting him from something. I’m not sure what yet, but they’re not there to hurt him. They’re protecting him.”
Lucius stared at Xavier, his brows drawing together as he tried to make sense of what he was hearing. Nothing about the situation added up, and the more Xavier revealed, the more uneasy he became.