Chapter 2: The Truth Sophie Never Knew
The tabloids exploded before sunset.
BILLION-DOLLAR CEO FIRED AFTER SECRET OWNER TAKES CONTROL
SOCIALITE FAMILY LOSES EMPIRE OVERNIGHT
Television crews camped outside every property Lucas still thought belonged to him.
One by one...
They didn't.
Banks froze company credit.
Luxury cars were repossessed.
Vacation homes were seized under personal guarantees Richard had signed years earlier.
The empire wasn't just shrinking.
It was evaporating.
Meanwhile, Sophie waited inside Lucas's penthouse.
She watched reporters gathering outside.
When Lucas finally entered, he looked like a stranger.
His tie was gone.
His jacket hung over one shoulder.
His confidence had disappeared.
"What happened?" Sophie whispered.
Lucas didn't answer.
She walked closer.
"Tell me this is temporary."
He laughed bitterly.
"It's over."
She frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"We don't own anything."
Her expression hardened.
"What about the accounts?"
"Frozen."
"The house?"
"Mortgaged."
"The company?"
"Gone."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"You told me you were worth hundreds of millions."
"I was."
She stepped backward.
"No..."
Lucas reached toward her.
"Sophie..."
She pulled away.
"You lied to me."
His shoulders collapsed.
"I didn't know."
"You didn't know your own wife owned your company?"
Her voice echoed through the penthouse.
For the first time, she understood.
She had never defeated Isabella.
She had simply been allowed to believe she had.
Without another word, Sophie picked up her suitcase.
Lucas followed her.
"Don't leave."
She looked at him one last time.
"I didn't fall in love with a bankrupt man."
The elevator doors closed.
Lucas stood alone.
The silence inside the penthouse felt larger than the city outside.
Hours later, another knock came.
Not reporters.
Not lawyers.
A moving company.
They politely informed him the property had officially changed ownership.
He had twenty-four hours to vacate.
Lucas sank onto the floor.
May you like
Everything he thought was permanent...
Had belonged to Isabella all along.
