Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband
Chapter 153: Unbelievable

Chapter 153: Unbelievable

"I don’t believe it." Aiden repeated the words under his breath, but no amount of denial seemed to strip the truth from the evidence in front of him. The report was clear: Serena had met with Sidney last night, accompanied by none other than a certain foreign investor.

"Are you sure the waiter understood correctly?" he pressed, grasping for any shred of doubt. "Couldn’t he have been mistaken?"

"No, sir. The investor explicitly stated that the two people dining together appeared to be a couple. And when he mentioned this, neither Miss Serena nor Mr. Sidney corrected his assumption. Later, even after Mr. Ji had left, they lingered there together, ordering dessert as if they had nowhere else to be."

It was then, the waiter reported, that he overheard Sidney saying that if Serena wanted to preserve her legacy, she would have to give up on you."

"And what did she say to that?"

"He couldn’t tell, sir. He was clearing the table as Sidney spoke, so he left before Miss Serena had a chance to respond."

Aiden’s gaze lingered on the report in his hand, his fingers tightening around it. The final blow came not in words, but in her actions. The fact that Serena had shown up just an hour later, divorce papers in hand, should have answered any lingering questions. Still, the proof felt hollow, the acceptance impossible, as if the universe itself couldn’t convince him of this betrayal.

But with every piece of evidence, the sting only dug deeper. Damn it! Did he really mean so little to her?

If she’d truly wanted that business, he could have bought it back for her. All she had to do was ask, or simply let him in on the plan. Hell, he didn’t need an invitation; if he’d known, he would’ve moved mountains. Instead, she’d chosen this twisted path, making him wonder if he had ever truly known her at all.

The initial shock settled into a burning, uncontainable fury. Aiden’s grip on the report tightened, knuckles white as the paper crumpled under his fingers. Betrayal seared through him, but anger overtook every other feeling, a fire he hadn’t felt in a long time. It blazed in his chest, erasing the hurt with each rapid beat of his heart. If Serena thought she could walk away unscathed, as if he’d simply allow her to chase after her precious legacy while tossing him aside, she was gravely mistaken.

She wanted this business badly enough to betray him? Fine. He’d take it from her. She’d left him for it, and he would make sure she paid the price. "Find out when the lawyers organise the auction. And make sure to get it at any cost." He ordered his assistant, dismissing the man.

The realization was bitter: he’d gone soft. He’d allowed himself to trust her, to see something more, and because of that, Sidney had outplayed him, slipping in through cracks Aiden hadn’t even known he’d left open. He should have stuck to his original plan, kept his guard up, kept her out and used her but instead his own ’weapon’ had been used against him. A bitter smile twisted his lips; this round had gone to Sidney, but only because he’d let himself be distracted.

Never again.

He’d been foolish enough to believe Serena could be different. And maybe she had been different when she’d not remembered the past. But the lesson was clear, and he’d learned it now, more painfully than ever. It was not to be.

No one would break through his defenses again, not even for a moment. Aiden’s gaze grew cold, hard as steel, his next move sharp and clear in his mind. She wanted to secure her legacy? He would tear it out from under her, piece by piece. And this time, he wouldn’t hesitate. But first, he would tell her of this.

"Aiden." Serena’s voice was calm, steady, yet the coolness in her gaze wavered when he entered, her composure challenged by the icy look in his eyes. He seemed different—hardened, distant in a way she hadn’t anticipated.

"Serena." His tone was flat, almost dismissive, as he placed a thick file on the desk in front of her. She followed his movement, her heart sinking when she recognized the document—her own divorce papers, crisp and glaringly final on the table between them.

The tears she’d forced down threatened to return, stinging her eyes as she realized he must have already signed them. She’d hoped, against all reason, that he would refuse to go through with it, that he’d see past the wall she’d built around herself. But that glimmer of hope had been foolish.

Her only escape was for him to believe the lie she had orchestrated so carefully, a lie she’d bribed the waiter to tell in just the right way to make Aiden despise her.

He lowered himself into the chair across from her, his expression unreadable. She could see the restraint in his posture, how he kept himself in check, yet she sensed the storm beneath his calm surface.

He fixed her with a steady look. "Just answer one question, Serena."

Her heart clenched. "You already know the answer, Aiden. I don’t see the need to say it out loud."

His eyes narrowed, unyielding. "I’d still like to hear it from you. Did you really end this—for your company?"

She held his gaze, the weight of her own words pressing down like stones as she prepared for the lie that she would have to speak. She could not let him know it was to protect him. She couldn’t falter; she knew that much. If she hesitated, he would see right through her. So, clenching her hands tightly beneath the desk, she lifted her chin, forcing out a cool, controlled response. "Yes. I did."

A strange smile flickered across his face, one that sent a chill down her spine. She blinked, taken aback. She’d expected anger, maybe even a bitter retort. Instead, he simply rose, nodding as if he had just confirmed something inevitable.

"Good," he said softly, his voice calm and even. "Then I will make sure you never get your hands on it."