THE RUTHLESS CEO

The Vera Wang dress felt like a second skin, a cage of silk and lace worth more than the first house she'd ever bought. Evelyn Reed stared at her reflection, a stranger in the opulent bridal suite of the Bel—Air estate. The woman in the mirror was on top of the world. An Oscar winner at twenty—eight. The founder of a thriving production company. And now, the wife of Sean Davenport, the man she'd loved for a decade.

A flatscreen TV mounted on the wall played a live feed from outside. "Hollywood's Princess and the Business Titan: A Fairytale Wedding," the chyron read. A bitter taste coated her tongue, metallic and strange. She dismissed it as nerves.

She traced the diamond on her finger, a weight that was supposed to feel like forever. Ten years. She'd found Sean when he was a nobody, an ambitious assistant with a charming smile. She'd built him up, made him CEO of her company, Reed Entertainment. She'd made him a king. Today, he had made her his queen.

The door clicked open, and her sister, Vanessa, glided in. They were twins, but where Evelyn's beauty was classic and serene, Vanessa's was sharper, hungrier. She wore a blush—pink bridesmaid dress that clung to her curves, a practiced, gentle smile on her face.

"There you are," Vanessa cooed, holding up two flutes of champagne. "One last toast before you belong to him completely."

"Ness," Evelyn said, her voice thick with emotion. She took the glass. "To the future."

"To your happiness, sis. May you have everything you've ever dreamed of." Vanessa's eyes glittered as their glasses clinked.

Evelyn drank. The champagne was crisp, cold, and went down in a single, grateful swallow. The moment the glass was empty, the world tilted. A wave of dizziness washed over her, so intense her knees buckled. The flute slipped from her numb fingers, shattering on the marble floor.

Her breath hitched. A cold dread, colder than the champagne, spread through her limbs. She looked at Vanessa, whose gentle smile had curdled into something icy and triumphant.

"Ness... what..." Evelyn tried to speak, but her tongue was thick, useless. Her body felt like lead, sinking into the plush velvet of the settee.

The door opened again. This time, it was Sean. Her husband. He didn't look surprised to see her collapsed. He simply closed the door, and the heavy, final click of the lock echoed in the silent room.

He walked past her, not even a glance, and went straight to Vanessa. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him. His thumb stroked her hip in a gesture of lazy, familiar ownership. His eyes, when they finally met Evelyn's, were filled with a chilling greed she had never seen before.

A strangled sound escaped her throat. It was the only sound she could make. "Why?"

Sean's lips twisted into a sneer. "Why? Because I'm tired of being Prince Consort to Queen Evelyn. I'm tired of living in your shadow, taking your charity."

"I gave you everything," she rasped, the words tearing at her paralyzed throat.