The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back

"Ethan," Mara's voice cut through the silence, firm and expectant. She was waiting for an explanation.

Ethan let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Come on, baby. I just meant that it's a dangerous case, it's wrong to hand it over to a newbie."

"A newbie?" Mara scoffed, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "I was at the top of my class, Ethan. I can handle any case."

She understood that she had a husband now something that had never been part of her original plan. But if Ethan was going to interfere with her work, she would have to rethink everything. She had fought too hard to get where she was, and she wasn't about to let anything, or anyone, make her give it up.

Ethan immediately softened. "Hey, I promise I have no intention of interfering with your case. I just thought it was too dangerous. I was worried, that's all." His voice was gentle, and sincere.

Mara exhaled, tension leaving her shoulders. "Can we go to bed now?" Ethan asked, and this time, she nodded, closing her laptop. Her heart was finally at peace.

The next morning, Ethan was already seated at the table, flipping through some work files as he waited for Mara to join him. The moment she did, he set the file aside and stood up, pulling out a chair for her.

Mara sat down, giving him a small smile, but Ethan was too caught up staring at her. She looked effortlessly elegant in her office outfit polished and professional, not revealing much, yet somehow charming.

His voice dropped to a murmur, more to himself than to her. "Do you have to look this beautiful for work?"

"Were you saying something?" Mara asked, taking a sip of her tea.

Ethan smirked. "I said my wife is gorgeous."

Mara let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head.

After breakfast, Ethan insisted on driving Mara to the entrance of the law firm, but she quickly refused.

"I don't want people talking about me," she explained. "Please, I'll get down here. It's not far, I can walk."

She didn't want anyone speculating about the expensive car she arrived in on her first day or questioning her identity. It was easier to keep things simple.

Ethan sighed but relented. "Fine, if you insist."

Mara smiled. "Okay, see you after work." She leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before reaching for the door handle.

But before she could step out, Ethan grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"That's not the proper way to say goodbye to your husband," he murmured, pulling her in for a deep, lingering kiss.

Mara smiled against his lips. "Ethan, I'm late," she whispered, breathless.

"Okay, okay," he chuckled. "Wait, one more thing. I'm having them change your last name to Anderson. Steph will bring you your new ID later." He studied her face, already knowing what she was about to say.

Mara hesitated before speaking. "Ethan, I want to keep my own identity at work. Besides, what if my colleagues mistake me for the wife of the big boss or worse, a family member of the Andersons? That would cause serious problems. Please, let me keep Duncan for now."

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly. "So… you want to keep the fact that you're married a secret?"

"Of course not," Mara said quickly, flashing him a charming smile as she playfully tugged at the tip of his suit jacket. "Maybe just for the time being."

Ethan sighed, shaking his head. "You're stubborn, you know that?"

Mara grinned. "And yet, you love me anyway."

Ethan couldn't argue with that.

"Fine," Ethan said, gently patting Mara's hair. "But only for six months. After that, you'll take my name as Mrs. Anderson."

Mara sighed, then smiled. "If it means that much to you, fine six months it is."

Before Ethan could say anything else, she quickly slipped out of the car, laughing as she made her escape.

Ethan watched her go, his eyes following her until she safely crossed the road and disappeared through the main entrance of the firm.

"Can we go now?" his driver asked.

Ethan exhaled, still staring at the building. "Yeah," he said after a moment.

As the car pulled away, one thought lingered in his mind Mara must have settled in by now.

**

Mara took a deep breath, steadying herself before stepping into the building. She was determined to keep her emotions in check it was her first day, and she wanted to make a good impression.

At the entrance, a friendly receptionist greeted her with a warm smile. "Good morning! How can I help you?"

"Good morning, I'm Mara Duncan," she introduced herself, returning the smile.

"Ah, Miss Duncan! Welcome." The receptionist's cheerful tone put Mara at ease as she handed over a new office pass and guided her through the onboarding process.

"Now, let's introduce you to everyone and get you settled in," the woman said, leading Mara further into the firm.

Mara felt a nervous flutter in her chest. First impressions were important, especially with her boss the little devil.

The office was buzzing with activity, papers shuffling, phones ringing, and quiet murmurs filling the space.

"Everyone, can I have your attention for a second?" the woman called out.

For a brief moment, the office stilled as heads turned toward them.

"Our new junior partner," she announced.

Mara took a step forward, offering a polite smile. "Hello, I'm Mara Duncan. Nice to meet you all."

She hadn't expected a grand welcome, but she also hadn't expected the indifference that followed. A few nods, a couple of murmured greetings and just like that, everyone went back to work as if nothing had happened.

Mara let out a quiet sigh. Well, that was underwhelming.

The lady showed Mara to her desk before heading back to her office. Mara stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do or where to even begin.

"Hey, you're the new girl?"

A man walked up to her, his tone brisk. Mara quickly nodded.

"Mr. Anderson is heading to court this afternoon. Go through these and get the necessary research done before he arrives," he said, dropping a massive pile of files onto her desk without another word. Then, just as quickly, he walked away.

Mara sighed but wasted no time. She settled in, flipping through the files one by one, making notes and flagging important pages. It was a lot, but she wasn't intimidated.

After a while, she decided to take a short break and get herself some chocolate tea before diving back in.

Just as she returned, the same man approached her again.

"Hey, new girl. Are you done?"

"Yes," Mara said confidently. "I found that the victim had been depositing money into an account for the past ten years."

The man raised an eyebrow. "And who does the account belong to?"

"It wasn't stated in the documents," Mara informed him.

He let out a sharp breath, unimpressed. "And when the little devil asks, are you going to tell him it wasn't stated? What's the point of you, then? Find out," he snapped, tossing another set of files onto her desk before walking off.

Mara straightened her shoulders. "Yes, sir," she muttered to herself.

She wasn't giving up. Not now.

Mara got back to work, following every instruction she was given. She was eager to meet the "little devil," not expecting any praise but hoping to learn from him as he gave her more responsibilities. Determined not to be caught off guard again, she threw herself into the case, researching every tiny detail just in case she was asked.

When lunchtime arrived, she handed in her research.

"Leave it in the boss's office. I hope you didn't do a sloppy job otherwise; you might as well start looking for a new law firm," she was told.

Mara smiled nervously and made her way to Mr. Anderson's office, hoping to finally catch a glimpse of her idol. But to her disappointment, he wasn't there. She placed the files on his desk and took a quick look around before leaving.

As she stepped out, her phone beeped. A text from Ethan: "Don't forget to have lunch, wifey."

Mara smiled at the screen. After all that hard work, she realized she was starving. Without wasting time, she headed to the restaurant across the street for a quick bite before her boss returned.

But just as she was about to take another bite of her food, a shadow loomed over her table. "Well, well. Look who it is." Mara froze at the sound of the voice. It was deep, familiar, and laced with something dark. She looked up, her stomach twisting into knots.

Jason.

Dressed in an expensive suit, his piercing eyes locked onto hers with a knowing smirk.

Mara's grip on her fork tightened, the last place she thought of meeting her adopted brother.

"What are you doing here?" Mara asked, forcing her voice to stay calm. Jason pulled out the chair across from her and sat down, completely uninvited. "You left in a hurry. Didn't even say goodbye."

Mara clenched her jaw. "I had nothing to say."

Jason chuckled, swirling the keys in his hand. "Mother is worried about you. She thinks you're living a miserable life." He leaned in, his voice dropping lower. "Is that true, Mara? Are you? Because from where I'm sitting, you don't look miserable at all." Mara exhaled slowly, her fingers tapping against the table. Not here. Not now.

She wasn't about to let Jason ruin this day.

"I'm fine, Jason. You can leave now."

Jason's smirk widened. "You've changed. You used to be so… strong. Now look at you, sitting here, all soft and depending on some rich guy." He leaned in further, eyes darkening. "Tell me, Mara… who is he?"

Before Mara could answer, a cold, commanding voice cut through the air.

"I believe she asked you to leave."

Mara turned her head and there was Ethan.

Standing tall, his expression cold, but his eyes?

They were fetal.