She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife (Natasha and Chase) novel Chapter 5

(Chase)

When I hang up the phone, a faint echo of satisfaction settles over the office.

Good. That's done. Surprisingly easy.

Tossing the phone onto the table, I shift my attention back to the man sitting across from me.

Nathaniel Morton. My new business partner—and more importantly, the capital injection that will push Warren Global ahead in the upcoming acquisition.

“She’ll be there,” I say easily.

The assurance comes out smooth. The way statements of fact should sound.

Nathaniel leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers. His eyes move around the room like he’s mapping invisible angles.

“Natasha has always been a formidable force in this sector,” he says slowly. “If she speaks on behalf of your acquisition tonight, Jeffrey Bauer might finally stop dragging his feet. He respects her.”

A pause.

“But her recent absence is making people nervous.”

“She’s been prioritizing her health.” The lie comes out automatically.

Nathaniel’s eyes narrow.

“She also recently discovered you’re having an affair, Chase.”

He tilts his head slightly. “Are you sure she’ll support you tonight?”

I frown. Natasha isn’t the woman she used to be. And more importantly, she’s never been difficult to control. “She’ll do what she’s told.”

Nathaniel doesn’t look convinced.

“Mason Stein is circling the same deal,” he says. “Are you completely certain she won’t side with him? They have history.”

A beat.

“And you’re probably at the top of her shit list.”

I almost laugh. “Impossible.”

That idea requires no effort to dismiss. Mason already tried to poach her once. Back when she was still useful.

She didn’t bite then. She’s certainly not going to betray the father of her child now.

“Natasha is harmless.”

The Natasha who used to terrify boardrooms disappeared the moment that pregnancy test showed two pink lines.

The ruthless CFO traded her tailored suits for nursery paint swatches without so much as a protest.

A woman who strategically used pregnancy to secure a lifelong meal ticket doesn’t suddenly develop the spine for corporate revenge.

Compliance is her default setting now.

Nathaniel studies me for another moment before his expression hardens. This time it’s less business and more personal. “See that she stays that way.”

His tone sharpens. “And finalize the divorce. My sister won’t carry the label of mistress forever. Sonia deserves a ring. The Morton family does not tolerate public humiliation.”

“Everything will happen exactly as planned.” The promise comes easily.

“The moment the baby is born, the papers get filed,” I say. “Sonia gets what she wants, and our families are officially united.”

***

For the past few days, whenever I return to the estate, it feels… off.

The house is running exactly as it always does. Staff move through the halls in quiet, efficient patterns. Marble floors gleam. Dinner preparations are already underway.

But the details aren’t right.

Upstairs in the master suite, the bedside table is empty. No chilled lemon water.

In the study, the quarterly reports aren’t stacked neatly on the corner of my desk with color-coded tabs and annotations.

Irritation started creeping in. She handled all of this. All the invisible maintenance that kept my daily life running without friction.

Natasha smoothed the edges of my world so quietly that at some point I stopped noticing she was even doing it.

“She’s finally gone, then.” My mother’s voice cuts cleanly through the study.

She stands in the doorway holding a crystal glass of bourbon, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

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