The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 59

Chapter 53: Jade’s Move

Jade POV

+25 Points

I stared at my phone, scrolling through the photos that made my blood boil. Bella, looking radiant and powerful in her designer suit, walking into Hart Worldwide’s Silverton headquarters. Bella, laughing with some associate at a business lunch. Bella, living the life that should have been mine.

The worst part? The photos of Caleb outside that hotel where she was staying, carrying bags of toys, looking at the building like it contained everything he’d ever wanted.

He’d never looked at me like that. Not once.”This is unacceptable,” I said, throwing my phone onto the couch of my cramped apartment. Not a penthouse anymore, not since Daddy cut my allowance after Caleb’s embezzlement charges started gaining traction. Not since everything started falling apart.

“Darling, you need to calm down,” a smooth voice said from the doorway.

I turned to see Lane leaning against the frame, perfectly styled as always, her dark hair swept over one shoulder and her red lips curved in a knowing smile. She’d shown up at my door three days ago with a proposal, an alliance between two women who’d been wronged by the same people.

“How am I supposed to calm down?” I demanded. “Bella has everything. My sister, who was supposed to be nothing, who was supposed to disappear forever, is back and she’s more successful than any of us. And Caleb, Caleb is obsessed with her.”

“Not just her,” Lane said, walking in with two glasses of wine. She handed me one and settled gracefully on my couch. “He’s obsessed with the child. The boy. That’s where his real focus is.”

“Tom,” I said, the name tasting bitter. “The little brat who ruined everything.”

“The heir,” Lane corrected. “The Black heir. Do you understand what that means, Jade? That child is worth billions. Caleb’s entire estate, his company shares, his properties, everything goes to that boy when Caleb dies. And by extension, to Bella, since she has custody.”

I took a long drink of wine, my mind spinning. “So what? They’re happy together? Caleb gets his perfect little family and I get nothing?”

“Not if we’re smart about this,” Lane said, leaning forward with that predatory gleam in her eyes. “Bella’s return has been quiet so far. A few business circles know, but the general public doesn’t. They don’t really know about the marriage, the divorce, the child. And more importantly, they don’t know that Caleb Black, the Winter King himself, has a three-year-old son he knew nothing about.”

“You want to leak it officially,” I said slowly, understanding dawning.

“I want to expose it,” Lane corrected. “In the most damaging way possible. Bella Hart, the self-made CEO, the Iron Empress, isn’t just Caleb’s ex-wife. She’s the woman who kept his son from him for years. Who lied about having an abortion. Who denied him his parental rights out of spite.”

“The public will eat her alive,” I breathed.

“They’ll destroy her,” Lane agreed. “Her reputation will be shredded. Companies won’t want to work with someone who could be that vindictive, that manipulative. Her precious empire will crumble, and she’ll be

Chapter 53-de-Move

forced to rely on Caleb for support. And when she’s vulnerable, when she’s desperate.”

25 Points

“That’s when we make our move,” I finished. “I get Caleb back, you get whatever revenge you’re after, and

Bella loses everything.”

Lane smiled, cold and beautiful. “Exactly. But we need to be strategic. We can’t just leak the information randomly. We need to control the narrative, make sure it paints Bella in the worst possible light.”

“I have photos,” I said, pulling out my phone. “From when I followed them. Pictures of the boy, of Caleb watching them, of Bella keeping him away. I even have some from years ago, from the wedding, from that night.”

“Perfect,” Lane said, examining the photos I showed her. “We’ll need to craft this carefully. A source close to the family, concerned about the child’s welfare, disturbed by the deception. We’ll leak to the tabloids first, let them run with it, then the legitimate news outlets will be forced to cover it.”

“What about the legal problems?” I asked. “Caleb filed embezzlement charges against me. If I do this, he’ll know it was me.”

“He can’t prove anything if we’re smart,” Lane said. “We’ll use anonymous accounts, burner phones, untraceable sources. And besides, you’re already facing charges. What’s a little more animosity from Caleb Black? It’s not like you have anything left to lose.”

She was right. I had nothing left to lose. My father was drowning in legal problems, my mother spent her days crying about our ruined reputation, and Caleb had made it clear he wanted nothing to do with me. He’d gotten a restraining order, for God’s sake. Me, the woman he’d kissed in his office, who he’d held and wanted, reduced to a legal threat.

All because of Bella.”When do we do this?” I asked.

“Tonight,” Lane said. “I have a contact at City Pulse, the gossip blog that breaks all the celebrity scandals. They’ll run it immediately, no fact-checking, just pure sensational journalism. By morning, every news outlet in the city will be scrambling to confirm the story.”

“And Bella’s face will be plastered everywhere,” I said, imagining the chaos. “Poor little Bella, exposed as a liar and manipulator. Caleb will have to choose between protecting her and protecting his reputation.”

“He’ll choose his son,” Lane said confidently. “Men like Caleb Black always choose their legacy. And when Bella becomes a liability to that legacy, he’ll cut her loose. Just like he tried to cut you loose.”

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