Chapter 26

The boardroom gleamed with the sheen of power—glass walls, a polished table, and the hum of corporate ambition. Derek sat at the head, a king in his domain, until his tablet buzzed, shattering the rhythm of profit margins and projections. A tabloid headline screamed: “Honeymoon Scandal: Elena’s Secret Affair?” Below it, a photo: Elena, glowing in a sundress, arm looped with a stranger, timestamped July 12, 2024—their honeymoon. Derek’s frown was subtle, a shadow across his sharp features. When was this taken? The thought jabbed at him, uninvited. The man—dark-haired, smirking—didn’t spark recognition, but the terrace backdrop tugged at a memory from Santorini, their escape six months ago. Doubt coiled in his gut, cold and insistent. He swiped the screen blank, his face hardening into a mask—jaw set, eyes flinty. The room droned on, oblivious, and he let it. He’d clawed his way to this throne by mastering control, burying weakness. A photo wouldn’t break him, not here. He pushed the question aside, fingers drumming the table, but it clung like damp air, whispering through the cracks of his composure.