All Chapters of Betrayed by design: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

47 Chapters

Dutiful Wife

The crystal chandeliers of The Carlyle ballroom spilled light like liquid gold onto Manhattan’s elite. Sloane Blackwell stood at the edge of a glittering circle, posture flawless, expression serene; every inch the billionaire’s wife.Her husband, Nathaniel, held the room. He always did.His calm baritone outlined the Vance Foundation’s new pediatric wing, and the donors focused as if his words alone could cure disease. His smile was clean, polite and empty.Sloane knew that smile well. She wore its twin.Her own felt frail tonight, like porcelain stretched too thin. The emerald silk of her gown which was chosen by Nathaniel’s assistant to “match her eyes,” whispered against her skin. She wasn’t dressed for herself, she’s simply an accessory to complement the man who owned the room.“Don’t you agree, darling?”Nathaniel’s voice interrupted her thoughts as every gaze swung to her, waiting, assessing.Her throat tightened. For a heartbeat, she couldn’t remember what he’d been discussing

Separate Lives

The sunlight through the tall windows should have been beautiful, and in her first week as Mrs. Blackwell, Sloane had believed it meant she was above all her problems. Well, that delusion lasted nine days.Now the sunlight showed the truth, making the space between her and Nathaniel feel like a barrier.She didn’t touch her yogurt, watching the granola turn soggy while her throat tightened with unspoken feelings.Nathaniel sat at the opposite end, scrolling through his tablet, engrossed in financial headlines with a focus he never gave her.The clink of her spoon against porcelain broke the silence.“The gala coverage was favorable,” he said without looking up. “Photo of us made the business section with ‘Power Couple’ as the title.” Her fingers tightened on the spoon, then she forced herself to relax and placed it down carefully.“Efficient,” she managed to say. “That’s what we needed.”He glanced at her, noting her blue dress, neat hair, and makeup—everything perfectly in place for

Best Friend

The midday sun reflected off Verta’s glass walls, an upscale restaurant where everything felt polished, as Sloane adjusted her pink silk blouse and watched Lila Monroe sit across from her, looking effortlessly perfect in cream cashmere.“Tell me everything,” Lila said softly with a teasing smile, squeezing Sloane’s hand, “So… how’s married life treating my favorite person?”Sloane smiled, warmth tugging at her chest—Lila had been with her since childhood, through scraped knees and broken hearts. “It’s good,” she said softly. “Really good.”“Good?” Lila repeated as she raised her coffee. “Not ‘incredible’ or ‘blissful’? Just… good?”“Great… sure, great,” Sloane muttered, forcing a smile.“You’re putting on that polite, careful voice,” Lila said, setting her cup down with a soft click. “The same one you used when your mom asked about her new boyfriend. Sloane… I’ve known you for twenty-three years. Tell me, what’s really wrong?”“Nothing’s wrong.” And it wasn’t, we’re just busy. Sloane

Cracks Appear

The sixty-eighth floor of Vance Industries felt empty after midnight, Sloane’s heels echoing on the concrete as she walked back from the kitchenette with cold coffee in her hand while her desk glowed alone in the darkness, covered in plans for the Tokyo flagship that she stayed late to perfect after Nathaniel casually said he liked the idea of blended aesthetics.The building was so quiet she could hear the servers humming three rooms away.Then she saw it, a thin gold line of light under his office door, sharp in the darkness. She paused, Nathaniel had said he was having dinner with the Zurich investors and would be at Le Grillon until at least eleven and then go straight home, but she had checked the time when her team left at 10:47 and now it was 12:23.His car was in the executive garage when she went down for her purse an hour ago, the black Bentley sitting in its reserved spot, still warm. She assumed he had taken a car service to dinner or that maintenance had moved it.But he

The New Guard

Sloane had been awake since four a.m, haunted by what she’d seen in Nathaniel’s office. As she dressed, she practiced looking like a happy, clueless wife but her eyes betrayed her thoughts. She sat across from Nathaniel at breakfast, pretending to eat toast while waiting for him to leave for his nine o’clock meeting. Then she had two hours to go to Christine Moreau’s office, a divorce lawyer she found online, hoping to learn if the photos she had were enough to end her marriage.“There’s a change to the household staff today,” Nathaniel said, not looking up from his tablet.Sloane held the knife still. “Change?”“I hired a new head of security. He starts today.”The jam jar almost slipped from her hand, but she caught it and placed it carefully on the table.“What happened to Martin?”“Martin’s been moved. Gate duty matches his skills. This is for your protection, don’t question it.”Protection! Yesterday she was apparently safe enough with elderly Martin and his crossword puzzles.

Watched

Sloane’s hands trembled as she locked the sitting room door behind her. The white camellias in the crystal vase looked like an accusation and dawn light slipped through the curtains leaving everything pale, she had only fifteen minutes before Damon brought the car around.Check the flowers, there’s something inside.She lifted the vase and tipped it over the sink as water and stems spilled out along with a small plastic-wrapped package, she stood still.It was matchbox-sized and sealed in waterproof film with a USB drive and a folded note inside, the message written in blocky anonymous capitals letters:YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO DESTROY HIM BUT IF YOU USE IT, HE WILL KNOW AND THE BODYGUARD REPORTS DIRECTLY TO NATHANIEL. TRUST NO ONE.Her pulse roared in her ears as she unwrapped the drive and plugged it into her laptop, glancing at the locked door.The files opened showing financial records, emails and legal documents. Her name appeared again and again.Sloane Vance – Asset Liqu

The Anonymous Tip

Sloane hadn’t slept properly since the night Nathaniel came home early.The bracelet on her wrist reflected the afternoon light from the office window and cast small patches of color onto the papers on her desk. She had worn it for three days and could feel its weight, knowing a tracker was hidden inside with Nathaniel watching all her movements.Damon stood by her office door with his hands behind his back, watching her. He had always been with her, through every meeting and phone call, except when she locked herself in the bathroom.She had not seen the USB drive since the night he took it from her. Her only evidence disappeared into his pocket, leaving her unsure if he gave it to Nathaniel or kept it.She felt trapped, pretending to be a devoted wife for Nathaniel while the clock counted down to whatever he had planned for their weekend “anniversary celebration.”Her assistant Maggie knocked and entered without waiting with stronger excitement than usual.“These came for you,” she

The first Alliance

Damon returned about twenty-four hours after he’d taken the photographs, he appeared at Sloane’s office door at 9:37 PM with his usual unreadable face.“Mrs. Blackwell.” He closed the door behind him, moved to her desk carefully. “I have information.”Sloane didn’t move right away. She remained composed, pretending to review a contract which she hadn’t read a word of it in an hour.“That was fast,” she said.Damon pulled out a slim envelope from inside his jacket and set it down on her desk, but hesitated for a moment.“The woman’s name,” he said, “is Lila Moreau.”Sloane stood still trying to understand Damon’s words but her brain refuse to process them.“What?” “Lila Moreau. Twenty-eight, Consultant for Vanguard Strategic—one of Mr. Blackwell’s subsidiaries. She’s been on payroll for six months.”“No.” Sloane reacted almost immediately, in denial. “That’s wrong.”Damon didn’t respond.“Lila doesn’t work for Nathaniel. She’s in marketing at Brennan & Associates. She—” Her voice stam

Digital Footprints

By six, the Gables had completely changed. Bright chandeliers lit up the room, reflecting off neatly arranged silverware and dishes. White roses lined the table which was Nathaniel’s choice, their scent felt a bit too strong. Everything looked perfect, Mrs. Adler had set the house up like a show and Sloane didn’t quite know her role in it.She stood in her dressing room, looking at the blue dress on the chair; simple, backless silk dress that would look good in photos and portray a perfect wife.A soft knock came at the door. “Come in.” Damon walked in, already in his security blacks and earpiece in place, calm and professional.“The first guests are here,” he said. “The cousins are arriving, and the lawyers will be here soon.” “And Lila?” Sloane moved slightly, almost unnoticeable. “Just passed the gate.” She looked back at her reflection, perfect and ready for celebration.“I discovered Nathaniel’s second phone, it’s a burner phone that he kept hidden.” He pulled out his phone

The Confrontation

Sloane had been rehearsing the words all morning in front of the bathroom mirror, lips moving silently, discarding one word after the other. She wore cream silk robe Nathaniel had given her on their anniversary gift.She still wasn’t ready when she pushed open the door to the study. Nathaniel stood with his back to the door with one hand resting against the glass-fronted bookshelf, searching for a particular title. He didn’t turn when she entered even though the latch sounded a little too loud as the door clicked shut behind her. Sloane set the photographs on his desk one by one, laying them like evidence. Nathaniel turned, still dressed for the day in dark navy suit with his shirt opened at the collar. His eyes moved from her face to the desk, paused before looking at her again but didn’t flinch. “We need to talk,” she said. “We always need to talk.” He moved to the desk, picked up one photograph and studied it briefly.“Who took these?” he asked.“That’s your first question?”

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