Billionaire's Ex Wife Is The New CEO

"Madam, dinner is ready!"

Suzzy, the head maid, entered Carmen's room to remind her. The maid, who was in her late forties, quietly tapped on the door with a concerned look on her face.

Carmen nodded. She had just completed packing for her flight the next morning. Even so, there was nothing in the bag she had received from the Logans. Carmen's mother-in-law may have accepted her and showered her with presents and affection, but Ronin's indifferent attitude was a permanent reminder that she was only a substitute. Whatever anyone gave her as his wife, it wasn't hers to claim.

She wondered if Ronin would be there to see her off...

She then shook her head. Why was she letting such irrational hopes to occupy her mind? If his reaction this morning was any indication, he was eager to see her leave. He just wanted to get rid of her as quickly as possible.

"I'll be there in a minute. Have you spoken to Ronin? He's got to be in his-"

"Sir has already left, madam. He said he'll have dinner outside."

"Oh!" It shouldn't have come as a surprise. She had an early flight the following day. The least he could have done was spend the last meal with her.

Apparently, she didn't deserve that either.

Sigh!

Carmen fought back the painful tears that threatened to break through her eyes. She inhaled through her mouth, the only way she could keep this surge of prickling emotions from escaping her.

Well, come to think of it...

"I'm not that hungry either," she said quietly, certain that her resolution not to cry in front of the maid would not humiliate her. "Why don't you all start without me? I have a few phone calls to make before I go to bed."

Suzzy, the maid, understood why Carmen's appetite had subsided so rapidly. She was in the kitchen when their owner, Ronin Logan, slammed divorce papers on the table while madam was eating her breakfast.

He informed her he had already booked an early flight and that she may take whatever she pleased from the house. Now seeing the little clothing madam had packed, it appeared she was leaving nearly everything behind.

Poor madam, she didn't deserve to be treated this way. She had always been very lovely and courteous to Sir. Because of her tenderness and kindness, the maids and other staff of the house had grown fond of her. She even dealt with the master's frequent mood swings with a smile on her face. Why do awful things happen to good people? The maid pondered silently.

Carmen sat on the bed after Suzzy left, allowing a few tears to tumble down her face. If she held them any longer, she might as well go crazy. All the emotions inside her were wreaking havoc at the moment. They demanded to be released. Silently, Carman wept, hoping it would ease the pain in her heart and the weight of disappointment on her shoulders.

* * *

Carmen woke up in the middle of the night, panting and gasping for air. A nightmare that left her breathless and terrified out of her mind. But instead of reminiscing about the horrible fright, she slid out of the bed and headed down the stairs. Partly out of habit to check on Ronin and partly because she had foolishly forgotten to take medicine after refusing to eat supper.

When she descended the spiral stairs and entered the vast kitchen, she was startled to find a woman snooping through the refrigerator. The moonlight gliding through the windows was the only source of light, making it nearly impossible to recognize the person. Carmen, on the other hand, did not have to wait long since the woman had found what she was looking for and swung around with an apple in her hand.

Carmen recognized the woman the instant the moon's pale rays struck her face.

Blonde hair. Skin that was smooth. Pink, luscious lips. And looks that might flunk the Victoria's Angels.

Jenna Rivers. Who else could it be?

The ex-fiancee of Ronin-and apparently his present lover. The woman who ditched him at the altar nine months ago. Carmen was trapped in this loveless marriage because of her. And it was only because of this same woman her husband refused to regard her as anything more than a commodity-a piece of furniture-he brought to decorate his house.

To say she despised Jenna Rivers would be an understatement. Yet disliking her wasn't going to make her life any easier, was it?

Carmen decided it was best to ignore the woman.

It stung even more to know Ronin couldn't wait to bring his sweetheart home. Carmen was leaving the next morning. What was the rush? While she was still at home, the least he could have done was respect her honor as his wife.

God, she had hated Ronin, too. The nerve of that man. Ugh.

"Oh, no-did we wake you up?" Jenna asked unapologetically, feigning innocence that Carmen could see through without even trying. "We couldn't possibly be so loud, could we? In any case, sorry to spoil your sleep. Carmen, is it?" The woman had the audacity to brag about sleeping with her husband in front of her face. Wow, would it be okay if she punched her in the face right about now?

Carmen simply breathed a sigh and turned around to leave. That woman had done nothing to earn her respect. In fact, even before the marriage, Jenna had always been arrogant and impolite. She even had an affair behind Ronin's back.

When Ronin learned of her two-timing, he was beyond furious. But then this cunning woman shed some pitiful tears, and he melted like butter on a hot pan. Ronin must have loved this woman far too much to forgive such an act so brazen.

Carmen, on the other hand, couldn't forget. She was merely a lowly employee under Ronin Logan, the CEO of Logan Enterprises, at the time, but she had seen all of the facades and conspiracies this woman was capable of. Perhaps they both deserved each other. A match made in heaven, right?

"Dude, you're rude!" she snarled behind Carmen's back. "I don't know what Ronin saw in you. You're not even all that attractive. Such a waste of time and money!"

"At least I have the courtesy to stick to one man at a time!" Carmen sneered as she got angry. She couldn't let this woman to speak ill of her when her own acts were questionable as hell.

Even though Carmen had her back turned to Jenna, she could feel her riling up. "What did you say?" the woman hissed.

Before Carmen could say anything to this woman, her eyes were drawn to the dark figure in the shadows, calmly watching the entire discussion.

Carmen bit back the words.

"Ronin, baby!" Jenna was the first to sprint in his direction, throwing herself into his arms. "Carmen is so disrespectful, sweetie. She called me a cheater. How dare she?"

Well, Carmen did imply that. And if Ronin had been standing there for more than a minute, he would have heard it, too. There was no point in denying or explaining herself. Carmen didn't have the energy for either one of them.

Carmen took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and went up the stairs without saying anything.

"Are you not going to say anything to her? She humiliated me!" Jenna objected as Carmen walked upstairs to her room.

"I told you not to leave the room!" She heard Ronin say, no guilt-nothing-in his deep voice.

"But-but I was hungry and you-"

"Enough, Jenna. Come on, I'll wait for you in the room."

And that was the last she heard of him before Carmen stepped into her bedroom and shut the door behind her back.

"You're such a jerk!" she whispered bitterly, unable to suppress the pain and frustration any longer. "You stupid, stupid man!"

Carmen slid down the wooden door, drew her knees closer to her chest and wept her heart out.

"I will never forgive you, Ronin Logan. I condemn you for being unhappy and unloved your entire life."

"How could someone be that cold-hearted?" Molly Carter grumbled as she sat at a café near the airport with her best friend, Carmen Price.

After the unpleasant encounter with Jenna in the kitchen, Carmen woke up the next morning and left for the airport as quietly as possible. She didn't want to make any scene or give Ronin or Jenna a reason to believe she had no intention of leaving. The last thing she wanted was to give them another chance to humiliate her. Thus, as soon as the sun came up and the alarm on the nightstand went off, she was out of bed and out of Ronin's hair in less than an hour.

However, half an hour before her departure, Molly arrived with a furious scowl and literally dragged her out of the airport.

"It doesn't matter now." Carmen attempted to placate her enraged friend, tracing the rim of the hot cup of coffee. "Let's just forget about whatever happened."

"Are you sure you can forget about it?" Molly cocked her brow, knowing Carmen wasn't the type of person who could readily let go of her emotions. They had been best friends since they were toddlers. She knew Carmen well enough to know she wouldn't be able to move on unless something was done about it. "Because I don't think so. We need a plan to get back at him. To make him realize what he had done. To make him pay for it. To make him suffer."

"Molly!" Carmen sighed defeatedly, suddenly lacking the stamina to hold the exhausting conversation. "We are doing no such thing. We both knew this was going to happen one day. So don't pretend as if it came out of nowhere, because it didn't."

"You're still trying to defend him," Molly pouted, folding her arms over her chest. "Even after everything he's done to hurt you."

"I'm not." Carmen was adamant that she was not. She was only being reasonable. Or so she hoped. "All I'm trying to do here is to be a bigger person."

Molly snorted. "What's the fun in that?"

"Not everything is meant to be fun, Molly."

"That's only because you choose to be boring. Duh!" she brooded. "If I were in your shoes, I'd make him regret his entire life."

"Well then, it's a good thing that it's my life and not yours." Gently, she reached Molly's hand, sincerity in her eyes. "As much as I appreciate you are taking a stand for me, just let me handle this on my own. Trust me when I say this. I know what I'm doing. And if I don't, I'll figure it out somehow. Just...just trust me, okay?"

Despite the certainty in her voice, Carmen was failing to assure her of the same. The truth was beyond her perception. She knew this was her destiny long before she signed the marriage contract. What made little sense to her was why it hurt more than it was warranted. Why did she expect so much from a man who never even spared her a full glance? Despite the bitter reality of their relationship, why did she play the role of his wife with such sincerity? He didn't deserve that, did he? Not after he pushed her into a relationship that he had no intention of taking seriously. She was just an object to him. An object he had no consideration for. No respect.

Molly had no choice but to give in. Carmen was already stressed enough; she couldn't add to her worries.

"Fine." She fussed, perhaps a touch unwillingly. "But only because I love and trust you and know you won't let anything knock you down."

Carmen smiled, happy that they were in agreement. She hated when they argued over anything, literally. "Great. It's settled then."

Molly took a sip of her coffee before another thought came to her mind. She quickly placed the cup back on the table. "Wait, one more thing."

"What now?" Carmen asked humorously, nibbling on a fry.

"I have already set the paperwork in motion, but I still need you to say yes."

Carmen had no clue where her friend was going with that. Her brows bunched in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"To join my company," Molly revealed enthusiastically as if it was the biggest surprise of the day she had been waiting to pop. "In fact, I'm offering your partnership."

Molly!" Carmen shook her head. "Don't."

"Why not?" Molly inquired, frustrated. "I have a business to call my own because of you in the first place. My startup wouldn't have seen the light of day if you hadn't helped me with the funding."

"It belonged to Ronin," Carmen said regretfully, her gaze falling on her lap. "It wasn't mine."

"Yeah, which he very conveniently handed you in exchange for marrying his asshole self." Molly rolled her eyes. "Come on, Carmen. You didn't take a single dime from him. You gave it all to me. And I'll be honest, I used to be torn between thanking him and punching him in the face, but I have no regrets. Not anymore. For what he did to you, he deserves far worse than hell."

Carmen sagged in her chair, unsure of what to say next. Ronin had indeed paid her to be his wife. When Jenna grew cold feet merely a few hours before the wedding, he was desperate to fix the problem. Carmen was never given the choice. Or the opportunity to figure out what the hell was going on. She had tried to reason with him. But given the dire circumstances, he wasn't ready to hear anything from anyone. Nobody, not even his parents. Or his grandfather, whom he admired beyond everything else. Everyone failed in front of his firm determination.

"You're not going to drop him off your hit list, are you?" Carmen finally said, lifting a brow.

"Nope!" Molly shrugged, smugly.

Carmen knew this conversation was going to bite her in the ass the moment she saw Molly at the airport. She should have left when she had time. Now with Molly on her back, she wouldn't be able to crawl her way out of this. Molly was just as stubborn as was humanly possible. She wouldn't let go until she was proven wrong.

And right now, Carmen didn't have the energy to engage in another round of disagreement. She was tired and lacked the will and strength to do anything at all. All she wanted was to find a comfy bed and collapse on it.

With a thwarted sigh escaping her lips, she gave her a nod and huffed out a chuckle. "Fine."

Molly squealed with joy. "Yay! You won't regret this. I promise-"

"I'm ready to go back to work," Carmen cut her off before Molly's excitement could shoot through the roof. "...but NOT as a partner."

"What? Why?" Molly looked confused, her enthusiasm dimming fractionally.

"Because you did all the hard work, and this business belongs only to you. No one can take that away. Not even your best friend. I'm more than happy to work under you. And that's my one and only condition," Carmen added, taking another long sip of coffee, drawing her time, if only to aggravate her overjoyed friend. She gave her a beautiful smile. "For now."

Molly grimaced before requesting the bill and returning her gaze to her friend. "This isn't over."

Carmen laughed, blessed to have a friend like her. "We'll see about that, won't we?"

* * *

A black SUV with tinted windows pulled across the cafe as Carmen and Molly exited and made their way to Molly's car parked on the side of the road.

The man in the backseat answered the phone.

"Are you certain she's no longer a problem?" He addressed whoever was on the other end.

"Sure thing. She's out of Ronin's life for good. We can now move to the next phase of our plan."

The man hummed, his gaze fixated on the laughing and chattering Carmen.

"I'll take your word for it. But if the plan backfired-"

The other person on the line didn't let him finish.

"It won't. Have some faith. Just let me know whenever you're ready to initiate our next step."

The man hung up the phone and narrowed his eyes. He waited until Carmen and the other woman with her got into a car and drove away. Only then, he returned his gaze to the other man in the car. Other than the driver.

"Is this the right time?" He inquired, his brow furrowed.

The second gentleman grinned. "Without a doubt! While the iron is still hot, strike it."

It was barely 11 in the morning when Ronin stormed into the office chamber of his elder brother and tossed a file in his face.

"What the heck are you trying to accomplish?"

Erik Logan cast a lazy glance at Ronin and the paperwork on the table before returning to his laptop. "I'm not sure what you're referring to."

"I think you know damn well what this is about." Ronin snarled, leaning on the table and glaring at his brother, jaw clenched. "Stop pretending oblivion!"

Erik groaned internally, eventually setting the laptop to the side, leaning back in his chair, and giving his younger brother undivided attention. "I'm not pretending to be anything, Ron," there were times Erik wished to smack that needless attitude out of his younger brother, but this was not the time to lose patience. The entire day was ahead of him and he couldn't risk destroying the mood. "You're the one talking in riddles. I wouldn't be this clueless if you spoke like a normal person. Have you thought about that?"

The corners of Ronin's lips lifted in a sneer as his glares grew sharper and darker. "I told you to stay away from the Bakersfield project. Yet, you went to Dad and spewed nonsense. If you're so frustrated with my achievements, Erik, maybe you should ask me how I do it rather than stabbing me in the back."

Erik let out a snort. "It's hilarious that you think I have anything to prove to you."

"The fact that dad named you the project's independent adviser just 10 minutes ago, I take it, has nothing to do with you, right?" Ronin raised his brow. "Which is nothing more than a sneaky way of keeping tabs on me." Sliding his hands into his pockets, he narrowed his dark eyes. "I wonder who even came up with it."

Erik shrugged nonchalantly and simply stared up at Ronin with the same lazy expression. "My guess is as good as yours, little brother. Though I wouldn't exactly say I'm surprised," he replied, rising to his feet, rounding his office desk, and folding his arms over his chest, his gaze fixed on the only other person in the room. "Recently, none of your decisions have benefited the family's reputation. Almost the opposite, in fact. Let's not forget about the shocking divorce." He paused, if only for a dramatic effect. "I think it really upset them gravelly. After all, everyone had become extremely fond of Carmen."

"Don't!" Ronin warned.

"Why? You can't even stand to hear her name now?"

Ronin flashed a tight smile. "No. I simply do not want to hear it from you. And the next time her name comes out of your vile mouth, you won't have a mouth to spew any more crap."

Erik grinned, unmoved by the apparent threat.

"And this is my final warning to you." Ronin prodded Erik's chest with his finger. "Stay the hell out of my way. As far as possible."

Then, he left.

* * *

"Take it easy, Jane." Eddie Logan said lovingly. "Or your blood pressure will shoot through the roof. And we don't want that. We really, really don't want that."

Jane paused hearing her husband and shot him with another intense glare. "You want me to take it easy? Really? How can I take it easy, Ed? How can you?"

"Why not?" Eddie Logan shrugged innocently as if he couldn't quite understand the stress his dear wife was inflicting upon herself. To him, she was simply fretting for nothing. "I can take it as easy as I want." He grinned as he poured himself a glass of orange juice. "Watch me."

Jane Logan had the strongest urge to pull her hair out, but then she took a deep breath and held it in, not wanting to grow bald so quickly. She was only, what, fifty or something? Probably less. Obviously, there were a lot of years ahead of them and she couldn't afford to look anything but her absolute best. Instead, she huffed and shot a heated glare at her ever-loving husband. "You're unbelievable. Do you know that? You should. Because you are."

Eddie Logan sipped the juice, his gorgeous grin never dimming.

For a man of his years, a sixty-something business mogul, he still had the looks and demeanour to put much younger and much more attractive actors to shame. Not that he liked to brag about it. Fine, maybe occasionally, but not always for sure.

"Darling, our kids have all grown up." Eddie returned the glass to the table and approached his wife. To get her to listen to him, he held her by her dainty shoulders and smiled sweetly at her. "How long do you think you can keep them in check? You must let them go and follow their course. We have done our part, outstandingly so, now it's up to them to lead their lives as they see fit. We simply no longer have a role to play."

"How can you say that?" Jane pouted, her shoulders sagging helplessly. "Ronin divorced Carmen, Ed. He didn't even bother to seek our opinion. What on earth was he thinking? How could he do that to such a sweet girl? She must be so heartbroken."

Eddie sighed with her, realising his beautiful wife wasn't completely off the mark.

Then again, what could they possibly do? Erik and Ronin were no longer immature teens. They couldn't simply drag them by their ears and force them to listen to their parents anymore. It was too late for that.

"She must hate us so much," Jane continued to throw a fit, growing more and more agitated by the minute. "And it wouldn't be wrong if she did. What have we ever done for her anyway? We couldn't even convince Ronin that Carmen was the right one for him and not that selfish and inept Jenna. Ugh-I hate that girl so much." She snorted. "Why can't she leave our boy alone?"

Eddie hummed thoughtfully, caressing her arms. "You're barking up the wrong tree, darling. I don't think Jenna is the issue here."

Jane gave him a puzzled look, unable to grasp what her husband was getting at.

Eddie shook his head. "What I mean is that Jenna is merely a catalyst. The true issue is Ronin. He never moved on."

"It's been nine months, Ed." She stared up at him, shocked that she had to say it. "How long does it take someone to move on from a girl who dumped them at the altar? Literally. Not only did she humiliate him, but also you, me, and everyone else at the ceremony. Do you remember nothing?"

"I remember everything," Eddie groaned, exhausted by the same old conversation. Yes, it was the worst day of his life. And yes, what Jenna did was wrong and utterly mortifying for him and his family. But it was nine months ago. Why couldn't she simply let it go? What good would it do them if they kept talking about the same thing over and over again? It was time to move on. Not just for Ronin, but also for his wife.

"But do you have to hang on to that for so long? Just let it go. We can't undo what happened." Eddie dropped his hands and ran one of them through his salt-and-pepper hair.

"I understand, but we can stop Ronin from making the same mistake, can't we? I don't trust Jenna anymore, Ed-I never even liked her-if it weren't for Ronin's happiness, I would have never given their decision to marry my blessings."

Eddie rolled his eyes heavenwards. He could never win from his stubborn wife. Why bother even trying?

With another dramatic sigh, he caved in. "Fine. What do you want to do?"

Jane's eyes twinkled at Eddie's words, a cheeky grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.

By that look on her face, Eddie knew his wife had everything mapped out. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

She gave him an innocent look. "I need someone tight-lipped for this one, and let's be honest, you're not very good at it."

Eddie was utterly offended by that statement. He scowled. "Excuse me?"

Jane laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him for a kiss on his cheek. "But we'll keep you updated with our progress. Promise."

"We?" His scowled deepened even more, though he did nothing to pull away. He loved it when she tried to coax him by being all cute and sweet. God, he loved her so much. He let her press another kiss to his cheek while her fingers toyed with the collar of his t-shirt. "So, there's someone else in your plan. Who is it?"

Jane smiled discreetly. "I'm afraid I can't tell you, Ed. Just know that I'm going to reunite Carmen and Ronin, and I'm not going to sit peacefully until it happens."

Eddie sighed. She already had this planned, must she be so dramatic in front of him?

"Sure. But do remember, Jane. You can try all you want, but be careful and make sure you do nothing that you shouldn't. Do you understand?"

When Jane gave him a nod, then and only then, he kissed her forehead and went upstairs to his home office.

The moment Eddie was out of sight and earshot, Jane made a phone call to someone.

As the person on the other end of the phone answered, she hurried into the closest room and shut the door behind her. "All right, now Eddie is with us, too. Let's meet tomorrow and finalize the rest of the things."

The person chuckled. "Sure, Mrs Logan. I'll wait for you. Same time, same place."

"Perfect." Jane grinned as she hung up the phone.

This was going to be great. She had never felt more sure of herself.