The CEO's Ex-wife – A Plea for Forgiveness

"Get out of the car, Mrs. Delacroix..." the big man said as he knocked on the window.

"No, you should get out of my way." The young French woman raised her head, revealing her beautiful face with delicate features.

Justine lowered her head when the man pointed the gun at the door, and, at the same time, her right hand held the pregnancy test result.

With just one shot at the door handle, the man managed to open the car door. He pulled the young French woman by one arm, but when she started to fight back, she was restrained by another henchman who grabbed her by the legs and pulled her out of the Ferrari.

"Let me go, or I'll tell my husband everything," she said threateningly.

"He's the one who asked us to pick you up, signora," one of the thugs said mockingly.

Her golden eyes flashed with anger as she was dragged away by the two men who put her in a white van with no distinctive markings. She felt as if the metal of that vehicle was closing in around her. She was becoming increasingly suffocated and afraid of what her husband would do to her when he found her.

❛ ━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━❜

The night before the kidnapping, Justine Delacroix could barely sleep after satisfying the vigorous Italian.

As soon as Kevin fell asleep she stared at the ceiling. It had been a year since she married that man to obtain information about the shady deals involving the Harrison Giordano Group, but things were taking an unexpected turn, and she couldn't continue in that situation.

When her cell phone vibrated on the bedside table during the night, Justine picked up the device and went straight to the bathroom, where she locked herself in to talk to Andrew Turner.

"What is it?" she whispered, afraid her husband would hear her. "I told you not to call me at this hour."

"Did you get the money I asked for? I lost a good load because of your husband, and I need to get my money back." Andrew spoke without pausing.

"I'll bring it tomorrow..." Justine whispered.

"Great, remember that your grandmother's life depends on it."

When she returned to the bedroom, she stared at the broad back of the man lying face down on the bed. The sheet partially covered his straight waist, leaving part of his muscular thighs and buttocks exposed.

The next morning, Justine woke up early, but, as usual, her husband had already left for a meeting.

After leaving the house, she got into her Ferrari and drove straight to the doctor's office, where she received the dreaded result:

"You're pregnant!"

"It can't be." Justine found it hard to believe.

"You are three months pregnant." The doctor announced.

"Thanks, Doctor!" She said and exited before receiving the exam.

Not knowing what to do, she stood up and left the office.

Holding the positive pregnancy test result, she returned to her luxury car. Without wasting any time, she went straight to the bank and, after withdrawing seventy thousand euros from the joint account she had with her husband, returned to her car. Before starting the engine, she received a call from San Michele Hospital.

"Miss Delacroix, unfortunately your grandmother has passed away."

Justine was still holding the pregnancy test as she cried copiously when she heard the news. She had done everything she could to save the life of the elderly woman who had cared for her throughout her childhood. Stunned, she left the pregnancy test on the seat next to her and then drove to the Quarto Oggiaro neighborhood.

As soon as she got out of the car and entered the hospital, she found Andrew Turner and his mother, Sophia.

"Did you get the money?" Andrew asked. "By the way, I hope you convinced your husband to make an alliance with me."

Justine looked at her mother, but Sophia remained impassive. This was the woman who had abandoned her in France in the care of her grandmother and run off with her mafia lover in Italy.

"The deal is off, Andrew. I don't owe you anything anymore. Here's what you asked for." Justine handed him the briefcase with the money. "Please forget I ever existed."

Outraged, the burly man grabbed Justine's thin arm and then turned his narrowed eyes to Sophia, who remained aloof.

"Talk to your daughter, or you can find another place to live, Sophia," Andrew raged.

"Are you really going to do that, chérie?" Sophia's dark eyes stared at the girl with tears on her face.

Devastated, Justine felt a lump in her throat as she grieved the loss of her grandmother. She wiped her tears with the back of her hands and sniffed before saying,

"I don't want to spy on my husband anymore... I only did it for my grandmother. Now, the deal is off."

"You know Kevin has never forgiven betrayal!" Sophia retorted, lifting her chin. "I've heard of mobsters who torture cheating wives." She tried to intimidate Justine.

"If Kevin really loves me, then he'll forgive me, Mom."

"Think carefully, ma chérie! Kevin will kill you as soon as he finds out everything." She said this with the intention of deceiving the pale-faced girl.

Ignoring her mother, Justine turned and left to take care of everything related to the release of her grandmother's body and burial.

"Wait!" The man with the prominent belly went after Justine.

"Enough, Andrew! I'm not going to be a part of this anymore." Justine grabbed her purse strap and kept walking while her stepfather followed her through the hospital corridors. Fearing Andrew's threats, she headed straight for the exit.

As she passed through the doors, she didn't notice that, some distance away, an unknown man was taking pictures from inside a car.

"If you don't finish your job, I'll make sure your husband knows you're sleeping with the enemy," her stepfather threatened.

"My husband isn't like you!" Justine replied indignantly as she got into the car. "Goodbye, Andrew!" She stepped on the gas and drove away.

Her slender fingers tapped on the steering wheel. As soon as she had settled everything regarding her grandmother's funeral, she intended to return home and tell her husband she was pregnant.

Gray clouds covered the sky when, halfway there, the Ferrari was cut off, forcing Justine to brake suddenly. She tried to reverse, but another vehicle stopped right behind her.

Armed men approached her aggressively and pulled Justine out of her car before throwing her into a white van.

Suddenly, the young French woman's heart began to beat wildly. "Oh, mon Dieu, my husband found out," Justine thought desperately. "What am I going to do now?" She stroked her belly.

She was only twenty when she arrived in Italy and made decisions she bitterly regretted. She barely had a chance to give her grandmother a proper burial, and at that moment, all she could think about was the baby growing inside her. She needed to talk about the pregnancy and explain everything to her husband before suffering severe punishment for betraying the coldest and most vengeful man she had ever known.

❛ ━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━❜

"Where is she?" There was a slight bitterness in his hoarse voice.

The CEO paced around the spacious boardroom of the Harrison Giordano Group, eagerly awaiting the response from the detective who was following his wife.

"I just saw her with Andrew Turner in Quarto Oggiaro."

Quarto Oggiaro was a neighborhood far from downtown Milan, and the shady businesses there were under the control of his enemy.

"Keep an eye on my wife." Kevin gave the order before hanging up.

"What is Justine doing with that maledetto?" He muttered the question to himself as he touched the veins bulging in his temples.

Kevin Harrison Giordano maintained an upright posture and an austere countenance that conveyed coldness and arrogance. Despite the tension, he was impeccably dressed in his tailor-made black suit when he returned to his chair.

Sitting behind the large desk, he narrowed his eyes at the laptop screen as he checked the video. The camera footage confirmed what his bank manager had told him in a message: "Your wife withdrew an exorbitant amount from the bank account."

According to the information he had received, Justine had not gone to the Maison Delacroix studio, where she worked as a fashion designer. Overcome with suspicion, the Italian ran his hands through his brown hair and then took a deep breath.

"Traitor!" The bitter words came out between clenched teeth. "This time, she won't get away."

Kevin Harrison Giordano had the menacing bearing of a man born to command. At twenty-five, he took over his family's business with an iron fist.

The powerful CEO, who secretly ruled the criminal underworld, was married to a young French woman with whom he had fallen madly in love.

The first time he saw Justine Delacroix was at a fashion event, where he accompanied his friend Beatrice to the Dior ready-to-wear, haute couture, and Cruise show.

Instead of supporting his friend, who was walking the runway, Kevin's attention was drawn to a pair of golden eyes. The upturned nose and beautiful smile complemented the delicate features of the fashion design intern, who, at the time, was assisting in the creation and marketing of the brand's clothing and accessories.

That night, Justine wore a red silk dress that fit her body perfectly. The V-neckline showed off her firm breasts, and the slit on the right side of her leg revealed part of her thigh.

Weeks after that event, she was already dating the Italian, who was about 6'3" tall.

One day, Justine feigned surprise when Kevin gave her a sparkling diamond ring during a romantic dinner on the yacht. It wasn't long before she asked him to marry her.

Despite the overwhelming passion that surrounded them, Justine was already showing signs of having a lover after a few months of marriage.

Suspicious, Kevin gave his wife a new cell phone, but before giving her the gift, he installed spyware on the device. Since then, he has been monitoring her every move.

That day, Kevin was filled with rage because he discovered that his wife had taken about seventy thousand euros from their bank account, and after analyzing the images from the cameras in the bedroom where they slept, he saw his wife taking most of the jewelry that was in the safe.

Furious, he left his desk and paced around the office like a caged animal. He ran his long fingers across his forehead as his mind pondered the latest events.

The night before, he had celebrated his first wedding anniversary with his wife at a luxury restaurant in the fashion capital and presented her with a beautiful diamond necklace. When they returned to the mansion, he took her to the garage to show her the red Ferrari 250 GTO with a large white ribbon bow.

"Whose car is this, dear?" Justine asked.

"It's yours, mio amore," the husky, sensual voice replied.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Kevin's muscular arms wrapped around his wife in a warm embrace as he captured her lips and kissed her eagerly.

Instinctively, his mind took him back to the moment when they both reached the second floor of the mansion. Through the wide hallway, he carried his wife in his strong arms until they reached the master suite.

Soon, clothes were scattered on the floor as they made love eagerly.

"Oh, mon Dieu!" The female voice moaned as she felt his large erection sliding into her wetness and thrusting deeper.

Absorbed in his memories, he could still hear Justine's moans echoing in his mind. Kevin remained seated in his office chair when a soft groan escaped his lips. He held the erection that was growing in his black linen pants, but soon after, he shook his head to get rid of the memories that had aroused him.

The CEO's blue eyes refocused on the picture frame with the photo of his wife with long blonde highlights.

Suddenly, the ringing of his cell phone brought him back to the office. He pressed the button, accepting the call.

"Damn, what is it?" Kevin asked.

"We've got your wife," Alessandro said on the other end of the line. "An informant said she was with Andrew Turner in Quarto Oggiaro."

"The detective already told me, damn it." This time, Kevin spoke louder and slammed his clenched fist on the table.

Andrew Turner had done everything he could to destroy his clan's business after his father's death. The Harrison Giordano family empire would soon fall if Kevin didn't have a knack for business.

"Take Justine to the abandoned apartment in Giambellino-Lorenteggio." Kevin gave the order angrily and hung up the phone abruptly.

His long fingers were still smoothing his furrowed brow when he straightened his posture in the tufted back of his armchair.

"That bitch is cheating on me!" He slammed the table again, then picked up the picture frame with his wife's photo.

He took one last look at Justine's photograph before throwing it forcefully on the floor.

Suddenly, the door opened. The tall, slender woman tossed her black locks behind her shoulders as she entered. Beatrice glided gracefully over to the enormous table.

"Need some company, dear?" the sly voice asked.

"I don't want to talk right now, Bia," he grumbled to his friend.

Although the model was beautiful, Beatrice did not attract him the way she wanted her to.

"Calm down, dear," Beatrice said as she positioned herself behind the armchair and rested her hands on Mr. Harrison's broad shoulders. "Relax!"

Beatrice's slender fingers began to massage his tense muscles. A slight smile appeared at the corner of her lips the moment her eyes fell on the cracked glass of the picture frame lying on the floor.

"I always told you your wife was unfaithful," the female voice said.

"That's enough, Bea!" He shouted as he pushed her hands away and stood up abruptly.

Kevin grabbed his black overcoat and put it on. He quickly left the office.

"I hope you teach that traitor a good lesson," Beatrice added as she followed Kevin into the hallway. "Do you want me to go with you, dear?"

"No," Mr. Harrison replied vehemently in a guttural tone.

In the elevator, Kevin pressed the button, and the doors closed.

He ran his hands through his short, straight hair just before stepping out into the parking lot and heading straight for the silver Lamborghini, where the driver was waiting.

As the car pulled out onto the streets of Milan, Kevin ran his hand over the goatee that framed his tense jaw. He couldn't wait to confront his wife and find out what she was doing in his rival's territory.

❛ ━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━❜

Half an hour later, one of the men put a hood over Justine's head, preventing her from seeing where they were taking her.

"Get your hands off me!" Justine struggled to free herself from the men who were holding her.

When they arrived at their destination, she was placed in a chair where her hands and legs were tied with duct tape.

"I'm suffocating!" Her voice came out muffled. "Take this off me..."

With an abrupt movement, someone pulled off the hood. The place was dimly lit, and the few pieces of furniture around were worn out.

Suddenly, the man with the intimidating gaze opened the double doors as soon as he heard the screams.

"Here's the traitor, sir!" Kevin's assistant pointed to the woman tied to the chair.

Justine's red face was bathed in tears.

"Honey, ask this idiot to let me go..." she begged through her tears.

With a simple glance, Kevin made the men in black suits move away from Justine.

"How could you betray me?" Mr. Harrison's inquisitive eyes assessed her.

"No!" Desperate, she began to shake her head. "I never betrayed you, my love."

Her mind and heart were troubled. Her amber eyes focused on the stern face of her ruthless husband.

"Enough!" Kevin's teeth were bared as he shouted. "Don't you dare lie to me again."

Justine's heart was pounding. As he got closer, Kevin clenched his right hand.

"Get that off her!" He pointed to the duct tape around her wrists and ankles.

After they freed her from her bonds, Justine rubbed her red wrists and then stared into her husband's dark gaze.

"I can explain everything, my love!" Her voice faltered.

"Start talking." The three words were laden with fury.

Justine tried to get up to hug him, but suddenly her arm was grabbed by Kevin's long hand, which pushed her back into the chair roughly.

"Don't get up again..." He ordered rudely.

"I went to Beatrice's house to show her some dress sketches."

The cruel laughter reverberated through the dimly lit room of captivity where they had taken her.

"Yes, go on..." The thick voice was full of sarcasm. "I want to see how far you'll go with your lies."

Crying, she insisted: "I'm telling the truth."

"Enough!" Driven by hatred, Kevin grabbed the envelope the counselor had given him and pulled out the photographs before throwing them at Justine. "You were in Quarto Oggiaro with my enemy. Isn't that right, Alessandro?" He hissed the question through clenched teeth.

"Yes, boss. Your wife was with Andrew Turner before we picked her up."

Justine's gaze flew until it found the handsome face of the tall man, and then she aimed at her husband's clenched jaw.

"I loved you... but now, I can only hate you with all my strength." Frowning, Kevin raged. "You were a beautiful mistake and my downfall, Justine Delacroix." He took the Glock from his subordinate's hand.

"Please, don't hurt me," she cowered in her chair, protecting her belly. "I'm pregnant." Her trembling voice confessed.

Shaken by the revelation, the cold man scrutinized the woman hugging her belly. Even though he hated her, he still didn't have the courage to punish a pregnant woman.

Touching Justine's thin arm, he forced her to stand up.

"Get out of my sight before I do something I'll regret." Kevin resumed his usual authoritarian posture.

That was how he acted with his subordinates, but he had never treated her that way.

"But I'm expecting your child!" She showed him the pregnancy test she was holding.

"Find Andrew Turner, I'm sure it's his son." His anger was so great that he refused to believe it.

"No. The baby is yours!" Justine said as he left that place with moldy walls, leaving her behind. "Kevin, please, let's talk," she pleaded.

Stopping in the hallway, he clenched his fist at his side, feeling a growing anger take over every fiber of his being.

"What about the rules, sir?" The advisor adjusted his glasses as he asked. "She should be punished."

"Damn it, shut up!" The hoarse voice yelled. "Get her out of my sight, but don't touch her. Capisci?" The inquisitive gaze stopped on the consigliere.

"Sì, capisco!" The short man replied in Italian, and took a step back.

Before her husband abandoned her to her fate, she stood up and ran her hand over the fabric, adjusting her red dress.

"Kevin..." Justine called again.

It was too late. Mr. Harrison was not willing to give her another chance. His inscrutable expression blended with the morbid atmosphere of that moldy-smelling place. The betrayal made him even colder and more resentful.

For half an hour, Justine's anguished crying echoed through the room.

"You bitch!" Alessandro's voice was full of contempt when he cursed her. "Get out of here before the boss comes back and changes his mind."

Exhausted, the pregnant young woman stood up amid the mockery of the employees who had once obeyed her orders. Not knowing what to do, Justine wiped her tears with her hand as she staggered, looking for a way out of that place.

"My mother was right," she lamented mentally as she took slow steps down the dimly lit hallway. "He'll never forgive me."

❛ ━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━❜

With nowhere else to go, Justine headed to a subway station. She was wearing only the clothes on her back and carrying her bag with her documents when she arrived at a sumptuous two-story luxury penthouse just a few minutes from Piazza Gae Aulenti.

"Mom, let me stay here tonight!" Justine asked the woman.

Sophia took a drag on her cigarette and then exhaled the smoke. She walked through the living room decorated with classic furniture as her silk nightgown slipped between her shins.

"Oh, ma chérie, I'm sorry, but I can't." She left the rest of the cigarette in the ashtray.

"It's just for tonight. I'll try to talk to Kevin on the day I sign the divorce papers. I'm sure he'll change his mind."

"Really?" There was a certain disdain in the question when Sophia raised a well-shaped eyebrow. "I think your husband has chosen to stay with his mistress." She turned her cell phone screen toward her daughter so she could see the image of Kevin at a party with his young companion.

Justine didn't want to believe what she saw. That woman had pretended to be her friend for months and wasted no time before making her move. In the photo, Beatrice Drummond was holding hands with Kevin at a company event.

"Incompetent!" Andrew shouted as he entered the room and slapped her across the face, leaving Justine stunned. "Everyone is saying that your marriage to Kevin is over. You're a useless whore."