My CEO Husband Hired His Ex - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Lance shot me a sideways glance. "Selene, who the hell is that guy?"
"No idea. Let's just go."
I turned to leave, but Lucian suddenly lunged forward, wrapping his arms around my leg like a desperate man. "Selene, please—don't leave me!" His voice cracked with tears.
I tried to shake him off, but before I could, Marina stormed out of the private room. The second her eyes landed on me, she went nuclear.
"Well, well, if it isn't Selene," she sneered, voice dripping with venom. "Still making a habit of stealing other women's husbands?"
A crowd had already started forming, murmurs and pointed fingers closing in around us.
Before I could even open my mouth, Lance stepped between us, his tone sharp. "Watch it."
Marina scoffed. "Or what? She's the one playing homewrecker! Some people just can't keep their hands off what isn't theirs!"
She kept screeching, her voice rising with every word—until Lucian's hand cracked across her face.
Marina staggered back, clutching her cheek. "You son of a bitch! You actually hit me?!"
"You're the real mistress here," Lucian spat. "If you hadn't played the victim, manipulating me into ruining my own marriage, Selene and I would still be together. You destroyed everything, you conniving witch!"
The crowd fell silent for a heartbeat—then, like dominoes, realization hit them. Their stares turned to Marina, disbelief written all over their faces.
But Marina wasn't done. With a snarl, she grabbed Lucian by the collar and started swinging back.
Chaos erupted. People scrambled out of the way as the two of them went at it like alley cats. Lance shielded me, pulling me out of the mess before things got worse.
Once we were in the car, Lance glanced at me. "So… that was your ex?"
I stared out the window, saying nothing.
"Now I get it," he murmured. "No wonder you're so guarded. You've been burned before."
I let out a quiet laugh. "Ancient history. I'm done dwelling on it."
Suddenly, his hand closed over mine. "Good. Because I'm not going anywhere."
I instinctively tried to pull away, but he held firm.
"You don't have to answer me now," he said, voice steady. "Just give me a chance to prove I'm worth the risk."
The whole scene barely fazed me, but it was the final nail in the coffin for Lucian and Marina's marriage.
Later, an old colleague filled me in. These days, Lucian was a shell of himself—unkempt, hollow-eyed, barely keeping it together at work. Meanwhile, Marina strutted around in head-to-toe designer, throwing her weight around the office, demanding payouts from accounting. If they refused? Full-blown tantrums.
"Honestly," my colleague sighed, "it's like she's sucked the life right out of him."
I couldn't care less. Their mess wasn't my problem.
As for me? My overseas projects were thriving, and I spent most of the year jet-setting for work.
But when I returned for the annual shareholders' meeting, I got wind of the company's latest plan: acquiring struggling businesses on the brink of collapse.
My secretary handed me the list. And there, staring back at me in black and white—was Lucian's company.