THE BILLIONAIRE WIFE'S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

Sierra stared at the message on her phone long after the screen dimmed. The words replayed in her mind like a looping threat. Not just the message, but the tone. The arrogance. The confidence that came from someone who believed she had already won.

She didn't reply. Not yet. The silence, she hoped, would unsettle Isabelle more than anything she could say.

Instead, Sierra stood, her heels clicking softly against the marble floors as she walked back into the master bedroom. She paused in the doorway, staring at the framed photo of her and Liam on their wedding day. They looked so young. So hopeful. So unaware of what would come.

She pulled the frame down, set it face down in the drawer, and headed for the shower. The water was scalding hot, just the way she liked it when she needed to think.

By the time she stepped out, towel wrapped tightly around her, her plan was forming. Liam wouldn't confess easily. If Isabelle truly believed she had some power over him, it meant one thing: leverage. Sierra needed to find out what that leverage was.

At Hayes Properties the next morning, Sierra arrived early. The office was still quiet, the city skyline golden with sunrise. She didn't head for her top-floor office. Instead, she went down to accounting.

"Renee," she greeted the company's senior accountant with a tight smile. "I need a favour."

The woman looked up, startled. "Of course. What do you need, Mrs. Hayes?"

"Pull any wire transfers made from Liam's corporate account to any unknown vendors, names not in our payroll or contractor system. Start with the last six months."

Renee hesitated but nodded. "Right away."

"And I'd like discretion," Sierra added, her voice steel beneath silk. "Understood?"

"Completely."

Sierra paced while she waited, fingers drumming on her thigh. It was a gamble. If Renee spoke to Liam, the whole plan could fall apart. But Sierra trusted her instincts, and Renee wasn't just an employee; she was loyal.

By noon, Renee had emailed her a spreadsheet. Sierra skimmed through the list of transactions. Most were typical: property staging companies, contractor payments, software renewals. But one stood out.

A $25,000 payment to a consulting firm in Boston. The company name was vague: Cobalt Solutions. A quick search revealed almost nothing. No public website. No LinkedIn presence. No reviews.

She forwarded the details to the investigator.

Sierra: Look into Cobalt Solutions. Confirm if they're connected to Isabelle Hartman.

He replied minutes later.

Investigator: Already on it. They're a shell company. Funded by NovaTech.

Sierra leaned back in her chair.

So Liam had given her something. Money. Silence money? Hush money? Or was it something else entirely? A settlement? A cover-up?

The more she uncovered, the more she realised: Liam wasn't just lying to her. He was protecting Isabelle.

And for what?

She closed her laptop, grabbed her blazer, and left the office.

At lunch, she met Mila at their usual bistro. Over crisp salads and iced tea, Sierra filled her in.

"She texted me," Sierra said, handing Mila the phone.

Mila's eyes widened. "She's bold. I'll give her that."

"Or stupid."

Mila took a bite and leaned forward. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find out what she wants. What she thinks she has. Because whatever hold she believes she has over Liam, it's going to end."

Mila raised her glass. "To war, then."

Sierra clinked her glass lightly. "To victory."

They ate in thoughtful silence for a moment before Mila asked, "Do you think she's really pregnant?"

Sierra's jaw tightened. "That's the part that doesn't make sense. You remember how I found those documents in that envelope, the ones from his Boston urologist? That's when I saw it: azoospermia. Complete infertility. No chance of natural conception. And Liam doesn't even know I saw them. I never said a word." 

Mila didn't look shocked, just resolute. "Then she's definitely lying. And she's using it as a weapon."

"Or worse," Sierra murmured. "She's trying to pin her pregnancy on him to force his hand. Or destroy us."

Mila nodded, brows drawn. "You think he slept with her?"

Sierra swallowed. "I don't know. I'm not ruling it out. But I don't think he'd cheat willingly. Something feels off about this."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"I just don't understand what Isabelle's end game is," Mila said finally.

"She wants Liam," Sierra said. "And she's convinced she deserves him more than I do."

That night, Sierra returned home later than usual. Liam was already in bed, a book resting on his chest.

"You okay?" he asked, setting the book aside.

"Long day," she said, slipping out of her heels. "And you?"

He shrugged. "Meetings. Interviews. The usual. Anything you want to talk about?"

Sierra hesitated, then shook her head. "Not tonight."

Not until I have proof.

He watched her, his gaze lingering. "You've been quiet lately."

"Just tired," she said. "Tomorrow's another long day."

She changed quickly, then climbed into bed beside him, lying with her back turned. Liam didn't push. But she felt the tension in the space between them. The questions he wasn't asking. The secrets she wasn't ready to reveal.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Unknown Number: You can't erase me. He'll never love you like he loves me.

Sierra exhaled sharply and turned the phone face down.

She wasn't just hurt anymore.

She wasn't even angry.

She was focused.

And when she focused, people underestimated her. They always did.

But not for long.