Night hurried by quickly, making way for the break of dawn.
Jacob had just woken up, feeling a splitting headache as he massaged his temples.
"Oh, what a day," he muttered to himself as he stepped onto the tiled floor of his room.
Just as he got up, his phone rang—it was his secretary, Emma.
"Good morning, sir," she greeted.
"Good morning, Emma. How was your night?"
"My night was fine, thank you. I called to check up on you since you attended the event yesterday. I thought you might have worked on something related to the company."
Jacob nodded. "I did meet this woman who seemed interested in helping me, but I'm not sure if she'll follow through."
"Who exactly? Did you get her name?"
"Her name is Clara Queen. Do you, by any chance, know a woman by that name?"
"No, sir. I'm sorry, but I don't think I've heard of anyone named Clara Queen. Are you sure she said she was interested in helping the business?"
Jacob pulled a towel from the wardrobe. "Yeah, she said she was interested and that she'd get back to me. Unfortunately, I don't know when she intends to, and it's urgent that she does."
"Okay, sir. Good luck with her. I hope she turns up. Have a wonderful day."
"Yeah, you too."
With that, the call ended, and Jacob returned to what he was doing.
He was about to head into the bathroom when a sudden knock came at his door.
"Who is it now?" Jacob frowned.
He walked over and opened the door, only to find his mother standing there.
"Mom? What's gotten into you? It's so early, and here you are, knocking on my door. What's the matter?"
"Son, haven't you seen the news yet?"
"The news? What news? What are you talking about?"
"They're talking about you, son! Come downstairs and watch."
"Mum, it's everywhere on social media!" a young girl chimed in, joining the conversation. She was about Isabella's age, except she was from Wayne Family—the youngest daughter of the Wayne family.
"What are you two going on about? Why would I be on the news? And even if I were, it wouldn't be for anything new."
The girl hurried forward with her phone. "No, brother, it's not what you think. It's not the same topic—it's a different one. And you're going to hate this."
She quickly showed him a live feed playing on her phone.
"We've just received information that Mr. Jacob Wayne has been accused of molesting a woman last night."
"What?!" Jacob snapped. "What the hell is this? Which woman are they talking about?"
"The victim, identified as Clara Queen, claims that Mr. Jacob Wayne forcibly had sex with her last night. She even showed off the mask he gave her when she refused to let him touch her. There is also footage proving that Mr. Jacob Wayne attempted to force himself on Mrs. Clara Queen."
"Clara Queen?!" Jacob's eyes widened in horror.
"Brother, do you know this woman?" his sister asked, her voice laced with concern.
"Of course, I do! She's the same woman I met last night regarding the future of Wayne Enterprises," he explained. "She invited me over to her place for food and drinks, and we had a little discussion about my company. She said she'd get back to me later, and I agreed. That's it! Nothing else happened, and I left for home. Now, I don't understand why she would do this to me."
"Brother, I think she's trying to frame you. Are you sure you haven't done anything to her in the past?"
Jacob scowled. "What's your problem? What could I possibly have done to her? Hell, she's not even someone I would want to get involved with! She's rich and classy, sure, but she didn't give me the kind of vibe that would make me even think about touching her."
"JACOB WAYNE!" A thunderous voice boomed from downstairs.
Someone had stormed into their home.
"Who the hell is that now?" Jacob frowned. He wanted to check, but his mother grabbed his arm.
"No, dear, please don't go out," she pleaded. "Stay here, I beg you. You don't know what will happen if you do—it might be a trap."
"Mom, stop exaggerating. Just let me go and see who dares to shout my name like that in my own house."
"Come out and stop hiding! I know what you did to my wife!"
Jacob froze. "That's her husband?"
His mind raced. She's married?
"I wasn't told she had a husband! There were no wedding photos in that house—the only pictures I saw were of her. So who the hell is this man?!"
But his mother refused to let him go. "I don't care about that right now. You have to stay here and let me handle this."
"Inspector, I'm glad you arrived quickly. Search this house and arrest the man who molested my wife!"
"Mom, it's the police!" the girl yelped when she heard unfamiliar voices downstairs.
"They're already here?" Jacob's mother panicked. "He brought the police with him, son—you have to hide!"
"Mum, I'm not hiding!" Jacob snapped. "I did nothing wrong, so I'm going out there."
"Jacob, please don't!" she begged, but he didn't listen. Instead, he stormed downstairs.
"That's him!" The man pointed at Jacob with fury in his eyes. "That's the man who molested my wife!"
"Mr. Jacob Wayne, you are under arrest for—"
"Hold on, Inspector! It's not what you think. At least hear me out first—I didn't molest that woman! It's a setup! Why would I assault someone I don't even know?"
"Sorry, but you have the right to remain silent. Save your speech for the court," the inspector said dismissively before signaling his men.
Jacob wasn't given a chance to speak further. His hands were roughly cuffed, and he was dragged out of the house.
His mother and sister panicked, following behind and pleading for the officers to let him go, but no one listened.
Outside, the media swarmed around, cameras flashing, but they weren't allowed to get too close.
Fear and betrayal sank deep into Jacob as the doors of the police vehicle shut against him.
His mother and sister cried as they watched him being taken away.
Jacob's mind raced with a whirlwind of thoughts. How the hell am I going to get out of this?
Meanwhile,
Just as ten years passed for Jacob, so did the same span of time for Isabella.
Unlike her ex-husband, who had been ruined, her life had taken a different path. She was prosperous, wealthy, and as famous as any top-tier celebrity.
She had worked tirelessly to achieve the impossible.
Ten years had passed since she left Holland, guided by someone who helped shape her dreams into reality.
Now, she was known worldwide as a renowned musician. Her latest album was a sensation, crossing over a billion streams in just one day.
Yet, despite the overwhelming success, she often told herself it wasn't solely her effort—it was all because of Nathan.
But Nathan disagreed. "It was all you," he would say. "Who else could make over a billion people listen to their music overnight?"
As she lazily scrolled through the internet, her eyes caught a headline she wasn't expecting to see.
HEADLINES: Jacob Wayne, former business tycoon ha been accused of molesting a woman.
Her grip on the phone tightened, her heart skipping a beat.
Refusing to let it ruin her morning, she refreshed the page—hoping to push it further down her feed—but the article refused to disappear. His name was everywhere. Every news outlet, every gossip blog, every social media platform was flooded with footage and allegations against Jacob Wayne.
She clenched her jaw. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, the past had a way of creeping back into her life.
"Serves him right," she muttered under her breath.
A chuckle sounded beside her. "You sound satisfied," Nathan remarked, taking a seat next to her. "But are you really going to stop at just watching his downfall? Or are you going to help make it worse?"
Isabella frowned. "Do more than what?"
Nathan leaned in slightly, his voice calm but edged with mischief. "Come on, don't act like you don't understand. Your ex-husband is at his lowest right now. There won't be a better opportunity than this."
She turned away, staring at the city skyline beyond the large glass windows.
"I know you've been trying to move on from your past," Nathan continued, his tone gentler now, "but this... this is different. This isn't just the past knocking at your door—this is revenge staring you in the face, begging you to take it."
Isabella remained silent.
"Confront him," Nathan urged. "Show him what he lost while he was too busy chasing another woman behind closed doors."
Nathan knew everything about the Wayne family.
After settling down in a new country, Isabella had eventually told him everything—every painful detail about her past. Not because he asked, but because she wanted to be honest with the one person who had stood by her side.
But Nathan's focus had never been on her past. He didn't flinch, didn't react in shock. He didn't even care that she had carried another man's child inside her when they first met. To him, none of that mattered. All that mattered was her future.
And now, he wasn't going to let her waste this moment.
"Pack your bags, Isabella," he said firmly. "We're going back to Holland. I won't let you miss this opportunity to destroy Jacob Wayne."