Lawyer Wife's Vengeance
Chapter 2
The Rodriguez Enterprises employee database glowed on my laptop screen at three in the morning, casting harsh shadows across my home office. Sleep had become a luxury I couldn't afford—not when every instinct screamed that Alanna Webb's presence in our company was more than coincidence.
I pulled up her employment file, my fingers trembling as I scrolled through the details. Standard intern paperwork, glowing recommendations, impeccable academic record from Stanford. But it was the access permissions that made my blood run cold.
Alanna had been granted clearance to sensitive client files, strategic planning documents, and financial projections—privileges that took most employees years to earn. Her security badge showed after-hours access to executive floors, timestamps revealing late nights spent in areas far beyond an intern's typical scope.
"What are you really after?" I whispered to the screen.
A soft footstep in the hallway made me minimize the window. Darren appeared in the doorway, hair disheveled, squinting in the blue light.
"Brooke? It's past three. Come to bed."
"Just reviewing some case files," I lied, closing the laptop. The weight of deception sat heavy in my chest, but I couldn't share my suspicions—not when he'd already dismissed my concerns so callously.
The next morning, I arrived at Rodriguez Enterprises early, determined to observe Alanna in her natural habitat. From my position near the executive conference room, I watched her glide through the office with practiced ease, her designer heels clicking against marble floors.
"Mr. Rodriguez, I've prepared those market analysis reports you requested," she said, approaching Darren with a folder. Her voice carried a breathy quality that made my skin crawl.
"Excellent work, Alanna. Your insights on the Henderson acquisition were particularly astute." Darren's smile was warm, appreciative. "You have a natural talent for seeing opportunities others miss."
She tilted her head, a gesture that might have appeared innocent to anyone else. "I learned from watching the best. Your business instincts are remarkable—so much sharper than most men in your position."
The subtle dig at other men, the way she positioned herself as his intellectual equal while stroking his ego—it was masterful manipulation disguised as admiration.
"Unlike some people," she continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "I understand the pressures of building an empire. It must be exhausting, having to explain every decision to those who don't share your vision."
Darren's expression shifted, a flicker of recognition crossing his features. My breath caught as I realized she was talking about me—painting me as the unsupportive wife who didn't appreciate his genius.
"Sometimes I wonder if anyone truly understands the sacrifices success requires," he murmured, and I watched twenty years of marriage crumble in that single moment of shared understanding between them.
I retreated to my office before they could notice me, my hands shaking as I closed the door. The phone rang almost immediately, jolting me from my spiraling thoughts.
"Brooke Rodriguez."
"Hello, sweetheart."
The voice froze my blood. Deep, familiar, carrying the same commanding tone that had once made me feel safe before it became the soundtrack to my nightmares.
"How did you get this number?" My voice emerged as a whisper.
"I've been watching your career, Brooke. You've become quite the accomplished lawyer. Your mother would be proud."
"Don't." The word cracked like a whip. "Don't you dare mention her."
"I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. But I'm an old man now, and I'd like the chance to know my grandson. Jackson deserves to know his grandfather."
The audacity stole my breath. After twenty years of silence, after abandoning me in my darkest hour, he wanted to waltz back into my life and claim Jackson as if he had any right.
"You lost the privilege of being called grandfather the night you killed my mother."
"Brooke, please—"
I slammed the phone down, my entire body trembling with rage. Within seconds, it rang again. I yanked the cord from the wall, the silence that followed feeling like a small victory.
But victories were short-lived when fighting ghosts.
That evening, I blocked Daniel Knight's number from my cell phone, deleted his voicemails without listening, and installed new security protocols on all my contact information. If he wanted access to my son, he'd have to go through lawyers—and I'd make sure that battle lasted longer than he had left to live.
Yet even as I erected these barriers, a cold certainty settled in my bones. Daniel Knight didn't make moves without strategy. His sudden interest in reconciliation, Alanna's convenient placement in our company—the timing was too perfect to be coincidence.
They were coming for my family, and I was the only thing standing in their way.
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