My Mate Betrayed Me with My Best Friend

The private elevator hummed a flawless, barely audible G-note as it climbed seventy floors above Manhattan. I stood in the mirrored cab, smoothing the damp front of my trench coat, trying to shake off the chill of the October rain. In my pocket, my fingers traced the sharp edges of a velvet box. Inside rested a vintage 1960s Patek Philippe. It was a deliberate echo. A decade ago, I had worked back-to-back diner shifts in Seattle, ignoring the blisters bleeding into my cheap shoes, to buy Diego a five-hundred-dollar watch when he closed his first, desperate seed-round deal. We had celebrated in a freezing studio apartment, sharing a single bowl of instant ramen. He had held me that night as if I were the only solid thing in a collapsing world. Tonight was our third wedding anniversary. Diego Ford was now a billionaire CEO, and the man waiting for me in the penthouse felt like a stranger.

The champagne flowed like water at Bradley's company celebration. Another successful quarter, another reason to celebrate his genius. I stood near the corner of the elegantly decorated conference room, nursing my sparkling water—I'd stopped drinking alcohol months ago, though no one knew why yet. "Harper, you're hiding again," Tessa whispered, appearing at my side. "You should be front and center. This company wouldn't exist without you." I smiled weakly. "I'm fine here. Bradley's in his element." My husband stood across the room, commanding attention in his tailored suit, his confident smile flashing as he discussed expansion plans with investors. Seven years of marriage, and I still felt that flutter when he laughed—though lately, those moments had become rare. "Truth or dare!" someone shouted, breaking into my thoughts.

Chapter 1 I’ve always loved dogs, so when I was a child, Grandfather placed a leash in my hand. He told me the boy technically my uncle, Anthony, would be my pet. From that day on, I learned to swing the whip. Laughing, I lashed him until he bled, all the while respectfully calling him Uncle. Later, the dog broke its chains and turned on its master. In public, I remained the unassailable heiress of the Jessica empire. In private, late at night, he would grip my throat, force me to my knees, and demand to know when I’d give him a child. I took it all in silence. Until the day I learned I was pregnant—and overheard him soothing his long-lost first love. “Marry me,” he said. “I’ll deal with Jessica so she won’t be in your way.” My fingers found the scar on my arm. No heartbreak, just the quiet tally of a countdown. When the seventh mark appeared, I would be free of him for good. --- My drifting consciousness snapped back as Anthony’s ragged breathing slowly eased. We clung to each other like any ordinary couple, limbs tangled. A flicker of warmth stirred in my chest. I opened my mouth to speak, but a sharp ringtone cut me off. Anthony snatched up his phone. Seeing the caller ID, he pulled out of me at once and answered, his voice softening. “Grace, what’s wrong?” Grace—Anthony’s long-lost first love, the girl who’d saved his life years ago. The woman he’d spent tens of millions wooing with flowers, yachts, and starlit villas. The one he’d proposed to ten times. Ice water poured over me, washing away every lingering trace of pleasure. I stayed silent. I swallowed the words that had almost spilled out in the heat of the moment— *I’m almost a month along.* “Anthony,” Grace’s wounded voice came through the speaker, “you went to see Jessica again, didn’t you?” His body still carried the heat of desire, but his eyes turned cold as they flicked toward me. Gently, he soothed her: “She’s just a bitch. If you don’t like it, I won’t touch her again.” Whatever Grace said next, Anthony didn’t bother lowering his voice as he headed for the bathroom. “Be good. Just say you’ll marry me, and I’ll deal with Jessica immediately. I won’t let her be an eyesore for you.” My heart plummeted. Ignoring the ache in my back and legs, I slid out of bed, wiped the sticky wetness from my skin, and curled up on the rug at the foot of the bed. I dragged the blanket over my naked body, trying to steal back a little warmth. A memory surfaced: eight years ago, after Anthony had tried to run from the Jessica family and been dragged back by Grandfather. Night after night, he’d slept curled on the floor of my room like a dog, utterly still. Back then, everyone thought my betrayal and torment had broken his spirit for good. No one knew that, under my deliberate cover, Anthony had been quietly trading stocks, investing, building a company—becoming Kingsport’s mysterious rising star. Years later, when Grandfather suffered a stroke and lay dying, with the Anthony's Group thrown into turmoil, Anthony finally struck. He nearly tore the family empire apart. In the end, it was me who saved the crumbling dynasty—kneeling on the floor, handing over every share of the Anthony's Group left to me in Grandfather’s will, then crawling into his bed. That day was my twentieth birthday. “Go shower. You can sleep in the bed tonight.” Anthony’s voice pulled me from the edge of sleep. His handsome features still held a trace of the tenderness he’d just shown the woman he loved. “Grace agreed to marry me. You’ll have to start calling her Mrs Jessica, Jessica.” A faint smile touched his lips—the first lively expression he’d shown me in a long time. It reminded me of eight years ago, when we’d fled the Jessica house hand in hand, betraying the world for our love. He’d grinned and shouted, “From today on, Jessica belongs to Anthony!” But now, even in our most intimate moments, he looked at me with nothing but hatred and impatience. That tenderness, that love—none of it was mine anymore. My throat tightened. I swallowed hard before answering evenly, “Congratulations.” Dazed, I walked into the bathroom and pulled up Gregory’s number. **Me:** Begin the plan. Gather the materials for submission. His reply came instantly. **Gregory:** Understood, Boss. I put my phone away and let scalding water pour over my skin. A cold, heavy ache settled in my chest, but beneath it bloomed a fierce, swelling hope. Six years and eleven months. I was finally close. This monstrous house, built on sin and cruelty—I would watch it crumble to dust with my own eyes. My fingers traced the six scars on my right arm, each one raised and distinct. I closed my stinging eyes. Just one more month. Once the seventh year was complete, once the seventh mark appeared, I could end this. I could leave for good.

Blurb: Elara Monroe was the beautiful woman behind billionaire Sebastian Kingsley’s rise. From his confidant, to being his lover, and his secret weakness. On the very night she was supposed to become his wife, Elara was staged, and dragged into a devastating scandal that ruined her reputation, all she had built over the years. The media wasted no time in crucifying her, even investors fled. And Sebastian, the only one who would have stood with her, but under pressure from his family and the board, publicly disowned her. Heartbroken and disgraced from the betrayal, Elara disappeared. Five years later, she returns, but this time, not as the fallen woman they mocked, but coming into power as the mysterious CEO of Aurelia Holdings, a powerful company, threatening to acquire Kingsley Group. She's not just elegant, she's ruthless, and this time, emotionally untouchable, having only one goal in mind: revenge. But will their second meeting spark forgotten emotions? Will their love bloom beyond scandals? Female Lead: Elara Monroe Age: 27 years old Height: 5’7 tall Appearance: She's graceful and striking, with of course, a sharp cheekbones they looked chiseled, and an elegant posture that commands attention Eye Color: Hazel Background and Backstory: She was orphaned at a young age, raised under sponsorship programs, and through life lessons, she built success through intelligence and discipline. Was occe engaged to Sebastian, but later framed for corporate power struggle, and publicly disgraced. Strengths: Extremely intelligent, emotionally disciplined, a strategic thinker, and very resilient in difficult situations. Ambition: To reclaim her dignity and through her comeback, dismantle the system that destroyed her Weakness: She has deep trust issues and unresolved love for Sebastian Male Lead: Sebastian Kingsley Age: 30 years old. Height: 6’2 tall Appearance: He's tall, has commanding features, possess a cold billionaire aura Eye Color: Steel blue Background and Backstory: He is the heir to Kingsley Group, was raised from a very young age to protect legacy above emotion. And during a scandal involving Elara, his fiancee, he chose reputation over love and lives with regret afterward. Strengths: He's a visionary leader, strategic in closing deals, deeply loyal beneath his flaws Ambition: To save his empire from Elara's wrath, and earn her forgiveness Weakness: Fear of being involved in scandal, guilt, emotional restraint even when dying inside. Supporting Characters: Ivy Hart: Elara’s loyal and trustworthy assistant and confidante while building her empire. Marcus Kingsley: Sebastian’s cousin and CFO Board members, journalists, and elite socialites Villains Vivian Clarke: Sebastian’s overbearing and manipulative ex-fiancée A senior member of the board in Kingsley Group board member who planned Elara’s downfall Exposition: Elara Monroe was once living at the center of power and promise, standing whereost women dreamt to be, right beside Sebastian Kingsley as both his lover and trusted partner. Their relationship wasn't made open, but thriving quietly behind closed doors, hidden from the eyes of the public, and corporate world. As Sebastian worked day and night, and prepared to inherit the Kingsley empire, Elara supported him not just with loyalty, but also with her brilliance, believing love was enough. However, internal rivalries brewed behind closed doors at Kingsley Group. Senior board members who had watched Elara closely, feared her growing influence and questioned her humble origins. When confidential company information was found leaked to rival company, suspicion was easily pinned on her. The media seized the narrative, and without delay, painted Elara as an opportunist who only had the mission of infiltrating Kingsley family only for a hidden for personal gain. Sebastian, who would have defended her, was pressured by his family, down to investors, and an unforgiving public, so he chose silence instead of defending the only woman that mattered to him. His failure to stand by her when she needed him the most, shattered Elara’s faith in love and justice. Within days, she did not only lose her reputation, she lost her career, her prospects, and down to her engagement. She was left broken and humiliated, and with that, Elara disappeared from the elite world, leaving Sebastian who then ascended the throne of power alone, the one she built with him, but burdened by guilt. She was left with wound that never healed. Inciting Incidence: Five years later, the Kingsley Group, which was among the biggest empire, faces an unexpected crisis, which was when an aggressive multinational corporation makes the move of launching a hostile takeover. Sebastian couldn't take it lightly, so he enters an emergency board meeting, fully prepared to fight an unknown enemy, only for him to meet the greatest shock of his life, that the company’s CEO is Elara Monroe. She didn’t just return.

"This... this is wrong," she stuttered, trying not to meet his eyes. "You're my stepfather. Let's forget it ever happened." "How can I forget it happened, Nicole?" He questioned, gripping her chin. "When the image of you whimpering for more replays in my head every fucking night?" When one night of desperation turns into Nicole ending up in bed with a nameless stranger, she's almost shocked to death when she moves in with her mother's new husband to see that the nameless stranger is her new stepfather. Tristan Michelson has always been in control of his emotions, but he can barely control himself when he realizes the masked stripper is his new stepdaughter.

I stood in the doorway of my own penthouse, my hand instinctively moving to my slightly rounded belly as I stared at the unfamiliar arrangements before me. The space that had been my sanctuary for years now looked like a stranger's home. My carefully selected modern art pieces had been replaced with gaudy family portraits. The minimalist furniture I'd designed myself was gone, swapped for ornate, old-fashioned pieces that screamed of another generation's taste. "Holly? What are you doing here?" My mother-in-law's voice cut through the silence, her tone dripping with false sweetness as she emerged from what used to be my kitchen. "We weren't expecting you." I blinked, trying to process what was happening. "Mrs. Patterson, what is going on? Why are you in my home?" Before she could answer, another figure appeared behind her—Ainsley Black, Sawyer's girlfriend.