My Fiancé Went Back to His First Love—So I Married Her Billionaire Fiancé Instead
Chapter 3
Emily tried to return to normal life.
She went to work.
Answered emails.
Pretended she was fine.
But nothing felt normal anymore.
Jacob texted her that evening.
Can we talk?
Emily stared at the message.
She almost ignored it.
Then she replied:
Where?
He chose a quiet restaurant.
Emily arrived first.
Jacob entered ten minutes later.
He looked exhausted.
“I’m sorry.”
“You keep saying that.”
“I mean it.”
Emily folded her arms.
“How happy are you?”
Jacob looked confused.
“What?”
“With Victoria.”
“I don’t know.”
Emily laughed softly.
“You left me and you don’t know?”
“She came back into my life so suddenly.”
“So you threw ours away.”
Jacob lowered his eyes.
“I thought I owed her a chance.”
“You didn’t owe her anything.”
“I loved her.”
“You still do.”
He nodded.
That honesty hurt.
Then Emily noticed something.
He had a bruise on his wrist.
“What happened?”
Jacob covered it.
“Nothing.”
“Jacob.”
He looked away.
“It was an accident.”
Emily didn’t believe him.
Before she could ask more, Victoria entered the restaurant.
Jacob immediately stood.
“Victoria?”
She smiled.
Then she saw Emily.
Her smile became uncomfortable.
“I didn’t realize you were here.”
Emily stared at her.
“I’m sure you didn’t.”
Victoria looked at Jacob.
“Can we go?”
Emily saw the way Jacob looked at her.
Like a man under a spell.
She stood.
“Go.”
Jacob looked guilty.
“Emily…”
“Just go.”
They left.
Emily remained at the table.
Her hands were shaking.
But this time it wasn’t heartbreak.
It was suspicion.
She called Alexander.
He answered immediately.
“Emily?”
“I think you’re right.”
“About what?”
“Something is wrong.”
She told him about Jacob’s bruise.
Alexander was silent.
“Where are you?”
She gave him the address.
“Stay there.”
Twenty minutes later, Alexander arrived.
He sat across from her.
“What happened?”
Emily explained.
Alexander frowned.
“Did Jacob say who hurt him?”
“No.”
“Then don’t ask him.”
“Why?”
“Because if someone is monitoring him, they may know what he tells you.”
Emily stared.
“You really think this is that serious?”
“Yes.”
He reached into his coat and placed a photograph on the table.
It showed Jacob entering a private building.
The timestamp was from the previous night.
“What is this?”
“He went to see someone.”
“Who?”
Alexander turned the photograph.
An address was written on the back.
Emily recognized it.
“It’s a financial company.”
“Yes.”
“My company’s publisher has an account there.”
“Does Jacob?”
“I don’t know.”
Alexander looked at her.
“Find out.”
The next morning, Emily searched old documents Jacob had once shared with her.
She found something strange.
Six months before the breakup, Jacob had opened a private investment account.
The account was linked to a company called Sterling Bridge Holdings.
Emily knew the name.
It was connected to Victoria’s family.
She called Alexander.
“Sterling Bridge.”
Silence.
“You know it?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“A shell company.”
Emily’s stomach dropped.
“How do you know?”
“Because my investigators traced money there.”
“How much?”
“Seventeen million dollars.”
Emily stared at her computer.
Jacob didn’t have seventeen million dollars.
Then another document caught her attention.
A transfer.
From Sterling Bridge to an account in Jacob’s name.
Emily’s heart pounded.
“He received money.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Alexander said.
“But he did.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Emily looked at the transfer date.
It was six weeks before Victoria returned.
She suddenly remembered something.
Jacob had told her he was working late that night.
He had lied.
She whispered:
“He met her before she came back.”
Alexander’s expression hardened.
“Exactly.”
Emily looked at him.
“They’ve been in contact for months.”
“Probably.”
“Then the breakup wasn’t sudden.”
“No.”
“It was planned.”
Alexander nodded.
Emily’s heart sank.
“What are they planning?”
Alexander answered quietly:
“To take something from me.”
“And what does that have to do with Jacob?”
“He may be the access point.”
Emily swallowed.
Before they could say more, Alexander’s phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“What?”
A pause.
Then:
“Say that again.”
He looked at Emily.
“The Blackwell family vault has been breached.”
