THE BILLIONAIRE'S VENGEFUL WIFE RETURNS

The next morning, Harlow woke to the relentless ringing of her cell phone. She groaned and glanced at the screen. It was a call from her father, the last person she wanted to hear from.

Without hesitation, she silenced the call and tossed the phone aside. She had no intention of answering. The events of the previous night were still fresh, the pain raw and unrelenting. Forgetting or forgiving wasn’t an option.

As Harlow stepped out of her room, she was greeted by Ava, who had a worried expression on her face.

"Miss Harlow I heard everything that happened to you on the news, are you sure you’re really okay? Frank has not always been like this but it seems money and power have blinded his eyes so much that he forgets what family is about." Ava spoke in a flurry, barely pausing for breath.

Harlow gave a faint smile, masking her emotions with practiced ease. "Good morning, Ava," she replied warmly. Even though she was hurting deeply, she knew how to wear a smile that seemed genuine. It was a skill she had perfected over the years.

"Miss Harlow, are you really okay?" Ava pressed again, following her down the stairs. She had wanted to accompany Harlow the night before, but Harlow hadn’t included her in the plans. Perhaps an extra pair of watchful eyes could have spotted Frank’s scheme in time.

"I’m perfectly fine, Ava. What’s for breakfast?" Harlow asked, steering the conversation away from her pain.

As they reached the kitchen, Richie greeted her first. "Good morning, boss," he said cautiously. His tone betrayed the lingering anger from last night. None of them had slept well after Frank’s blatant theft of everything they’d worked so hard for.

"Good morning," Harlow replied her tone light despite the heavy atmosphere.

Richie studied her smile, the only calm face in the room. "Have you checked the news this morning?" Harlow asked suddenly, turning to the butler.

"No, ma’am," the butler replied, reaching for the remote. "Anything in particular you’d like to know?"

"The news should be interesting today," she said, a knowing smile curling her lips.

Elena, seated nearby, narrowed her eyes at Harlow’s expression and immediately searched her phone. Her jaw dropped before a slow smile spread across her face.

"Boss," Elena said, chuckling softly, "you’re unbelievable."

Richie and Edward both turned to her, confused, before quickly checking their own devices. Edward was the first to react. "The Blackwood empire is crumbling," he said, disbelief coloring his tone.

Richie’s eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

Ava, who was completely lost, looked between them. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

Edward grinned, shaking his head in awe. "The moment Frank sold those jewels for five billion, someone hacked into their systems. Over 70% of the company’s software is completely down, data wiped, servers compromised. It’s chaos over there."

Elena added, "Whoever did this didn’t just rattle them. They crippled them. Their entire infrastructure is collapsing."

Harlow smiled serenely, taking a sip of her coffee. They couldn’t believe it, Harlow blackwood, took down the Blackwood empire in a single night.

They were all marveled. Never have they seen such.

Just who is this woman casually sipping her coffee after taking down a multi-billion enterprise? It was all over the news, but Frank had yet to give a statement or address the issue.

The mighty proud man had been reduced to nothing.

Harlow was still on her coffee when her cell phone beeped. It was a message from Lance, her father’s assistant. He was texting her and pleading for her assistance. Harlow smiled, these people don’t deserve her at all.

She could already imagine the commotion going on there. Harlow placed her cup of coffee on the table and walked back into her room. She stepped into the bathroom to freshen up and then got dressed before stepping out of the room.

She turned on her cell phone again and texted Layla. "Let’s meet at your office today." Lay didn’t waste any time to respond. "Okay."

"Where to boss," Richie asked as he also stepped out of the kitchen.

"In going for a walk." He stared at his boss in awe. She’s going for a walk and is all dressed like she’s attending a special event.

Harlow stepped inside her car and drove off. She didn’t have the time to wait for the chauffeur as always to drive her around. She needed to get something done and quickly.

She drove through the city quietly, until she arrived before a large building. It was a paper print company. The largest in the city, and it belongs to Layla’s family. She started working for her family business the moment she was done with college.

This is the dream Harlow wanted, but her father will never let her have it. He would always shun her whenever she suggested working for him. He sees women as nothing but dress-up dolls that should sit around all day wearing heavy makeup and waiting for a husband.

Harlow had once believed it and dressed up to be married by Alanis in her past life, but after seeing the future that awaited her, she decided to make a name for herself instead. Getting married is the last thing on her mind.

"Welcome to Vlade print press." Someone welcomed her the moment she stepped in. Even if they were still in an age where people no longer read from news outlets and magazines, Vlade print press has been able to adapt to the new system in so many ways, all thanks to Layla. And they have succeeded massively.

At least, Lay’s father believes and trusts her.

"Harlow," Layla called from behind and she met her gaze.

"Come, come, I’ve been trying to reach you since last night." They started walking towards the elevator. "How are you feeling my dear friend?" Lay started.

"Great and you?" Harlow asked with a smile, but her friend didn’t respond. She only stared at Harlow pitifully.

"Poor thing." She muttered. Her best friend was practically an orphan now. She has no mother and her father hates her so much.

"My mother had been present at the auction last night." Lay started. "She saw everything herself. Are you sure you’re okay Hal?" Harlow nodded.

"I’m perfectly fine Lay, you have nothing to worry about," Harlow said as they stepped inside the elevator. In no time, they arrived at her office.

"I’m really so sorry for everything Harl, you don’t deserve this treatment at all." Lay started.

"Father is a greedy man, it’s understandable why he stole from his daughter. But that’s not the reason I’m here. I want to do an interview about last night. I want what happened to be on the news."