Chapter 262

No.1

Elisa gripped the leather steering wheel of the black sedan. She merged onto the Long Island Expressway,pushing the accelerator down until the engine roared.

Her phone vibrated violently on the passenger seat.The screen lit up with Thorne's name.

Elisa pressed the Bluetooth button on the dashboard.

"Pull the car over at the next exit," Thorne commanded. His voice filled the cabin, leaving no room for argument. "There is a coffee shop. I have something I must give you immediately."

Elisa's eyebrows pulled together. A pulse of irritation hit her temple, but she flicked her turn signal and guided the heavy car down the off-ramp. She pulled into the empty outdoor parking lot of a small diner and shifted into park.

Five minutes later, a silver Aston Martin glided into the spot next to hers.

No.2

Thorne pushed his door open. He wore a dark wool overcoat that caught the autumn wind. He walked over to her rolled-down window and handed her a small, black velvet box.

Elisa took the box. The velvet felt heavy in her palm.She popped the lid open.

A massive, antique brooch rested on a bed of white satin. It was forged from platinum and encrusted with rare, blinding blue diamonds. The sheer monetary value of the object made her breath catch in her throat.

"This is the secondary token for Kayden's trust fund," Thorne explained, his dark eyes locking onto hers."Wear it. It signals to anyone who matters that you operate under the protection of my family."

Elisa felt the physical weight of the diamonds. She snapped the box shut and slid it carefully into her leather handbag. "Thank you."

"The process of adding my name to Kayden's legal guardianship and trust documents is hitting bureaucratic walls," Thorne shifted the topic, his tone turning clinical. "Where exactly is the bottleneck with

No.3

your divorce decree?"

Elisa let out a harsh breath. "Germaine intercepted the mail from the family court. August has no idea the final decree was even generated."

Thorne's jaw tightened. A dangerous shadow crossed his face. "Do you need me to deploy my legal team? We can raid the estate's records."

"No," Elisa rejected the offer instantly. "If outside counsel breaches the estate, Germaine will shred the original document out of spite."

She looked straight through the windshield at the Manhattan skyline in the distance. "I have to confront August face-to-face. I have to make him call the court and verify the decree himself."

Thorne studied her profile for a long second.He took a step back from the car. "Good luck. If the situation degrades, press the back of the brooch. It houses a GPS tracker."

No.4

Elisa nodded. She rolled up the window, shifted the car into drive, and sped directly toward Midtown Manhattan.

She pulled into the underground parking garage of the Chambers Tower. She walked to the private executive elevator and pressed her thumb against the scanner. A harsh red light flashed. Access Denied. Of course. The moment she filed for divorce,Germaine would have purged her fromn the system.

Elisa didn't blink. She turned on her heel and marched directly to the main security desk. The head guard stepped forward, looking uncomfortable.

"Mrs. Chambers, I'm sorry, but your clearance..."

"Inform August that Elisa Wilder is here to discuss the terms of his mother's blackmail," Elisa cut him off, her voice ringing with absolute authority. "He has five minutes before I call the press and explain exactly why the CEO's wife was locked out of her own husband's building."

The guard swallowed hard and reached for his phone. Three minutes later, a nervous assistant escorted her into a guest elevator.

No.5

The steel doors slid open silently on the sixty-eighth floor. Elisa stepped out. Her flat shoes sank into the thick, sound-absorbing wool carpet.

She walked down the quiet corridor. Asshe rounded the corner near the executive suites, a low, harsh voice stopped her.

Elisa stepped behind a massive potted fern. She looked through the green fronds.

August stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows. He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. His back was to her. He held a phone to his ear, issuing a brutal termination order to a division head.

The sheer arrogance in his posture sent a violent cramp through Elisa's stomach. Her digestive tract twisted in a familiar, biological reaction to his presence.

August ended the call. He turned around. His dark,predatory eyes instantly locked onto Elisa standing near the plant.

No.6

His pupils contracted. A flash of genuine surprise hit his features, quickly masked by a wall of cold defense.

"What are you doing here?" August demanded.His voice was freezing. "You do not belong on this floor anymore."

Elisa stepped out from behind the fern. She kept her spine completely rigid. She walked toward him,stopping ten feet away.

"I am here to collect what belongs to me, August,"Elisa stated. Her voice carried zero emotional fluctuation.

August narrowed his eyes. A cruel smirk twisted his lips. "What exactly do you own that isn't paid for by my family?"

Elisa closed the distance by one step. She stared directly into his dark eyes.

No.7

"My freedom," Elisa said. "Hand over the divorce decree."

(The Unwanted Wife is A Zillionasre