Chapter 8

ALEXANDER

I loosened my tie the second I crossed the threshold of my home, tension knotted so deeply in my shoulders it felt like a band threatening to snap. I’d finally closed the deal with the Grahams. It was a victory I’d been working toward for years, and yet, standing here, it was the last thing I wanted to celebrate. No, that triumph was hollow now, muted by the sight of her—Raina. The way she looked at me, daring me to challenge her, defy her. She had the audacity to show up so casually, like she hadn’t abandoned everything, like she hadn’t walked out on our son.

And she wasn’t the woman I’d once known. Gone was the softness, the eagerness to please, the quiet smiles. She stood before me with all the poise and confidence I’d grown to despise, cold and cutting as a blade. And yet… it was almost invigorating, in a way that tore me up inside.

I was barely two steps in when my mother’s shrill voice tore through the silence. "Alexander! Are we now among the elite