How To Lose Your Billionaire Alpha Husband In 365 Days (Or Less)!-Chapter 55: Olive Branch or Knife?...

JASMINE’S POV

"We need to talk to the board," I said after a few moments. "If I confront Vale directly, he’ll deny everything. But if I show them the files, let them read the will, the contracts... they’ll have no choice but to back off."

Aiden didn’t move from where he stood. "You want to confront them today?"

"Not yet." I leaned back in my chair. "But I want a list. Every board member Vale’s brought in over the last ten years. Who replaced who. Who owes him. Who’s loyal to him. Who’s vulnerable."

"You’re building a war room," Aiden said, eyes narrowing slightly.

I looked at him. "No. I’m building a trap."

He smirked. "And people call me dangerous."

"Good. Let them," I replied. "Fear makes people hesitate. And hesitation buys us time."

Aiden crossed his arms and nodded, visibly approving. But there was something in his eyes, something simmering just under the surface. I couldn’t name it. Yet.

A soft knock made us both turn.

Lisa peeked in again. "Sorry. Kaiden just arrived. He’s waiting in the lounge."

I stood. "Bring him in."

"On it."

Aiden walked to the side, pacing slowly, jaw tight.

"You okay?" I asked.

He didn’t answer at first.

"Aiden?"

He stopped, turned to me. "Daniel’s right."

I frowned. "About what?"

"You’re in the middle of a war. But it’s not just about business anymore. You saw what’s in that flash drive... what we discovered in your mind... your parents knew something. Something big. They didn’t just die, Jasmine. They were hunted."

I stiffened.

He walked over, stopping in front of me. "The seal. The blood moon. Whatever your mother was hiding, the prophecy’s not done with you."

"I know," I said, quieter now. "But I’m not afraid."

He nodded.

Then, softer, "Maybe you should be."

I stared at him, trying to read the weight behind his words. But before I could speak, Kaiden entered with a black folder clutched in one hand.

"Sorry to interrupt your brooding," he said. "But you’re going to want to see this."

He placed the folder on my desk and flipped it open.

I scanned the documents. My father’s handwriting stared back at me. It was a letter. Addressed to me.

Jasmine,

If you are reading this, then I am already gone. I am sorry that we were not able to tell you the truth sooner, but the world is not as simple as it once seemed.

I have built Heart Enterprises as more than a company—it is a haven and a legacy, and it is yours.

The rest blurred through my tears, but I kept reading, drinking it in like lifeblood.

"Jasmine?" Aiden said gently, brushing my arm.

I didn’t look up. "He planned everything. He trusted me with it. Not Vale. Not the board. Me."

Kaiden spoke up, "There’s more. The letter hints at something he buried beneath the old headquarters. A vault, maybe. Perhaps it could be a room dedicated to memories. He said only someone of Heart blood can access it."

I blinked. "A vault?"

"Maybe more files," Kaiden said. "Or something else. He didn’t write it clearly, but there’s a phrase here: ’The lunar inheritance lies where the moon first touched stone.’"

Aiden’s head snapped up. "The foundation site."

Kaiden nodded. "Exactly. The site where Heart Enterprises was originally built, before they moved operations to this tower."

I sat in stunned silence.

"Whatever’s in that vault," Kaiden said, "your father didn’t want just anyone finding it."

Aiden glanced at me. "We need to go there."

I nodded once. "Tonight."

Kaiden closed the folder. "I’ll prep the car. We’ll go under the radar."

He left, the air still buzzing with electricity in his wake.

I turned to Aiden. "You’re too quiet."

He gave me a faint smile. "Just watching you take your throne."

"I haven’t won yet."

"No," he said. "But you’re making everyone realise it already belonged to you."

I exhaled. "That’s the problem. The people who think it didn’t... are the ones with the most to lose."

Aiden was about to give a response when Lisa knocked again.

"Another one?" I muttered under my breath. "Please tell me it’s not Daniel."

Lisa stepped in, clutching her tablet with a slightly nervous expression. "No, ma’am. A board member. She didn’t make an appointment, but she says it’s urgent. Name’s Marissa Chambers."

That name stirred something old in my memory. "Marissa Chambers..." I echoed, already standing. "She knew my father, didn’t she?"

Lisa nodded. "She was one of the original investors when Heart Enterprises was still a single building and an ambitious idea."

I looked at Aiden. His brow arched.

"She’s probably here fishing," he said. "Checking which side of the line you fall on."

"Or offering an olive branch," I said.

"Or wrapping the olive branch around a knife."

I sighed. "Tell Kairav to wait a bit. This might be useful."

Lisa nodded and disappeared.

Aiden’s jaw tightened. "You want me to stay?"

I shook my head. "She’ll talk more freely if it’s just me."

He didn’t look thrilled, but he nodded. "I’ll be outside."

I took a deep breath, smoothed the front of my blouse, and stepped into the smaller conference room where Lisa had seated Marissa.

The older woman rose as I entered, offering a hand. "Jasmine Heart. You’ve grown into your father’s eyes."

I blinked. "You knew him?"

"Knew him," she said, sitting back down. "Believed in him when all he had was a vision and a stubborn streak."

I smiled faintly. "Sounds familiar."

She chuckled. "You’re still sharp, good. This world needs less fluff and more iron." Her eyes twinkled, but her expression turned serious. "I came because I heard rumors. About Vale. About the board. About you."

"And?"

"I wanted to see for myself who was sitting in that chair now. And if she was worth betting on again."

I folded my hands on the table. "And? Verdict?"

She smiled. "Still deciding. But what I will tell you is this: I stayed on the board all these years because of your father. Not Vale. When Graham died, and Vale stepped in, I assumed it was temporary... then the power grabbed him like a fever."

I nodded slowly. "He never intended to let go."

"No," she said. "And people like Vale? They don’t step down. They wait to be removed."