The Ex-Wife’s Billion Dollar Comeback Novel

---- Chapter 225: Dangerous Plan ~ Amelia ~ Over twenty-two years ago, Amelia and Harrison discovered that Elena was not their biological daughter. It began when Elena fell seriously ill and needed a blood transfusion. Routine cross-matching revealed that neither Amelia nor Harrison shared a compatible blood type. What started as medical confusion quickly spiraled into suspicion. until further testing confirmed the unthinkable: Elena was not their child. After confronting the hospital where Amelia gave birth, they narrowed it down to three women who delivered on the same day.

Elena and Soraya were switched. Soraya was given to Elena's parents, and Elena to hers. They never truly found out how it happened, but the hospital compensated them for the emotional damage. Elena was supposed to be a Hernandez. It took a long time for Amelia and Harrison to locate Elena's parents, but before finding them, they had already received reports from neighbors and relatives that the Hernandezes had left their child for adoption at a nearby orphanage. That was how they found Soraya. Amelia recalled the relief and the tears she shed the day she found Soraya.

After months of searching, they finally found their real daughter. "| found you, my daughter," she said, hugging Soraya back then. "I'm your mommy, and I'll take care of you from now on." Amelia was recounting the past one evening as she stared ---- out from the balcony of the master bedroom. Now that she thought about it, she admitted she had broken that promise. She left Soraya with Philip and Emily because her two daughters did not get along.

Amelia felt her chest tighten again, the same dull ache that had followed her ever since Soraya's appointment ceremony, and after noticing her indifference at the office. It wasn't anger that hurt; it was the distance. The polite tone, the lack of warmth, the way Soraya spoke to her as though she were no one. Perhaps it was guilt, or maybe the realization that Soraya had grown into everything Amelia once hoped for: a stranger. Each time she saw her daughter, so composed and untouchable, Amelia was reminded of the choices that had led them here.

She failed as a mother, traded love for convenience, and now, Soraya no longer looked at her with longing, but with nothing at all. "Amelia?" Harrison called from behind. "Elena is out with her friends. She said she'll be back after midnight." She turned and found her husband carrying a stack of documents. They sat together before the coffee table on their balcony. Harrison said, "The private investigator | hired to look into Soraya confirmed everything." Her husband flipped through the papers and showed her all the business registrations under Soraya's name.

He added, " She did a good job for herself. And Philip's company? It's becoming one of the leading investment firms in the state. Philip is expanding and opening an office in Aurelia." "Did you know that Philip taught her how to trade?" Harrison ---- asked. Amelia shook her head. "I did not even expect her to be very sharp in business." "| heard she was smart. And you remember when Soraya had those occupational therapies. Her teachers always said she was exceptional in math and analyzing patterns," Harrison shared. Amelia nodded.

"Yes, | remember now." "| guess her being married to Calum only held her back," Harrison remarked. "She did well for herself, and the PI's report suggested she had very little help from Jacob in her business ventures." "Then," Amelia thought bitterly, "it's a shame we can't stand beside her and call her our daughter." Harrison and Amelia looked at each other. Regret flashed in their eyes. Amelia now wished she could have done a better job mediating the quarrels between Elena and Soraya when they were children.

eee ~ Elena ~ Meanwhile, at Crimson Eight, Elena slowly gulped down a glass of wine while seated alone on a couch. All her friends were dancing under the disco lights. Only she was not in the mood. The bar she was at was dim and intimate, perfect for whispered plans and hidden intentions. Matt Alvarez walked over with the easy confidence of someone accustomed to being sought after. He said, "Hey, ---- gorgeous. Why the long face?" Matt was one of New Avenport's most eligible bachelors: young, wealthy, and dangerously easy on the eyes.

With his dark hair and sun-kissed skin, he could have walked straight out of a glossy magazine. Not Calum Montclair or Jacob Steel, of course, but handsome enough. That should have soothed her. Instead, it only sharpened the ache. Elena bit the inside of her cheek. The thought of Soraya again ignited something hot and ugly inside her. Jealousy tasted like metal on her tongue. "You're upset, aren't you?" Matt said, reading her as he always did. He leaned in, the faint scent of his cologne close to her ear. "Tell me. How can | help?" He kissed her cheek, his voice low and casual.

"You know I'll do anything for you." Matt was one of Elena's on-and-off admirers. They'd slept together a few times, but Matt was not interested in a committed relationship. She studied him carefully. Matt's family was one of Dalton Realty's clients; they owned the twenty-story building across town, managed by the company. He had access, influence, and the kind of loyalty she could buy. Asmile curved Elena's lips. "Actually," she said slowly and deliberately, "there is something you could do for me." She leaned forward and whispered into his ear.

Matt's eyes widened a fraction; his breath hitched. "That's dangerous," he warned, a thrill and a warning in his voice. ---- "It comes with a great prize." Elena traced a slow line along her cleavage as she spoke, the motion a practiced lure. "Trust me. We'll be covered. We just need to plan it right." Matt swallowed. For a brief moment, the noise of the bar faded, leaving only the two of them in a quiet, secret understanding. A dangerous plan was about to take shape, but neither of them realized that the woman they were plotting against was far sharper than they could ever imagine.