The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 61: Bennett Vs Lackman

The conference room was buzzing with energy as Ethan and his team gathered around the long, polished table. The air was thick with the scent of freshly brewed coffee and the faint hum of anticipation. Stacks of documents, laptops, and legal pads were scattered across the table, each person fully immersed in the details of the case.

Ethan stood at the head of the table, his sleeves rolled up and his tie slightly loosened. His sharp eyes scanned the room, taking in the faces of his associates. "Alright, let’s get started," he said, his voice calm but commanding. "This case is going to be messy, and the Shepherds are on the other side. That means we need to be airtight. No room for mistakes."

One of his associates, a young but brilliant lawyer named Danmark, leaned forward. "The Shepherd firm is going to come hard at us. They’re framing this as a clear-cut case of corporate sabotage and unethical practices. They’ll argue that our client, Mr. Lackman, used illegal means to acquire the company, which led to the emotional and financial collapse of the original owner, Mr. Harold Bennett—ultimately causing his death."

Ethan nodded, his expression thoughtful. "And their narrative is compelling. A man loses his life’s work, can’t handle the pressure, and passes away. The media is already painting Lackman as the villain. But we’re not here to win the court of public opinion. We’re here to win in the courtroom."

Another associate, Clara, chimed in. "The key is to shift the focus. Bennett’s company was already in trouble long before Lackman stepped in. We have evidence of mismanagement, mounting debts, and questionable decisions made by Bennett himself. Lackman didn’t destroy the company—he saved it from collapsing entirely."

Ethan’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Exactly. Lackman saw an opportunity to turn things around. Yes, his methods were aggressive, but they weren’t illegal. We need to prove that Bennett’s downfall was a result of his own actions, not Lackman’s."

Danmark flipped through his notes. "What about the emotional angle? They will play heavily on the fact that Bennett was a family man, a pillar of the community. They’ll argue that Lackman’s actions were heartless and predatory."

Ethan’s gaze hardened. "Then we remind the jury that business isn’t about emotions. It’s about facts. Lackman didn’t force Bennett to make poor decisions. He didn’t hold a gun to his head. Bennett’s inability to handle the pressure of his own failures isn’t Lackman’s fault."

Clara raised an eyebrow. "But we can’t come off as too cold. The jury will sympathize with Bennett. We need to humanize Lackman. Show that he’s not some corporate monster—he’s a businessman who took a risk to save a failing company and create jobs in the process."

Ethan nodded, pacing slightly as he thought. "Good point. We’ll highlight Lackman’s contributions to the community, his philanthropic efforts, and the jobs he saved by acquiring the company. We’ll paint him as a visionary, not a villain."

The room fell silent for a moment as everyone absorbed the strategy. Then Ethan clapped his hands, breaking the tension. "Alright, let’s get to work. Danmark, dig deeper into Bennett’s financial records. I want every detail of his mismanagement laid bare. Clara, work on Lackman’s public image. Find me every positive story, every charitable act, every employee who’s better off because of him. And someone get me a timeline of the acquisition process. I want to know exactly when and how Lackman made his moves."

As the team sprang into action, Ethan sat down at the table, his mind racing. This case was more than just a legal battle—it was a chess match against the Shepherds. And if Mara was somehow connected to them, this was his chance to draw her out.

He glanced at the red file sitting in front of him, a small smile playing on his lips. Let’s see how you handle this, Steve, he thought. Because this time, I’m not backing down.

___

Mara sat in the quiet Shepherd mansion, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she scrolled through her cloud storage. Files, files, and more files. It was her way of staying busy, of pretending she had some semblance of control over her life. But let’s be real—none of these files mattered anymore.

She’d quit her job at the Anderson law firm. Well, "quit" might be too formal a word. She’d basically ghosted them. No resignation letter, no goodbye email—just poof! Gone. And now here she was, surrounded by the eerie silence of the mansion, with Stanley and Stanford off gallivanting in some foreign country.

She was just starting to get into the groove of pretending to be a productive human being when—BAM!—her laptop was suddenly slammed shut and tossed aside. Mara blinked, her brain taking a second to catch up. Standing in front of her was Celeb, looking like he’d just walked out of a rom-com where he was the overly confident love interest who didn’t understand personal boundaries.

"Let’s do something more fun," Celeb announced, as if he hadn’t just committed a cardinal sin of interrupting someone’s work. "We could go out or something. Anything the princess wants," he added, grinning like he’d just won the lottery.

Mara stared at him, her eyebrows doing their best impression of a confused caterpillar. "Hey, Celeb, this is my room. You can’t just barge in like that. What if I was naked or something?" she said, half-amused, half-annoyed.

Celeb waved her off like her privacy was a minor inconvenience. "Come on, baby, you and I go way back," he said, grabbing her hand.

Mara froze. Did he just call her baby? Oh no. This was escalating faster than she thought

"We can start all over again," Celeb continued, his voice dripping with sincerity. "I’ve always loved you, even when we were kids. And even now. I love you, Stef. Nothing would make me happier than to be your husband and the father of our baby," he declared, placing his hand on her belly like he was auditioning for the role of Dad of the Year.

Mara’s eyes widened. Father of what?! Her baby already had a father, thank you very much, and his name was Ethan Anderson. Just because she was mad at Ethan didn’t mean she was looking for a replacement. She quickly swatted Celeb’s hand away like it was a pesky mosquito.

"Celeb, my baby has a father. It’s Ethan Anderson. The fact that I’m angry at Ethan doesn’t mean I want to replace him in our child’s life. And, honestly, the last thing I want is to fall in love again. I’m sure you’ll find someone who makes you happy, but I’m happy by myself," Mara said, standing up and putting some much-needed distance between them.

But Celeb wasn’t deterred. Oh no, he was just getting started. "You’re the one for me, Stef," he said, his voice full of dramatic conviction. "I’ll wait for you to see that no one will love you as much as I do, not even Ethan. I’ll never betray you. I’ve waited for you to come back, Stef."

Mara almost laughed. Waited for her? This was the same Celeb who had apparently dated half the women in the city. But she wasn’t cruel enough to laugh in his face, so she settled for a polite smile and a firm, "I want to rest, Celeb. Maybe some other time we’ll do something fun, but right now, you need to leave my room."

She opened the door, hoping he’d take the hint. Celeb, however, was not a man who took hints. "Yes, baby," he said, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on her cheek. Mara dodged it, her frown deepening. "And stop calling me baby," she snapped, shutting the door behind him with a little more force than necessary.

Leaning against the door, Mara let out a sigh. Her eyes drifted to the lilies Celeb had brought her, sitting innocently on the table. They were pretty, sure, but they also felt like a symbol of everything she didn’t want right now.

She marched over, ready to toss them out the window, but the scent hit her like a freight train. Suddenly, she was transported back to the days when Ethan would fill her car with red roses.

The memory hit like a punch to the gut—bittersweet and aching. But the worst part wasn’t the pain; it was the realization that no matter what she did, nothing would ever be the same again. She kept herself hidden, afraid the world wouldn’t understand. When everything felt destined to break, all she wanted was to remember who she used to be. Life felt like a movie, scenes slipping past her in a blur. She couldn’t even cry—the tears refused to fall. Instead, she bled, just to remind herself she was still alive.

Without thinking, Mara started pulling the petals off the lilies, one by one, lost in a sea of thoughts about what she thought were her happy days with Ethan. Each petal was a reminder of what she’d lost, what she’d walked away from, and what she still couldn’t quite let go of.