Page 29 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

Seated around the oval glass table are Aurenza’s shareholders on one side: Dante and Gaspard Peltier, representing minority investment fund Axiom Ventures, along with their attorneys.

On the other side sit three executives from Ciphera Corp, including its CEO, Hector Wald.

And at the far end of the table, standing beside a presentation screen, Bianca freezes in the middle of her presentation.

I let the silence stretch, heavy and deliberate, before speaking.

“Sorry to interrupt, but what you’re about to sign directly concerns me.”

My voice remains calm and steady despite the storm raging inside me.

Bianca is the first to recover.

“Valeria,” she says warmly. “What are you doing here?” Her tone softens further. “You should’ve told me you were coming. I would’ve made time for you.”

Her voice is perfectly calibrated: concerned, affectionate, touched with just enough reproach.

Despite myself, I glance toward Dante.

He’s watching us both, his expression unreadable.

Is he buying her performance?

But Bianca isn’t finished.

She turns toward the table with a faintly embarrassed smile, as though apologizing to the room for an interruption beyond her control.

“I’m truly sorry about this interruption,” she says smoothly. “Valeria has been away for a very long time. She doesn’t understand what’s happening here. She’s still... trying to catch up.”

Hector Wald and his associates nod with polite restraint.

Bianca turns back toward me and lowers her voice slightly—not enough to avoid being overheard, just enough to create the illusion of a private conversation.

“Listen,” she says gently, “you can see we’re in the middle of a meeting. This really isn’t the time or place. Maybe we can discuss this later?”

Without taking my eyes off Dante, I answer:

“I’m not here to reconnect, tempting as that might be.”

She blinks at the sarcasm but recovers quickly.

“Be reasonable, Valeria. You can’t just walk into a meeting you weren’t invited to after disappearing for two years. That’s not how this works. You know that better than anyone.”

“You’re right,” I say evenly. “That’s not how this works.”

She blinks again, caught off guard.

“That’s why I didn’t come alone. This is Hugo Perez, my attorney.”

“You are no longer part of this company,” Gaspard Peltier cuts in sharply. “Your shares were transferred to Mr. Ivanov following the legal declaration of your death—”

“A declaration which is now legally voidable,” Hugo interrupts calmly. “Ms. Delorme is alive. Under Article 92 of the French Civil Code, the declaration of death is subject to automatic revocation. A petition has already been filed before the Paris Judicial Court. Pending the court’s decision, all asset transfers—including the transfer of corporate shares—are legally disputed and subject to cancellation.”

He removes a folder from his briefcase and slides it across the table toward Dante.

“You’ll find a copy of the petition here, along with formal notice requiring all parties to suspend any sale, merger, or funding agreement involving the transfer of rights tied to Aurenza Biotech’s assets until the matter is judicially resolved.”

A tense stillness lingers in the air.