Chapter 136 Reclaiming What Was Hers

"That fast?" Eira asked. She was still surprised by how quickly the investigation had moved.

Professor Davies adjusted his glasses. "Nothing’s official yet. But the Institute has seen plenty of important visitors these past few days. Some even flew in from D.C."

Eira understood. The case had attracted attention from people who mattered.

Claire folded her arms. "And the computer Serena accessed wasn’t assigned to Eira. Professor Davies and I both used it for research records and internal reports."

"That makes Serena’s case harder to prove," Davies said. "She may avoid serious criminal charges. Winthrop is in a worse position, but unless prosecutors can prove fraud or a major federal violation, he probably won’t lose everything."

"Serena’s reputation won’t recover," Claire said. "No reputable institute will want her."

Eira nodded. "That’s about what I expected."

The law might not be able to do much to Serena.

But Alpha Sebastian had used their marital money to buy her an apartment, a car, and expensive jewelry. That was a separate issue, and one Eira had almost forgotten to address.

She pulled out her phone and called Susan.

"Susan, it’s Eira."

"Dr. Crawford. I saw the news. What do you need?"

"Sebastian and I are divorced. The judgment is final. He spent a large amount of money on Serena while we were married. Can I still pursue those assets?"

Susan paused. "If he used marital funds and failed to disclose the transfers during the divorce, possibly. We would need to review your final financial disclosures and trace where the money came from."

"I’ll gather everything I have and send it over. I’ll leave the legal side to you."

"You got it. Once I’ve reviewed the records, I’ll tell you what we can do."

Eira ended the call.

--

The Hale Estate.

Isabella’s routine had barely changed, but Alpha Roger and Luna Margaret had spent the morning sitting in uneasy silence.

Alpha Roger regretted letting Eira talk him into filing for divorce. He still had no idea how to break the news to Alpha Sebastian.

Luna Margaret had a different problem.

For four years, Eira had lived off Alpha Sebastian’s money. Now that she had a career and money of her own, Luna Margaret couldn’t understand why she wasn’t putting any of that success back into the Hale family.

As far as Luna Margaret was concerned, Serena was still the better match.

"Mom, Dad, I’m heading out."

Isabella came downstairs with her purse over one shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Luna Margaret called.

The front door slammed before Isabella answered.

A Bentley Continental GT waited at the curb. Serena was behind the wheel, already lowering the passenger window.

"Bella, get in."

Isabella climbed inside. "We’re picking up my stuff from my brother’s place, then heading to the stables?"

"Yep."

Serena pulled away from the curb.

"Thanks for coming with me," she said. "I didn’t want to bother Sebastian. He’s been buried in work lately. I still feel bad that I couldn’t help him land that contract."

"Seriously?" Isabella scoffed. "That wasn’t your fault. Eira had what we needed and refused to help. She basically handed the deal to Sterling."

That was the story the Hales knew.

Carter Group had buried the real reasons behind the failed bid, especially Alpha Sebastian’s involvement with Serena. By the time the truth had turned into office gossip, none of it had reached the Hale family.

To them, Serena was still the sweet, beautiful woman who had always stood by Alpha Sebastian.

When they reached Alpha Sebastian’s building, Serena glanced at Isabella.

"You can get us upstairs, right?"

"Obviously. I know the access code."

As they walked inside, Isabella shook her head.

"Eira is so damn cheap. My brother’s a CEO, and she still has him living in a place like this. She controlled every dollar he spent. I swear, he completely lost his mind."

Serena said nothing.She kept her eyes on the elevator doors.

They pulled into the garage. Alpha Sebastian had two assigned parking spaces.

One was empty.

A car sat in the other beneath a dust cover.

Isabella stopped. "What the hell is that?"

She grabbed the edge of the cover and pulled it back.

Serena froze.

A Volcano Gray Porsche Panamera sat underneath.

Her fingers tightened around her purse.

For months, she had been an authorized user on Alpha Sebastian’s main credit-card account. Just yesterday, she had noticed that more than half of the available credit was suddenly gone.

That was why she had come.

Alpha Sebastian had never cared about sports cars.

So why had he suddenly bought one?

And why this particular model?

"Bella, leave it for now." Serena forced a smile and stepped out of the Bentley. "Let’s go upstairs. We still have the stables."

--

At the apartment door, Isabella punched in the access code and let them inside.

The place looked exactly as it always had. Serena made a quick show of checking the living room, then slipped down the hall and opened the door to Alpha Sebastian’s bedroom.

She stopped cold.

Behind the glass closet doors hung rows of women’s clothes. There were so many that they took up half the closet, sharing the space with Alpha Sebastian’s suits and casual clothes.

The last time Serena had been there, the entire closet had belonged to Alpha Sebastian. Eira’s few things had been pushed into one corner.

Serena slid one of the doors open and checked the tags.

Brand-new clothes.

All of them looked expensive.

"Oh, my God!" Isabella shouted from the next room.

Serena found her in the guest room.

It had been completely redone. Clothing racks lined the walls, organized by type. Handbags and shoes sat behind glass display doors. The room wasn’t packed with designer pieces, but it had clearly been designed for one person.

This was where Isabella and Serena used to stay when they visited. Even the old pullout couch was gone, replaced by a stylish sofa.

Serena stared at the room, her jaw tightening.

Alpha Sebastian had finally started spending money on Eira.

That thought stung more than it should have.

"Has Eira lost it?" Isabella complained. "She used to pinch every penny, and now she’s blowing through Sebastian’s money like there’s no tomorrow. Does she even know how much this stuff costs?"

Isabella barely looked at the clothes. Her attention had already locked onto two handbags behind the glass.

Serena noticed the way her eyes lingered on them.

She stepped closer and lowered her voice."That one would look great on you."