Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart by Hayley

Chapter 20 Richard POV.

I sat in my office, staring at the market reports on my desk. Sales were steady, but something felt off.

There was this new company, 'Vitalé Wellness,' that had cout of nowhere, eating into our market share.

It was small at first, just a blip, but now... it was getting hard to ignore.

"Who the hell are these people?" I muttered to myself, flipping through the pages. Vitalé was different.

They weren't just another supplement brand; they were doing something new, something that was catching people's attention.

My phone buzzed. It was Clara. She was the marketing director and was supposed to have more information about this new player. "Got a minute?" I asked, already feeling the irritation creeping in.

"Sure, Sir?" Clara's voice cthrough the line, calm and collected as always.

"Have you seen the latest market reports?" I asked. "There's a company called Vitalé Wellness. They're becoming a real problem." "Yeah, I've seen them," Clara replied. "They've been making ssmart moves, integrating tech with wellness. It's a different angle." "Different angle," I repeated, annoyed. "What do they think this is, Silicon Valley? We've been doing this for years. How is snew startup getting ahead?" "They're not just sstartup, Mr. Wright," Clara said. "They've got a solid strategy. Personalized supplements, smart tech... It's what the market's looking for right now." I rubbed my temples. "So what do we do about it? Just sit back and watch them steal our market?" "Relax, sir" Clara said. "We've been through this before. We need to adapt. Maybe we take a closer look at what they're doing, and see if there's something we can use to our advantage." I hated this. The idea that snew company could just waltz in and start taking over.

But Clara was right. We had to figure out what made them so special.

"Fine," I said. "But find out more about them. Who's behind this Vitalé? I want to know everything. Maybe we can buy them out or something." "Already on it," Clara assured me. "I'll have a full report by the end of the week." I hung up and leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. Vitalé Wellness. The nalone madewant to crush something.

They were playing a different game, one that I wasn't used to. But I wasn't about to let them take over without a fight.

I glanced back at the reports. Vitalé was gaining ground fast. Their products were everywhere-ads, social media, even those wellness blogs that everyone seemed to follow now. They had skind oftoo, something that tracked user health and tailored supplement recommendations. It was clever, I had to admit.

"Damn it," I muttered. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. I had a plan, a trajectory. Then out of nowhere comes this company, making everything look... old. Stale. Clara's words echoed in my head. Adapt. It was easier said than done. We'd built our brand on tradition, on solid, reliable products.

Now, consumers want data, tech, and personalization. They wanted something new.

But who the hell was behind all of this? How did they cup with this approach so quickly? And why did it feel like they were targeting my company specifically? I shook my head. Maybe I was just being paranoid. It was just business. Nothing personal.

But still, I couldn't shake the feeling that Vitalé knew exactly where to hit to make it hurt. And I out how.

was going to find As I drove home, my mind was still tangled in thoughts about Vitalé Wellness. By the tI pulled into the driveway, the sun was dipping below the horizon.

I just wanted to unwind, maybe have a quiet dinner, and figure out my next move.

When I walked in, Susan was already in the living room, flipping through sglossy magazine. She looked up with a bright smile that didn't quite match my mood. "Richard, guess what?" she chirped, her voice a little too bright for my mood.

"There's a charity gala next weekend, and I think it's the perfect place to show off my new ring. You know, tell everyone who cares to listen that I'm your fiancee." I felt my jaw tighten. Not now. I didn't want to hear about sparty or that ring. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice calm. "Susan, not now. I've had a long day." But she just kept going, oblivious. "Oh, con, Richard! It'll be fun. Everyone's going to be there, and I want to make sure we have the best table. It'll be a great chance to network and-" "I said not now!" I snapped, louder than I intended. The words echoed through the room.

She stared at me, wide-eyed, as if I had slapped her. "Do you have any idea what kind of day I've had? Do you think I care about sparty or where we can show off your damn ring?" Her mouth opened and closed, but no words cout. She was shocked, and honestly, so was I. I'd never yelled at her like this before. But I couldn't stop myself. The stress of the day, the frustration, it all cpouring out.

"While you're here planning parties, I'm trying to keep my company from going under! There's a competitonout there gunning thing for us, and all you can think about is where to throw a party?" "Richard," she finally managed to say, her voice shaky, "I... I didn't know. You never tellabout these things." "Because this isn't your concern!" I shot back, feeling my anger rising again. "This is my problem to deal with. Not yours. Not anyone else's." She just stood there, stunned, tears welling up in her eyes. "I... I am sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking.

I turned away, rubbing my face. This wasn't how tonight was supposed to go. But now, the damage was done.

I couldn't take back the words, the anger. All I wanted was a moment of peace, and now everything felt like it was spiraling out of control. "Look," I muttered, trying to calm myself, "I'm just... I'm under a lot of pressure right now, okay? I need stto think.

Alone." She nodded, her eyes cast downward. "I understand," she said quietly, turning away. "I'II... I'll be upstairs if you need me." I watched her walk up the stairs, feeling a mix of guilt and irritation. This wasn't her fault, not really.

But I couldn't deal with her excitement right now. Not when everything felt like it was crumbling around me.

I sank into the couch, rubbing my temples. I needed to get a grip. I needed to figure out how to handle Vitalé and everything else.