“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll step aside for Jeremy. He likes me, not a useless old woman like you,” Irene said while glaring at me.
I’d heard of Irene before. My husband, Jeremy Chastan, had sponsored her studies. She graduated half a year ago and got hired by Jeremy as his assistant.
There had been office rumors for a long time, but I trusted Jeremy’s character. I never expected Irene to confront me personally, demanding I give up and let her take my place.
She wasn’t even worthy to compete with me. She provoked me, but I ignored her and called Jeremy instead.
“Come home immediately.”
After hanging up, I looked at Irene. “Jeremy will be back soon. Let him choose. If he picks you, I’ll quit. How about that?”
“Heh…”
She sneered coldly, “I gave you a chance to leave with dignity, but you chose to humiliate yourself. Then wait until Jeremy comes back, but don’t cry then.”
I gave a faint smile and stayed silent.
Half an hour later, Jeremy came back.
——
Irene looked at Jeremy and said sweetly, “Jeremy, she said if you choose me, she’ll quit. Tell her who you choose.”
I looked at Jeremy with a faint smile. I trusted him and knew exactly what he would choose. I had every confidence in this matter.
The next second, Jeremy placed divorce papers in front of me. “Sign these.”
My smile stiffened. It was probably the most awkward one I’d ever given.
Moments earlier, I had been so confident that Jeremy would choose me without hesitation. I had arrogantly assumed Irene was just a little brat, not even worthy of competing with me.
The reality slapped me hard in the face. I felt like a clown, so ridiculous and pathetic. Staring at the divorce papers Jeremy placed in front of me, my chest felt heavy and I could barely breathe.
Eight years of dating, five years of marriage and thirteen years of love were gone instantly.
I didn’t argue or cause a scene. I quickly pulled myself and silently picked up the divorce papers.
Reading the divorce terms made my heart restless again.
“Divorce with nothing?”
I put down the papers and looked at Jeremy. “Do you think it’s fair to ask me to leave the house with nothing?”
My voice rose several octaves. “You betrayed our marriage and now want to take all the assets? Do you think I’m weak and easy to bully, Jeremy?”
Irene looked at me with a mocking smile. “What? All these years you’ve eaten his food, lived in his house, spent his money and now you want part of his assets? Don’t you have any shame?”
“Is it your turn to speak?” I glared at Irene.
“Jeremy, she’s being mean to me. Make her sign the divorce papers and get out.”
Jeremy gently touched her cheek, a gesture he often did to me. Now, it made me sick.
He finally focused on me after murmuring a few words to comfort her. “Irene may be blunt, but she’s telling the truth. I won’t ask you to repay what I’ve spent on you over the years. Just sign the divorce papers and we’ll be done.”
What a bullshit! I stared straight into Jeremy’s eyes, finding no trace of regret.
His coldness froze my heart. Forcing myself to stay calm, I said, “Think carefully and repeat what you just said.”
Jeremy repeated without hesitation, “We’re done. Sign it.”
I crumpled the divorce papers into a ball and threw them at his face. “We’ll get divorced, but you’re leaving with nothing. My lawyer will contact you shortly.”
I stood up and walked out, unwilling to glance at those two again.
I had given Jeremy a chance. Even if we split the assets equally, I was willing to let it go for the sake of our years together. But he had crossed the line.
He wanted the divorce, but also to keep every last bit of the assets.
“Jeremy, what are you doing?” I was about to leave when someone suddenly rushed in.
My mother-in-law came and grabbed my hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this for you.”
She pulled me back to my seat. I would definitely get a divorce, but I had to consider my mother-in-law’s feelings. Her health wasn’t good.
I sat down again as she poured me a cup of tea. “Dear, don’t worry, I won’t let Jeremy divorce you.”
She looked at Jeremy and Irene. “What did I tell you both?”
“Jeremy, have you forgotten who cared for me during my three years of illness? It was Lily who looked after me nonstop. Have you forgotten all that?”
“The doctors all said it was all thanks to Lily’s excellent care that I recovered from my illness.”
I hadn’t cried when Jeremy chose Irene, but tears uncontrollably fell when my mother-in-law said this.
“Mum, how do we register the child?” Jeremy looked at his mom.
The child?
I frowned.
Irene gently placed her hand on her belly, looking at me with a winning smile.
Having a child was always a painful issue for Jeremy and me. We’d seen many doctors and they all said Jeremy was infertile.
It seems Irene agreed to that. If that’s the case, she truly deserved to be chosen by Jeremy and I was the one who was unworthy.
As I remained silent, my mother-in-law took my hand again. “Lily, you’re the most sensible one.”
She wiped my tears away. “How about this? Sign the divorce papers. Don’t worry, you’ll always be my eldest daughter-in-law in my heart and you don’t have to leave this family.”
“I promise your standard of living won’t change. Once Irene has the baby, you can help her. You know my health is not strong enough to raise a child and I don’t trust anyone else to do it.”
“The doctors all say you’re the best at caring for others. I’m sure you can take good care of the child.”
I pulled my hand away from my mother-in-law. Thinking about how I’d just cried over her supposed kindness made me feel sick.
What a perfect act! We were divorcing but staying in the same house, which meant that they wanted me to be their free nanny.
I stood up and looked at Jeremy. “I’ll give you three days to revise the divorce agreement. If you insist on leaving me with nothing, I’ll seek justice in my own way.”
“Lily, I am speaking up for you. How can you be so ungrateful?”
My mother-in-law’s expression turned cold. “Without Jeremy, how would you survive?Will you still have the living conditions you have now?”
“Given Jeremy’s current status, having multiple wives is perfectly reasonable.”
“Besides, Irene’s pregnancy is a blessing. She doesn’t mind you staying in the house. Why are you making such a fuss?”
I’m making a fuss? We’d gone off track, so I turned and walked out.
“Stop right there,” Irene said.
“Do you know what it means to cut off the source of trouble?”
She looked at me smugly. “Jeremy has already transferred all his assets into my name. As the company’s legal representative, he just applied for a hundred-million-dollars loan from the bank. If you insist on splitting the assets equally, all you’ll get is the debt.”
“Are you sure you want to split it equally?”
Jeremy pulled out another divorce agreement. “For the sake of our marriage, I didn’t intend to include this debt in your share. But if you insist on splitting everything equally, you can sign this agreement.”
What a masterstroke. I stared at Jeremy. “Do what you want. I’m giving you three days to get the assets back within that time. Believe me,if you don’t do as I say, three days from now will be the start of your despair.”
“You’re just a housewife. Have you been reading too many fantasy novels? What are you pretending to be?” Irene shouted, glaring at my back.
Housewife? I turned to look at Jeremy.
“I’ve been taking care of your mother for three years and now I’m staying home all the time. Have you forgotten who I am?”
“What is her status?” Irene hugged Jeremy’s arm.
“Jeremy, I hear housewives love to fantasize. Tell me, what title has she given herself?”
He looked at Irene lovingly. “Just what you said, housewife.”
I shot Jeremy a piercing look before turning away.
Tomorrow was the company’s quarterly board meeting. I would make sure Jeremy remembered exactly what my status was.
Early the next morning, I arrived at the company conference room ahead of time.
By 9:30 AM, the directors one after another. After three years of absence, the way they looked at me changed.
It seemed they had forgotten who brought business to the company and kept it on the right track.
Soon, Jeremy arrived. He and Irene came together. When he saw me, his expression shifted for a moment before he quickly hid it.
Irene gave me a cold glance as she stood beside me. “Move aside.”
The seating in the conference room was strictly organized. No one else could sit in my seat.
I glanced at Irene. “What position do you hold? What qualifies you to attend this meeting? Get out.”
“You can’t beat me in love, so you come to the company to cause trouble?”
Irene rested her hands on the back of the chair. “Everyone, why don’t you help me explain what my position is and if I’m qualified to be in this meeting.”
Jeremy looked at me mockingly, as if waiting for me to embarrass myself.
“Ms. Marvelli, Ms. Louvain is the company’s vice chairman. I think she has the right to attend the meeting.”
Irene looked down at me. “Now you know my position. But how did you end up here? What gives you the right to sit in this chair and attend the board?”
I stared at Jeremy. “Since you explained why Irene is here, why don’t you explain why I’m here?”
Jeremy didn’t explain. “This is the company, not your home. It’s not the place for you to act like a spoiled child. Get out of here.”
“Three years passed and have you all forgotten who I am?”
I looked at the other board members. The room fell silent. Jeremy fixed his gaze on me.
“If you don’t leave now, I’ll call security.”
“What? Irene can attend board meetings as Vice Chair, but I can’t?”
“Oh, you’re talking about that.”
Irene smiled. “Mr. Chastan must have forgotten to inform you. Two years ago, due to your consistent absence from board meetings, the board voted to remove your Vice Chair position.”
She leaned closer and whispered in my ear, “Yesterday, you were just trying to claim your Vice Chair status, weren’t you? Too bad, you’re not even a vice chairwoman anymore. Even if you were, it was just a position Jeremy gave you. Do you really think you’re someone important?”
“Now, get out of here.”
I glared at Jeremy. “I was fired? Fired without my knowledge?”
“Security,” Jeremy ignored me completely and called security right in.
He pointed at me. “Get her out.”
As the guards approached, I stood up. “I can walk on my own.”
At the door, I turned to look at Jeremy. “How the company grew, how we secured one order after another, it seems you’ve truly forgotten.”
He glanced at the guards, who closed in on me. I saw the hint of guilt in Jeremy’s eyes earlier. He hadn’t forgotten, but was just denying everything I’d done because of Irene.
I stared at him coldly. “I hear the company is hosting a banquet for major partners tomorrow. Is this to promote Irene?”
Jeremy’s face turned colder. “You’d better not cause trouble. You’ll only make yourself look bad.”
I replied coldly, “I’ll see who ends up looking bad.”
Irene said provocatively, “Lily Marvelli, Mr. Chastan tolerated you, but I won’t. If you dare show up tomorrow, I’ll definitely deal with you. I doubt you have the nerve.”
Do you doubt I will? I didn’t say anything. Yesterday, when I called Jeremy and asked him to make the choice, I became a fool. Today, when I came to the company for the board meeting, I became a fool again.
Once, twice, but not a third time. Both times, I became the fool because Jeremy held all the cards. Tomorrow won’t be the same.
I looked up at the tall building when I reached the company entrance. Jeremy changed his mind after this place joined his group.
Then let him continue being a poor little boy.
I pulled out my phone and made a call. “Dad, I want a divorce.”
“What? What did you say?”
A surprised voice came from the other end.
“I want to divorce Jeremy.”
“Great! You’ve finally figured it out.”
“It’s not that I’ve figured it out. I’ve been bullied.”
My parents had always opposed my marriage to Jeremy, saying we weren’t a good match. I insisted on being with him and they were angry with me and wouldn’t let me go home.
Later, I used my own abilities to help Jeremy start a company and bring it to a legitimate level. Seeing they couldn’t control me financially, my parents said they’d accept Jeremy if he could give them a grandchild.
I was an only child and my parents longed for a new life. But Jeremy was infertile, so my parents grew even more dissatisfied with our marriage.
They even launched a company to rival my company. During that time, I worked hard, socialized and drank until I coughed up blood to protect the company.
Only then did my parents finally stop. Yet they still struggled to accept Jeremy because of his infertility.
“Daughter, tell me what you mean.”
My father detected my suppressed anger in my voice and his tone turned cold.
“At tomorrow’s banquet, Jeremy will be doomed.”
“Okay, I’ll make it happen.”
After hanging up, I let out a long sigh.
I cherished this marriage, but it damaged my relationship with my parents and left a shadow in my heart.
Today, that shadow finally disappeared.
“When I loved you, you were the treasure in my palm.”
“When love fades, you’re nothing.”
I glanced one last time at the company building before driving away. I arrived at the Corinthia Hotel in London the following evening at seven.
As I stepped out of my car, I spotted Jeremy’s car arriving. He and Irene got out, both dressed in their finest attire.
Seeing me get out, Irene took Jeremy’s and looked me up and down. “Didn’t you order some decent clothes after leaving Jeremy? You’re wearing this and coming here, are you determined to embarrass yourself?”
I glanced at her before fixing my gaze on Jeremy. “You should expose her to the world more often. If she doesn’t even recognize the best fashion designer, you shouldn’t bring her out to embarrass yourself.”
“Fashion designer?” Irene’s expression darkened. “Jeremy, she must have hidden some money from you. We need to get that back too.”
Jeremy gently shook her hand. “I will. I’ll make sure her true colors show. An ugly duckling will always be an ugly duckling. It can never become a swan.”
Irene raised her head proudly. “Did you hear that, Ugly Duckling?”
I ignored the two of them and walked straight toward the hotel.
“Ms. Marvelli, long time no see.”
“Ms. Marvelli, we’ve missed you so much all these years.”
Inside the hotel, several business partners came forward to greet me. Irene watched this, her face darkening as she tried to step forward.
Jeremy held her back. “No rush. I’ll officially announce her dismissal shortly and the evidence of her affair will be shown too.”
A faint smile touched Irene’s lips. “Thank you for doing this for me.”
“That’s all I have to do. It’s proof of my love for you.”
The two chatted and laughed as they walked to the stage. As they entered, the surrounding area fell quiet. Jeremy took the microphone and cleared his throat.
“Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this banquet. I have several announcements to make.”
“First, allow me to introduce the lady beside me, Ms. Louvain.”
“She is our new Vice Chairman and will now take full responsibility of the Skypark Business Center.”
The Skypark Business Center was a venture I had personally masterminded and spent years preparing for. It was finally the right time to reap the rewards, but Jeremy handed it all over to Irene.
I watched coldly as the scene unfolded. Seeing Irene’s smug smile, I felt a spark of anticipation. I wondered how this cheating pair would look when I showed up.
While Jeremy was speaking, I stood up and walked to the stage, reaching for a microphone. This scene immediately captured everyone’s attention and the audience was already buzzing with discussion.
I looked at Jeremy. “Mr. Chastan, why don’t you tell everyone about your relationship with Ms. Louvain?”
“No rush.”
Jeremy showed no sign of panic, as if he’d anticipated this. He glanced around.
“I’m sure everyone knows about my relationship with Ms. Marvelli, but today I’d like to reintroduce her to you all.”
“She is my ex-wife.”
Ex-wife? I hadn’t signed any papers yet. I’d see how he planned to play this out.
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