Chapter 1

I struck a deal with the richest corporation on behalf of my company. My wife was the CEO, Natalie Ford, and she hurriedly said she would give me a villa as a reward. However, what I got was just a children's drawing of the villa.

"Honey, the company is about to go public this year, and we're having trouble with capital turnover. I'll give you a large villa next year."

Later, I came across the TikTok account of her male assistant. Morgan Shaw was showing off how Natalie had spent 300 million dollars to buy him a large penthouse in the business district.

The caption was: [Those who truly love you will give you a warm home.]

It turned out it was not that the company was short of funds; it was that she did not think it was worth it to spend that money on me.

I saw that the commenters were full of envy for Morgan, so I liked and reposted the video. Immediately, people flooded his post with more comments.

Less than a minute later, Natalia called anxiously. "Honey, have you misunderstood something? I bought Morgan a house just to make it easier for him to get to work. Hurry and remove your like and repost.

"If you help him clarify things, I promise to go to your family's house for Christmas this year, okay?"

She always broke her promises. This time, I refused to believe her again. "Forget it. Let's get a divorce."

Chapter 1

As soon as I finished speaking, I heard my wife Natalie Ford's displeased voice. "When did you become so sensitive? I'm just looking after my employees. Why are you getting so worked up over an assistant?

"It's one thing that we're not united as husband and wife, but you're even threatening me with divorce. I've always hated being threatened. Think about the consequences. Besides, I didn't call to discuss it with you. I'm just informing you.

"You're the one who won't cooperate, so don't blame me for not going easy on you."

She quickly hung up.

I watched the long queue in front of the divorce counter and sighed to myself.

Natalie was not the type to be threatened into submission, but I was not someone who made decisions lightly either.

Using divorce as a threat was too childish. I was absolutely serious when I said I wanted a divorce.

After being in line for what felt like forever and still not getting my turn, I simply continued to watch TikTok videos on my phone.

My team members had completely taken over the comments section of Morgan Shaw's TikTok video. He was Natalie's male assistant. They had seen my repost and were all speaking up for me.

[You accepted a house from someone else's wife? Be careful. They could take you to court and recover it as part of the marital assets .]

[Hard work is no match for flattery. It's disheartening for those of us who work our butts off.]

[Working harder is less important than being wiser. Bro, teach me how to ride the crooked path to success!]

Netizens who had been unaware of the truth quickly realized the man flaunting his wealth was a homewrecker who had stolen someone else's wife. What were initially words of envy and blessing turned into sarcastic remarks. I liked each comment.

Just as I was about to like and comment on a particularly insightful one, Morgan deleted it.

He pinned his own comment: [This is a boss' act of care for her employee. Please don't spread rumors about a female entrepreneur. I will delete any negative comments.]

No wonder Natalie, who had been cold to me lately, suddenly called me, asking for an explanation. It turned out her sweetheart was insulted by these harsh netizens, but their words were indeed incisive.

Aside from being good-looking, Morgan was essentially useless. He could not handle many basic tasks and always made others clean up his messes.

However, Natalie defied all opposition to hire him and watched top university graduates be let go.

I did try to advise Natalie once, but she had just looked at me with disappointment. "Honey, how can you be obsessed with academic merit like those snobs? Have you forgotten? We graduated from non-elite universities and worked our way up.

"It shows that the prestige of a top university isn't that important. What matters most in hiring is ability. As a company with exemplary conduct, we cannot discriminate based on academic qualifications."

At the time, I felt incredibly guilty for my meritocratic mindset and thought Natalie was far more socially aware than I was. I immediately apologized and instructed HR, just as she had said, to prioritize individual ability and hire several skilled professionals with associate-to-bachelor degrees.

Eventually, though, Natalie berated the HR department.

Chapter 2

"Do you think the company is a welfare institution? How could you just hire anyone? A company is a workplace, not a classroom for underqualified hires to catch up."

HR explained that these people were all skilled technicians with several certificates, but Natalie still insisted on dismissing these skilled professionals on the grounds of insufficient education.

It turned out that her opposition to meritocracy only applied when it came to Morgan.

The memory ended, and I moved two steps forward in line.

I happened to see my team members sending messages in the group chat to comfort me.

[I'm so pissed! Boss, how could Ms. Ford do this?]

[Yeah, you two are husband and wife. When we first knew that it was a company run by a married couple, we didn't dare to join. But this whole time, you've been so generous and helpful.]

They chatted among themselves, all defending me.

My pent-up frustrations suddenly eased. I sent a cash gift to the group chat, and it quickly excited them. They all praised me for my generosity.

Suddenly, a punishment notice appeared in the main work group chat.

[Employees who use their phones for entertainment during work hours will have half a month's salary deducted. A second offense will result in dismissal.]

I frowned and scrolled through the document, finding it increasingly ridiculous.

Those who had wished Morgan well, envying and praising him, were all safe. Only my team members who had stood up for me were being punished. Natalie wanted to alienate my team members from me. How ruthless.

Instantly, our team group chat exploded with messages.

[Damn, what happened to the gentle lady back then?]

[She's blatantly trying to sow discord and make us dissatisfied with the boss.]

[A divide-and-conquer tactic. This woman is really vicious.]

I cut them off by sending another cash gift before they went too far.

[Regardless, you're all being punished because of me. This cash gift isn't much. Just treat yourself to some nice food.]

Soon, another team member asked: [Being constantly suppressed like this, I have absolutely no motivation to work. Boss, do you want to leave?]

Someone replied: [What nonsense are you talking about? They're married.]

I silently typed: [We won't be married anymore soon.]

The group chat exploded again.

[Amazeballs! We men never give up.]

[Boss, will you quit and go solo? I'll follow you forever!]

Seeing the antics of my adorable team members, I could not help but laugh.

Having been married for eight years, Natalie knew very well that I did not care much about my quality of life, but I would ensure the well-being of those around me.

'Never let down those who trust me' was my motto.

However, she had let me down time and time again. Every time we had a conflict, she took it out on my team members.

I had tolerated her for eight whole years. This time, I refused to continue tolerating her.

I texted a contact.

The reply was almost instantaneous.

[Damn, Ian, you've finally come to your senses. I've been eyeing your connections for a long time. Come, I'll give you a top-tier salary in the industry.]

I answered: [I need your help with something.]

[We're like family. Just say the word, and I'll go through fire and water for you.]

I immediately responded: [I want to bring my team members with me.]

They remained silent and did not reply for a long time.

Just when I thought the negotiation had failed, they sent me 20 cash gifts, each containing at least 5,000 dollars, which was almost a month's basic salary for my team members.

[Say no more. Consider these cash gifts as a welcome gift to my pals. I know it's not much. When you join, I'll give your employees a 20% raise.]

I breathed a sigh of relief and sent a thank you.

The era of Natalie controlling me through my team members was over.

After I got everything sorted out, it was finally my turn in the line. I handed over the divorce papers. Back then, I wanted to give Natalie some security, so I proactively signed a divorce agreement. That way, she could leave anytime she felt I was not good enough.

She jokingly insisted on signing one too, saying it would make things fair. I never expected it would actually come in handy.

"Sir, a divorce agreement alone is not enough to complete the divorce. We need both spouses to be present."

Chapter 3

I had no choice but to call Natalie. She kept hanging up until the people behind me in line started complaining and expressing their dissatisfaction.

I awkwardly opened the detailed bills Natalie had paid for Morgan.

The staff member was sympathetic but helpless. "Sir, the rules are the rules, even if you send me photos of your wife's infidelity. Both spouses need to be present for a divorce. Didn't you look into the laws before coming?"

My face flushed instantly. I had been with Natalie for eight years, weathering even the toughest times together. I had never even considered divorce, let alone researched it.

Suddenly, someone behind me said, "If she's ignoring you, you can file for divorce after three years at the branch office, and they can grant it directly."

"Thank you," I quickly replied and left the courthouse.

Just as I stepped outside, Natalie called back. "Ha, so you wanna beg for mercy now? I warned you, but you wouldn't listen. You just had to let things get this ugly. I'm busy tonight, so you should reflect on your actions."

I frowned. The voices around Natalie were quite noisy, and they sounded like they spoke with some kind of accent.

Suddenly, I heard Morgan's voice. "Natalie, this is my dad. He's been wanting to meet you ever since I told him about you."

The call was abruptly cut off.

My parents lived in a neighboring county, yet she had always refused to go back with me, saying it was too far. I even had to give in and spend Christmas with her here.

Morgan's parents lived in a distant state, at least a four- or five-hour flight away. With him, the long distance she had always considered a problem no longer seemed so inconvenient.

Thinking of my parents spending Christmas alone, I felt a pang of sadness. I would not stay here this year. My parents were waiting for us to unite as a family.

After making my decision, I sighed and immediately negotiated a salary and benefits deal with my new company, even raising the salary of my team members by 25%.

Greg Gasly, who had just joined the team, said with a chuckle, "You're so cool, boss. I thought a 20% increase was the limit, but you got us another 5%."

Someone replied, "Of course. If he weren't so loyal and willing to stay by Ms. Ford's side, many companies would be offering him high salaries to poach him."

I smiled calmly. It was all in the past. No matter how much I indulged Natalie and how much I cherished her, our relationship could never be the same again once she started hurting me and ignoring my feelings. Perhaps fate had already laid the groundwork when she first deceived me because of Morgan.

This shattered relationship was just fate coming back to pay off an earlier setup.

There was no way I would give Natalie the chance to hurt me again.

I interrupted, "Alright, enough about her. Tonight is my treat. Order whatever you want."

Everyone cheered, then got busy selecting a restaurant. In the end, we chose a buffet restaurant. After eating and drinking our fill, we went to a karaoke bar to drink and sing. Some of the women could not drink, so I booked a ride to take them home early. The rest of us partied until the next day.

I forced my eyes open and checked my phone to see what time it was, only to find countless missed calls from Natalie. I froze, completely bewildered by her actions.

When she called again, I answered.

"Ian Dressner, are you getting revenge on me? I only punished your team members a little and didn’t answer your calls, yet you ignored me all night? Do you know how worried I was? Have you forgotten your promise that you’d answer my call within three seconds?"

I could not help but sneer at this.

Back then, when she said she felt insecure, I did my best to get her everything she wanted and was even willing to confront the people she dared not offend or disliked. I always answered her calls within three seconds, afraid she would overthink.

However, what did my love get me in return?

Chapter 4

Once, I received a taunting conversation screenshot from Morgan.

Morgan: [Natalie, I'm a bit careless. I often forget to reply to the messages you sent me. I'm sorry.]

However, Natalie was very generous.

Natalie: [It's okay. I know you've seen the clouds, flowers, plants, and other interesting little things I shared with you. I'm happy and content just knowing it.]

If I did not answer her phone calls or reply to her texts within three seconds, she would say that I did not love her and was having an affair. However, Morgan leaving her on read was enough to make her happy and content.

What a hypocrite!

Thinking of that, I replied, "Didn't you say you were busy? How did you have time to call me?"

She paused for a moment and then scolded me, "Why are you being so sarcastic? Am I wrong to show you some concern?"

I knew Natalie was just not used to it. Usually, I would inform her of my whereabouts whenever I went somewhere. This time, it was different.

After every argument, Natalie would offer a few perfunctory words of comfort and then expect me to keep slaving away for her. It was her usual tactic, and it could only work on me when I was still a fool blinded by love.

I was silent, and Natalie assumed I would readily accept as soon as she gave me a way out.

She revealed her true intentions. "Alright, we've been married for eight years, overcoming countless conflicts. I won't hold it against you for inciting your team members to bully Morgan, but introduce those connections you have to Morgan as an apology.

"Besides, if it hadn't been for Morgan's introduction, you wouldn't have met the richest man, Jonah Zimmerman."

No wonder she called me so many times. It was all about Morgan again.

I thought about it. My connection with Jonah was entirely due to my mother, who loved fishing. My mother often fished with him, so they were very close. This allowed me to get in touch with him and try to collaborate.

What did Morgan have to do with it?

Later, I found out that Morgan had once poured a drink for Jonah when he was working part-time before. Jonah personally thanked him, and he remembered that and thought Jonah had a deep impression of him.

I sneered, "Am I supposed to give my connections to Morgan so you can get rid of me after I serve my purpose? Even if I were to introduce him to Morgan, Morgan simply can't handle him."

Natalie paused for two seconds before exploding. "It's because of your constant suppression and belittling that someone who should be shining brightly has been pushed to the sidelines for so long. Ian, you're truly vicious."

I spoke the truth, but she could not accept it.

Seeing that I remained silent, Natalie seemed to have made a huge decision before saying, "Isn't all this just over a villa? I'll buy one for you, okay? You're so petty and narrow-minded, making a fuss over such a small thing."

She still thought it was just about the property, completely unaware that our relationship had long since shattered. Even ten properties could not salvage it.

"No thanks. Give it to the assistant you keep at home instead."

Natalie immediately retorted, "How many times have I told you? Morg and I are just colleagues. I only showed him more concern because it's difficult to make it in the big city all by himself. How did you become so vulgar?"

Morg? Haha. I heard Morgan mention during a company team-building event that he only allowed the closest people around him to call him that.

Even now, Natalie was still lying.

"You know what you two are."

Natalie suddenly became hysterical on the phone. "We've been together for eight years, and this is what you think of me? If that's what you think, just give me back the villa painting I gave you. I painted it, and you don't deserve it."

I frowned as I listened to Natalie crying and fussing on the other side of the phone. Suddenly, her voice became quieter.

I listened carefully and realized that Morgan was whispering to Natalie next to her. "Natalie, calm down. Don't get yourself all worked up. You'll make me worry."

I sneered, "Did you really think I'd keep that piece of junk? I threw it into the trash long ago."