Chapter 3

So that was it. I looked at Julian. He had claimed he was too drunk and slept in the guest room, leaving me alone on our wedding night—all while having a heart-to-heart with Chloe!

I smiled. "And yet, I'm the one wearing the ring as Mrs. Vance."

"If you're so capable, convince Julian to divorce me."

"Avery!" Julian roared, glaring daggers at me.

Everyone else at the table sat in stunned silence, utterly frozen.

Julian grabbed Chloe's hand. "We're leaving. You don't owe her an apology!"

Chloe let him drag her away, throwing a smug, provocative glare over her shoulder at me as she passed.

The rest of the guys stood up, mumbling excuses to leave.

One of his buddies couldn't resist looking back. "Avery, couldn't you just swallow your pride for once?"

"Julian's a man. He always says he feels suffocated around you!"

I looked up at him coldly. "You sure have a lot to say, Tanner. Maybe handle your own family's secret love-child drama before lecturing me."

Tanner’s face instantly twisted in anger, and he stormed out, slamming the door behind him!

Only the server and I remained in the room. Seeing how awkward he felt, I said calmly, "Please finish shelling these prawns for me."

If they didn't want to eat, I wasn't going to let good food go to waste. Once I finished my lunch, I headed straight to my parents' estate.

They were surprised to see me at this hour.

"Mom, Dad, I'm getting a divorce."

"Over the Apex Global deal? Surely it doesn't warrant that," my father said, taken aback.

"It does. I handled the Apex deal from start to finish. Julian botched it, expected our family to clean up his mess, and then his family had the nerve to expect us to hand the profits over to them. On what grounds?"

I passed my phone to my father. On the way over, my mother-in-law had texted me, claiming I had mishandled the Apex deal. She demanded I come to the family estate tonight to explain myself and apologize to Julian's father.

Reading the messages, my father's temper flared. "Richard Vance has crossed the line!"

I added, "Chloe, their former housekeeper's daughter, is back. They spent last night together. They never broke things off this past year. Dad, the Vance family scammed us into this marriage!"

Back then, Julian's parents had painted a pretty picture, claiming our families were an equal match and a merger would yield mutual benefits to secure the massive Westgate project.

Once the contracts were signed, things had gone smoothly. But back then, our family had already done the heavy lifting; we were simply short on immediate capital, which was why we agreed to the alliance.

Who would have thought that once the profits were locked down, they would turn on us? In that case, I wanted nothing more to do with them.

My parents weighed it for a moment and ultimately agreed. However, my mother cautioned me, "Marriage is a major decision. Think it through carefully. There's no guarantee the next man won't be the same."

I took a deep breath. Julian was the one in the wrong, not me.

What I needed to focus on was protecting my assets.

I hired an attorney to begin dividing our estates.

With two corporate dynasties entwined, separating our interests would take time.

Arranged marriages were always like this. But I never anticipated he would disrespect me so blatantly as to bring Chloe into our penthouse.

When I returned home, I opened the door to find a pair of dirty, scuffed sneakers kicked carelessly across the entryway.

Chloe was lounging on the sofa, one bare foot resting across Julian's lap as they played video games. A lollipop was tucked in her cheek. "Julian, hurry up and revive me! You're so bad at this!"

Julian chuckled and playfully smacked her foot. Crushed snack bags and soda cans littered the floor and coffee table.

Looking at the scene, I shook my head. If Julian wanted to degrade himself, that was his business. But I was going to live with dignity.

I walked in, my heels clicking sharply against the marble. Julian shot up the moment he saw me. "Y-You? Why are you here?!"

I let out a cold chuckle. "What, am I interrupting something?"

"No! Didn't my mom tell you to go to the main estate?"

"She's your mother. Go explain yourself to her."

I signaled the security detail behind me, directing them upstairs to pack my belongings.

Julian froze. "Avery, what the hell are you doing?"

"Chloe just got back and doesn't have a place to crash yet. I let her stay here for two days. Do you have to make such a big deal out of it?!"

I locked eyes with him. "Julian, I'm clearing out to make room for you two. That way, you can be together out in the open."

"What are you talking about?"

"Julian, we're getting a divorce. I'm done with you."