Chapter 4

By the time Brandon tracked me down, I was curled up on the sofa in my private penthouse, sipping red wine and watching a movie.

Without saying a single word, he snatched the wine glass from my fingers and threw the dark liquid straight into my face.

"Do you have any idea how much damage your little publicity stunt just cost the company?!" he roared.

I calmly wiped the sticky wine from my cheeks, a faint smirk playing on my lips.

"You had the guts to do it, but you don't have the guts to own it?"

"Treating your assistant better than your own wife—what, am I not allowed to be angry about that?"

Without missing a beat, I picked up the heavy crystal decanter from the table and shattered it right against the wall next to his head.

The rage in his eyes flared brighter, burning with venom.

"That's not the only thing you did."

Bella peeked out from behind him. Only then did I realize she had followed him inside.

She was cradling a small ceramic urn against her chest, her shoulders trembling violently, her eyelids swollen and raw.

"Chloe, I know you hated Buster... but how could you poison him?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, fixing her with a deadpan stare.

Bella shakily cracked open the lid, revealing gray ashes inside.

"Buster ate chocolate and died," she sobbed, looking at me with fearful, victimized eyes. "If you hate me, come after me... why did you have to kill an innocent dog?"

A sharp laugh escaped my throat. I couldn't even stand to be in the same room as a dog, let alone get close enough to feed one chocolate.

Bella collapsed against Brandon’s shoulder, weeping uncontrollably. Her tears soaked through his expensive lapel, completely breaking his resolve.

"My late mother gave me Buster before she passed... he was the last piece of her I had left," she cried.

Brandon’s face softened with intense heartache. He gently stroked her hair, murmuring soft comforts.

"I'll make this right for you. I promise."

He turned back toward me, his eyes colder than I had ever seen them.

"Apologize to her. Now."

I rotated my wrist, took a slow, deep breath, stepped forward, and delivered a vicious slap across Bella’s face.

The crack echoed sharply through the room.

"You killed your own pet just to frame me? Despicable."

Bella clutched her burning cheek, staring at me in absolute shock before turning pitiful eyes back toward Brandon.

I turned around, pulled an official divorce settlement from my designer handbag, and tossed it onto the coffee table between us.

"Sign it."

"You two can live happily ever after. I am officially done playing along."

Brandon gritted his teeth, the words practically tearing from his throat.

"Brilliant, Chloe. Absolutely brilliant. You think you can survive out there on your own?"

Despite his threatening tone, his hands remained clenched tightly at his sides, refusing to reach for the pen.

Bella’s eyes flickered with annoyance, and she quickly piped up from behind him.

"Brandon, Chloe can't even help you secure the Vance Group tender anymore. All she does is cause you endless headaches."

The tender. Right. Even though I had distanced myself from the Sterling family, I still held voting shares and influence.

In the early days, I had used my family’s network to feed him high-profile contracts. Over time, he had convinced himself that all those doors opened solely because of his own genius.

Brandon let out a bitter, mocking laugh, the contempt in his gaze laid completely bare.

"You want a divorce? Fine. You've got it."

Bella hurriedly thrust a Montblanc pen into his hands. Brandon signed his name with a harsh, aggressive stroke, his voice dripping with utter certainty.

"Let's see how long you last before you come crawling back to me."

He stared at me intently, desperately searching my face for any hint of regret, panic, or lingering attachment.

I met his gaze in complete silence. No temper. No tears. Just profound, hollow peace.

As I wheeled my suitcase past him toward the private elevator, Brandon finally snapped, barking down the hallway:

"Don't you dare come begging for my help!"

Three days later, at the Sterling Group’s high-stakes procurement conference, I put on a tailored power suit I hadn't worn in years. I sat dead center at the head of the boardroom table, waiting for the bidding corporate representatives to enter.

Brandon walked in shortly after, followed by Bella, who was struggling to carry a massive stack of pitch documents.

The moment they stepped through the double doors and saw me sitting in the chair, their pupils constricted in sheer shock.

I opened the folder before me and spoke in a crisp, detached voice:

"Due to recent executive scandals and ethical concerns, the Sterling Group has officially revoked the Vance Corporation’s eligibility to bid."