Chapter 2

When I pushed open the double doors of our villa, the living room floor was cluttered with my clothes.

My mother-in-law, Patricia Barlow, was directing the maid to sweep my expensive skincare products brutally into black trash bags.

Hearing the door, she quickened her steps and grabbed my hand.

"Oh, Seraphina, my heart aches for you."

"You're a good girl, but Ethan is a CEO worth millions now."

"Our company is going public, and we desperately need that hundred-million-dollar investment from the Vance family."

She pushed my hand away, her eyes suddenly filled with disdain.

"You can't even unscrew a water bottle cap. Staying with Ethan will only drag him down."

"I know you feel wronged, but for Ethan's future, you need to be sensible."

I looked at her calculating face and found it hilarious.

Back when Ethan was just a poor boy selling fish at the market, Patricia was the one holding my hand, bragging to everyone that a man who listened to his wife would make a fortune.

Back then, I was exhausted by the cutthroat corporate world. I just wanted a simple life with a simple man.

So, I naively believed her.

Later, when he started his seafood chain, I helped him behind the scenes. In just a few years, his company's valuation soared.

Everyone thought I was just lucky, pampered into a useless doll by Ethan.

They had no idea.

The only reason Ethan could secure those premium supply chains—monopolized by the city's top oligarchs—was because I pulled the strings from behind the curtain.

I ignored Patricia and turned to look at Ethan, who was sitting on the sofa, smoking.

He stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and walked over to me.

There was a hint of guilt in his eyes, but also a trace of lingering affection.

He reached out to touch my cheek, but I tilted my head to dodge him.

"Sera, I'm sorry."

"That fifty million compensation is more than enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life."

"I also bought you a luxury penthouse downtown. If you ever run into trouble, you can always call me."

I stared at him quietly.

"Are you that desperate for money?"

"For Tiffany Vance’s investment, you're throwing away years of our marriage?"

A flash of pain crossed Ethan's face, but he quickly looked away.

"Sera, you don't understand how brutal the business world is."

"The seafood industry is cutthroat. Without the Vance family's capital and connections, my company could go bankrupt any day."

"I need a wife who can fight beside me in the boardroom, not a little girl who waits for me to crack lobster claws for her at home."

His tone softened a bit.

"I still care about you, but reality is just this cruel."

He loved me, sure. But he loved money more.

Seeing Ethan soften, Patricia slapped her thigh in a panic.

"Ethan! Miss Vance is going to be here any minute! Don't do something stupid!"

"She's just a woman who knows how to spend money. She got fifty million dollars for doing nothing! What more does she want?"

I lowered my eyes, hiding the mockery in them.

"Fine. I'll leave."

I didn't even look at my designer clothes on the floor.

I only picked up a simple black leather briefcase near the foyer.

Inside was the list of my real assets.

As I walked to the door, a red Ferrari screeched to a halt in the courtyard.

The door swung open, and Tiffany Vance, dressed in a haute couture skirt and high heels, stepped out.

She looked me up and down, pulled a check from her Hermès bag, and held it out between two fingers.

"Seraphina Sterling, right?"

"I heard you got fifty million from Ethan."

"Here’s another million. Take it and disappear from New York high society forever."

Patricia immediately rushed forward, her face practically glowing with greed.

"Miss Vance is so generous!"

"Sera! Hurry up and thank Miss Vance!"

I didn't take the check. I just stared at Tiffany for a moment.

Suddenly, I laughed.

"Miss Vance, since you're so filthy rich..."

"Why don't you first pay off the ten million dollars in unpaid supply bills that Ethan's company owes?"

The moment I said this, Ethan's face drained of color.

He looked at me in shock.

"How do you know about the ten million in unpaid bills?!"

I smiled, offered no explanation, and walked right past them out the door.

Since Ethan believed Tiffany could fight beside him, let him find out.

Let him see how brutal the business world really is once he loses his ultimate backer.