Everyone turned to me. Carol got up, took my glass, and held me gently to my seat. "Let me do it, Ms. Chloe."With a smile, she raised my glass. "Hey, everyone, I'm Carol, Ms. Chloe's assistant. Please let me propose a toast to all of you for everything you’ve done for Tanum Corporation! Cheers!"She downed the wine. Carol then refilled her glass and approached Keegan with a smile. "Mr. Matthew is right. We should toast to you, Mr. Keegan. It's an honor to meet you today.""However," she continued, "Ms. Chloe hasn't been feeling well. As you all know, she's been hospitalized multiple times, and her doctors advised against alcohol. So, allow me to propose a toast on her behalf."I was surprised at how well Carol had handled this. I was sure anyone could tell she implied that Matthew was being a jerk.Given his experience, Keegan must have realized that Carol was trying to help me.He gave me a longing look. Although he was upset, he knew better than to act rudely now. "You're luck

I stopped in my tracks and turned toward the table.Matthew charged over angrily. "Get back here, Chloe! Who the fuck do you think you are? You used to drink all the time, didn’t you? You should be grateful Mr. Keegan wants to have a drink with you."I trembled with anger, and Carol stood before me protectively. "Stay away from Ms. Chloe.""Fuck off! Who do you think you are?" Matthew shoved Carol aside, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor. He grabbed my wrist. "Don't push it."I struggled and yelled, "Let me go!"Damian rushed over. "Take it easy, Ms. Chloe. We're just having some fun, aren't we?"I snapped, "Fun? I'm not going to degrade myself for a contract.""Come on!" The man from the Building Department sneered coldly. "Do you have to put it that way? You're a divorcee. You should know what men want."I glared at him. "What the fuck did you say?"Keegan slammed the table angrily. "What the hell is this, Matthew? What kind of man do you take me for? I d

I was still upset as I drove home after dropping Carol off. Matthew had crossed so many lines that I vowed to take my revenge one day.Also, who was that mysterious Mr. Maddox, and how did he know my name? Why did he save me at that exact moment? There could only be one explanation—someone had asked him to do it. My thoughts immediately turned to Atlas. I made a U-turn and hurried back to The Cerulean. I parked my car in an inconspicuous spot, killed the engine, and watched the entrance.About half an hour later, I saw Atlas come out. However, to my surprise, Stella was on his arm. There was also a tall, middle-aged woman with them. She was impeccably dressed and exuded an air of arrogance.I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. She had to be Atlas's aunt, the former CEO of ATL Empire. That meant Stella didn't lie to me, and her mother did indeed come to Foswood. That's why she told me that Atlas was hers.Then what was I to him?Stella had claimed that everyone in their fam

I was momentarily taken aback before saying, "Please send him in."If my guess was correct, this visit was related to what happened last night. I settled behind my desk and went about my work.The door was soon opened again. I looked up and saw Carol lead Atticus into my office. It was the first time I met him. Dressed in a well-fitted suit, he was tall and looked in his late 30s. While his face wasn't remarkable, his shrewd eyes gave him an air of wisdom and sophistication. Perhaps due to my association with Atlas, I neither liked nor disliked him. After all, I had first heard of Echelon Group as ATL Empire's competitor, and the behavior of his employees last night disgusted me. Carol quickly introduced me to him, and I shook his firm hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Chloe," Atticus said politely.I greeted him courteously as well. "Please have a seat."He didn't beat around the bush. "I've come to apologize for what happened last night." After a pause, I said, "It's water u

As expected, Matthew came to create a scene. His aggressive entrance left no doubt that Atticus had cut ties with him, and he looked like he wanted to kill me. He barked, "How could you do this to me, you cunt?"It was the first time I had seen him so furious. Carol stood protectively before me and called other employees to step in. Benjamin called the building's security. I pulled Carol aside and stared at Matthew. "I got the divorce because I wanted nothing to do with you. But you kept pushing it and pulled that stunt last night. How dare you try to make a scene here?" "Don't talk back to me, you fucking whore!" Matthew seemed ready to lunge at me any moment. "You brought this on yourself."Matthew shouted through clenched teeth. "You're a jinx, Chloe! I was so unlucky to have married you!""How come you never thought of me as a jinx when I helped turn your life around?" I held my ground. "One day, you'll regret this, Matthew. I'll make sure of it!"Unable to reach me p

When Matthew calmed down slightly, the employees helped to clean up his mess while Carol accompanied me back to my office.Suddenly, Matthew burst into my office. “Chloe, what’s your relationship with Mr. Maddox? Why didn’t you say anything about it when we were together? How many more resources and connections do you have? Why are you doing this?!”I stood behind my desk and rested my hands on it as I gazed at him in amusement. His questions seemed comical, as if he believed I should surrender all my answers. He had a peculiar way of thinking.I replied, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”“Why are you doing this to me, Chloe?” His tone softened abruptly, and he sounded disheartened, “When did you become so ruthless?”My phone rang as he spoke, interrupting our conversation. I saw it was Atlas, collected my thoughts, and answered the call, “Hello?”"Where are you?" Atlas's voice came through."In my office," I replied simply."Wait for me," he said before hanging up. I di

A striking young man entered the room. He seemed confident and intelligent, while his charisma made him more manly than a typical marketing manager.“This is Grayson Newell,” Atlas said, “He can meet all your needs. Of course, you’re still my woman—those needs are only for work-related matters.”His words made me flush. He always spoke so boldly before me. I mumbled, “What do you mean, your woman?”Grayson scratched his head and grinned, addressing me, “Ms. Chloe.”I gazed at him and asked, “If I wanted you to investigate something, could you do it?”Grayson glanced at Atlas, then replied, "Anything you want, including contracts."His confident response surprised me. It was audacious, but I liked it. Meanwhile, Atlas wasted no time telling Grayson, “Start work tomorrow and obey Ms. Chloe’s instructions. You can go home now.”“H-Hey, I still have some things to ask him!” I was interested in Grayson.“Get out.” Atlas instructed Grayson in a low voice, then lowered his head to say

Atlas made a dinner reservation as we entered the car. My heart kept pounding throughout the ride, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. He pulled me closer, saying, “Call your parents and tell them you won’t be home tonight.”I had no strength to argue or think about anything else. I just wanted to find peace in Atlas’s arms as it melted away all my worries and anxieties. Soon, we returned to the resort. I felt a sense of belonging, like this was our home.His previous question still entranced me, “Do you want to stay here or go home?”I wondered if this place could be our home.After dinner, he didn’t hesitate to hold and shower me with kisses. I felt like crying then because I had waited for him for so long. I missed him so much, and all my longing turned into happiness.However, I dared not look at him, afraid of keeping this moment in my memory. Instead, I closed my eyes as my mind went blank."Why won't you look at me?" Atlas asked.I reluctantly opened my eyes and m

When Atlas dropped me off at the company's entrance, he gave me some reminders, which I noted down. I couldn't help but say, "Call me when you have time.”He nibbled on my lip and said, "You're improving by asking for things now."I blushed and turned to get out of the car, but he pulled me back and kissed me passionately before letting me go. Nonetheless, I looked forward to working with Grayson today. When I entered my office, I called Carol and asked, “Has Grayson arrived?”Carol’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, he has! Ms. Chloe, let’s use this standard when hiring new employees. He’s such eye candy!”I snorted in response. "Are you infatuated with Grayson too?"She stuck her tongue out and chuckled. Good looks seemed to have a certain charm, and everyone liked attractive objects. Since Carol and I had become close, she rolled her eyes at me and muttered, “You like the handsome ones, too. It’s a chain reaction.”I sighed but didn’t deny it. “You’re right. All right, bring Grayson in so

The kindergarten registration form was still with Matthew. To enroll Ava into Sunnydale Kindergarten, I needed the physical copy of the registration form and copies of Ava’s and my identification documents.It was difficult to obtain the registration form since Sunnydale was a renowned kindergarten. Matthew and I had a lot of trouble getting a copy back then.After some pondering, I called Matthew. However, Melanie answered with insults, “Have you no shame? How dare you call him?”"Let me talk to Matthew," I replied calmly, ignoring her outburst."You can kiss my ass!" With that, she hung up.Her behavior infuriated me, but I could only return the call for Ava’s sake. I called several times, but she constantly declined them. Her actions fueled my determination as I went to their company in person.Once inside Ardora Construction, many familiar faces awkwardly greeted me in hushed voices. However, I ignored them because people who undermined me with Matthew weren’t worth my time.