Terence's lips curled up into a smile as he waved his phone.

"Rebecca and I were on the phone the entire time, so I heard everything that you said. I'm tired of making up excuses, Lilian. I only married you because I wanted to use you. Gilded Ages doesn't need you anymore since it's an established business now. I can also chase after my own happiness."

Kate and Claire grinned at each other when they exchanged glances.

"I only married you because the Samson family failed to break into the fashion industry and had no choice but to switch to the luxury goods market. As the successor of the Samson family, I have the right to act stubbornly. I refuse to be stuck with you for the rest of my life," Terence continued.

I had expected Terence's shamelessness, but I was still astounded by his brazen behavior. I never thought that a person could act so outrageously.

I put my hands behind my back and curled them into tight fists. I tightened my grip until my knuckles turned white, forcing myself to calm down.

"Forget it. Call your father right now. I want him to personally tell me that he wants to fire me," I said.

Panic flickered across Terence's face for a split second before his expression morphed into one of fury.

"We're all adults here. No need to tattle to my father. Besides, I'm the boss of Gilded Ages. No one can tell me what to do!"

Kate chimed in mockingly, "Are you deaf? Mr. Samson is telling you to get lost! Why are you still standing there?"

"Stop causing a scene in front of our store, Lilian," Claire said smugly. "The world of adults is very realistic. The neighbors are going to make fun of you if you refuse to leave."

There were glaciers in my eyes as I forced a smile onto my face.

"Don't think too highly of yourself, Lilian. You're nothing more than the Samson family's watchdog. If your owner refuses to feed you, you'll just have to beg for scraps on the streets," Rebecca snarked.

"You have a death wish, don't you?" I roared as I lunged at Rebecca.

I shoved Terence aside and slapped Rebecca hard across the face.

Rebecca shrieked as she held her cheek.

Terence knocked me aside, stretching his arms out as he stood in front of her protectively.

"Take your frustrations out on me if you're angry, Lilian! If you lay another finger on Rebecca, I won't give you a single cent when I divorce you!"

My stomach turned as I stared at Terence's face.

In the last five years, Terence has always told me to take business trips or work overtime to meet clients. Whenever we had dinner with a client, he would always force me to drink to please the client.

I always assumed that Terence was just a business-minded man, which was why he didn't know how to consider my feelings.

However, he was more than willing to shield Rebecca behind him as he haughtily berated me, even though I was his wife.

I clenched my fists and suppressed my repulsion. "Do you feel nothing for me, Terence? You hid your true intentions so well for the last five years."

Rebecca shook her head. The corners of her lips were still stained with spit. Pride surged through her since Terence was protecting her. She didn't dare raise her hand against me because I could easily repel her attack, so she chose to hurt me with her words instead.

"Lilian, do you know why you and Mr. Samson still have no children even though you've been married for five years? I bet you have no idea that the vitamins that you've been taking are actually birth control pills!

"Mr. Samson got tired of a workaholic like you a long time ago! He hates that you don't act like a woman at all. In fact, he would rather take care of his needs himself than touch you."

Terence averted his gaze and tugged on Rebecca's arms. "That's enough, Becca!" he hissed.

He knew that I had visited the hospital several times for this very issue, and he had always discreetly hinted that the fault lay with me.

"Is she telling the truth, Terence?" I asked.

I could tell that Terence was feeling guilty. His voice was barely above a whisper when he mumbled, "Rebecca's right. I didn't want to have kids with you. I have the right to decide since I'm the head of the family."

I burst out laughing as the last traces of my hesitation melted away.

Since Terence had the right to decide whether he wanted to have children with me and cheat on me, I also had the right to destroy Gilded Ages.

"Fine," I spat as I hurled my work ID to the ground. "Let's go to the courthouse when you're free. I'll give my blessings to the two of you!"

Terence and Rebecca exchanged ecstatic looks.

"No need to wait. I brought the divorce papers with me."

Terence rummaged through his bag and handed me the document.

I quickly scanned through the contents. "There's something wrong with the division of properties. What do you mean, I'm only entitled to one million dollars? Is this a joke?"

Terence shrank back a little at my furious tone. He hastily said, "Sign the papers now if you agree to the terms. I'll transfer the money to you immediately. If you refuse to sign, we'll just have to settle this in court—that is, if you don't mind getting ridiculed.

"Hurry up and decide. Don't get in the way of Becca's and my romantic getaway."

Goosebumps erupted all over my skin. I felt sick to my stomach.

I knew that Terence and Rebecca would drag my name through the mud if we did go to court, so I made my decision then and there.

"Fine. I'll sign."

My colleagues felt indignant on my behalf. Their resentment was practically oozing off them in waves.

"You shouldn't sign! You're definitely entitled to much more than that. It's obvious that they're trying to take advantage of you. Don't fall for their schemes, Lily!"

"I'll quit if they fire you, Lily. I'll go with you!"

Terence's temper exploded upon hearing them voice their displeasure at my unfair treatment.

"Have you lost your mind? I'm your boss! You have no right to criticize me! Are you going to give up on a free trip and a raise?"

Unfortunately, Terence's words not only failed to silence them, but they also had the opposite effect of stoking the flames of their animosity even more.

I pursed my lips to stop myself from laughing.

It seemed that Terence had forgotten the important fact that his employees were people, not his pets.

"That's enough," I said. "No more talk about leaving. I'm getting old. Also, there's no reason for you to reject a free raise. I'm glad that we got to work together for the past few years. We still have a long future ahead of us, so we'll definitely meet again!"

Three of the employees I had personally trained began crying upon hearing my words. A university student who recently joined us also had reddened eyes.

"Are you getting on the bus or not? If you don't want to enjoy a free vacation, then you'll just have to stay behind and work. I don't have time to waste on you!"

To show her loyalty, Kate was the first to board the bus. Although many of the employees were frustrated with the mistreatment that I was forced to endure, they needed their jobs to survive. They slowly got onto the bus, one by one.

They wore matching expressions of reluctance as they waved at me from the bus.

Terence rolled his eyes at me after he transferred one million dollars into my account. He then led Rebecca toward his car.

I shot one last look at Gilded Ages' sign. I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't miss the shop.

However, I had made up my mind.

Besides, I was also curious to see how Terence would keep Gilded Ages afloat after firing his most important employee.