Aurelia's POV

“Mr. Ashford… Hello, this is Callum Ellington from Vertex Tech—” Callum introduced.

But before he could continue, Mr. Ashford cut in, “Callum Ellington? Who are you? At Vertex Tech, I only deal with Aurelia.”

And right after that, the line immediately went dead. Callum redialed again and again, but every call was blocked.

In frustration, he slammed his phone down and glared at me, teeth bared. “Aurelia! Do you know how important that forty-million deal was? That’s almost our entire year’s profit!”

I spread my hands. “I know. But what does that have to do with me?”

Seeing him losing control, Melina hurried forward and rubbed his back, speaking in a soothing voice. “Callum, don’t panic. It’s only a forty-million contract. I’ll talk to my grandfather. Hell, make it four hundred million if you want, we can handle it.”

Uninterested in their drama, I kept a faint smile and walked away. But behind me, Callum shouted with rancor, “Aurelia, divorcing you was the right move! How did I not see how cruel you really are? You’re disgusting!”

As his voice trailed off, I called the person who’d gotten Melina into the company.

“Philip, what’s the background on that girl you hired?”

“Ah, she’s the last scion of the dying Lancaster Group,” he said. “Her grandfather begged you for five years but never got to meet you. So, he sent his granddaughter over to cozy up to you and build a connection. Of course, he’s after your patents, thinking if you can save the Ellingtons, maybe you can save the Lancasters too.”

Suddenly, a blurred memory snapped into focus. At several industry summits, I’d seen an older man bowing obsequiously in front of me, and behind him was a girl who wasn’t unattractive at all.

I let out a soft, bitter laugh. So, Callum and Melina were playing a game of mutual manipulation, each thinking they could use the other. How entertaining.

I was now in Philip Rowe’s office, telling him about Melina when his assistant knocked and slipped in, looking tense. He edged up to Philip and opened his mouth, but Philip shoved him aside. “This isn’t a room for outsiders. Say it.”

The assistant swallowed and said, “Sir, reporters have swarmed the company…”

“Swarmed? For what?” Philip frowned.

“They’re asking…they’re demanding an explanation from Ms. Crawford.”

Philip and I both pulled out our phones at the same time. When I saw the notifications, my heart dropped like it was tied to a boulder.

I’d made three of the top ten trending topics. The headlines were in blazing red.

[Betrayal! The Ellingtons' sponsored student of eight years goes rogue and voids a 40-million contract with a client just to satisfy her own grudge!]

[Mrs. Ellington betrays her husband and is carrying another man’s baby!]

[Aurelia Crawford, a schemer from the start. Her marriage to the Ellingtons was all an elaborate con!]

Messages from clients also poured in.

[Ms. Crawford, can you comment on the news? If not, our company may reconsider working with Mr. Ellington next quarter.]

[Ms. Crawford, we’re going to pause negotiations for now.]

Aside from those, anonymous insults from strangers also flooded me.

[Bitch! If I see you on the street, I’ll curse you every time!]

[Ungrateful, shameless wretch! I hope the baby in your stomach is born with serious health problems!]

I clenched my teeth and smashed my fist on the desk. There was no doubt. Callum and Melina were behind this.

Aurelia's POV

I had just informed a few clients that I was cutting ties with the Ellingtons, and before the news could even settle, the headlines exploded everywhere.

They wanted to corner me and leave me with no way out.

I grabbed my phone and headed for the door, but Philip caught my arm.

“Aurelia, you’re pregnant. Don’t go out there. I’ll handle it.”

But I pushed his hand away. “I’ve already crawled out of hell once. A little storm doesn’t scare me.”

The moment I stepped outside, I understood why Philip’s assistant had been so panicked.

It wasn’t just reporters.

Lined up at the entrance were several major figures from the city’s business circle—people with influence, the kind who never show up unless something big happens.

And among them were Callum’s parents.

Soon, Mrs. Ellington spotted me from afar, and her face immediately softened into a smile as she hurried toward me. The moment she reached me, she grabbed my hands.

“Aurelia, I don’t know how things escalated like this. It must be because of that forty-million contract, right? Did we upset Mr. Ashford somehow?”

Mr. Ellington chimed in, smiling like nothing was wrong. “She’s right. You can’t just cancel a deal like that and expect no consequences. So, be a good girl. Go apologize, get the contract back, and once the reporters leave, this will all blow over.”

I gently pulled my hands away and smiled. “Mr. Ellington, Mr. Ashford isn’t upset at all. I just signed that contract with his company under a friend’s name. He’s in a great mood, actually.”

I watched as their faces went from red to ghostly pale, and a cold, bitter smile tugged at my lips.

So, they were in on this, too.

All these years, I’d poured my blood and soul into saving their family, only to realize I’d been feeding a pack of ungrateful wolves.

Mrs. Ellington’s smile instantly disappeared. “Aurelia, what are you saying? You signed the deal under someone else’s company? You’re our daughter-in-law. Why are you helping outsiders?!”

I met her gaze, reached into my bag, and pulled out the divorce papers. “Sorry. I’m no longer part of your family.”

I handed them to her and stepped away.

But the crowd of reporters surged forward like a tidal wave.

In eight years, I’d stood in front of the media more times than I could count. So, I knew better than anyone that at moments like this, the more you talked, the more mistakes you made.

Knowing that, I just turned and headed for the back exit.

That was when a sugary, mocking voice called out behind me. “Well, well. Isn’t this the always-so-poised Ms. Crawford? What’s the matter? Feeling guilty, so you’re running away now?”

Melina appeared arm-in-arm with Callum, walking toward me with a smirk.

Even so, I ignored her and kept moving. But I’d barely taken two steps when someone grabbed my wrist.

Aurelia's POV

She stepped right up to me, pointing a finger in my face. “Listen, Aurelia. Don’t think the Ellingtons can’t live without you. Forty million? Four hundred million? Forty billion? If I say it’s nothing, then it’s nothing!”

Crossing her arms on her chest, she added, “Mrs. Ellington was kind enough to give you a way out, but you ignored her and embarrassed her in public. Get over here and apologize. Now!”

Callum then joined in coldly, “Aurelia, you really crossed the line today. If you don’t apologize to Mom, you’re not leaving.”

The crowd outside kept growing, and I even saw some of our clients’ cars pulling up.

They really went all out for today’s show.

I glanced toward the entrance, calculating my next move, when suddenly, a sharp pain exploded at the back of my head.

It turned out, Melina yanked me by the hair and dragged me toward Mrs. Ellington.

But in the chaos, someone pushed me, and I stumbled, falling hard onto the ground. To make it worse, a nearby reporter also lost his balance and his camera slammed straight into my lower abdomen before he collapsed on top of me.

As a result, a sharp, piercing pain shot through my stomach, and within seconds, I felt warm blood spreading beneath me.

Unknowingly, Mrs. Ellington was already in front of me, but Melina still pulled my hair, dragging me closer as she yelled, “Move! Apologize to Mrs. Ellington right now!”

Mrs. Ellington’s eyes flickered with hesitation when she noticed the blood pooling beneath me. She knew better than anyone that for the past eight years, I had been crucial to their family.

So, she bent down, about to help me up.

But Melina cut her off sharply. “Auntie, you can’t go soft on someone like her. Don’t worry about your family business. Trust me and leave everything to me. I’ve already talked to my grandfather about the four-hundred-million project I mentioned earlier, and the money will be in your account soon!”

Hearing that, Mrs. Ellington’s hesitation vanished instantly. Her eyes lit up, and when she looked at me again, her expression had completely changed into arrogant and condescending.

“Aurelia,” she said coldly, “you’re older than Melina, yet you still don’t act as mature as she does. Out of respect for all these years as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, just apologize to me and return the clients you took from our family. Do that, and we’ll let this go.”

Melina took a step forward. She glanced at the blood soaking through my clothes, then leaned close to my ear and hissed through gritted teeth, “Aurelia, you’re pathetic. You can’t even hold onto a man, let alone a child.”

She chuckled and then sneered, “Once my grandfather transfers that four hundred million to the Ellingtons, your real suffering will finally begin.”

I clenched my teeth, pushed myself up, and without a second thought, swung my hand across her face with a loud slap.

“Your grandfather will be here any minute,” I said coldly. “When he arrives, we’ll see whose suffering is really about to start.”

Melina’s eyes widened in fury, and she opened her mouth to argue. But before she could speak, a deep, steady elderly voice roared from behind her. “Melina!”