My father-in-law and mother-in-law had placed their full trust in me. Before they passed, they asked only one thing: take care of the rare gold-tipped fish.

Those ten fish weren’t just rare—they were insurance for Sullivan Corporation. If Nina ever ran into trouble running the company—if the capital chain broke or the business suffered losses—selling the rare gold-tipped fish could pull the company back from the brink.

Their value? Two hundred million.

But now, that lifeline was gone. Wasted.

Nina didn’t hesitate. The moment she signed the divorce agreement, she stood in the middle of the office and declared, loud enough for everyone to hear:

“Starting today, Michael is relieved of all duties in the company.”

Then, as if rubbing salt in the wound:

“The position of Vice President will be temporarily taken over by Brandon.”

Gasps spread through the office like wildfire. The employees looked around in disbelief.

Brandon? That smug expression on his face—like he’d just won the lottery. He shot me a mocking glance, triumphant.

I didn’t say a word. Just walked out of the building, planning to drive home. But before I could get in the car, the head of security jogged over, looking awkward.

“Mr. Sterling… Miss Sullivan just called. She said… you’re no longer permitted to use any company vehicles.”

I paused, then let out a quiet, bitter laugh.

Of course.

Since marrying Nina, nothing—no property, no car, no real estate—had ever been registered under my name. After all, I had been the one to "marry in."

I tossed the car keys to the security captain and walked out of the parking lot. I hailed a taxi and headed back toward the villa.

But when I arrived at the gates of the community, I was stopped again—this time by the residential security.

The property manager was already waiting. His eyes flickered with discomfort as he said, cautiously, “Mr. Sterling… Miss Sullivan just called. She asked us to cancel your facial recognition access.”

“I’m really sorry. Without her authorization, we can’t let you in.”

He hesitated, then added, “Did you and Miss Sullivan have a fight? Maybe you could call her and explain?”

Cruel. That was the only word for her.

Just as I stood there, letting it all sink in, my phone rang.

Nina’s voice came through, cold and commanding:

“Michael, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”

“As long as you return to the company now, apologize to Brandon in front of everyone, and write a written apology of no less than 8,000 words… I’ll forgive you.”

I cut her off mid-sentence. My voice was calm. Flat.

“No need. I’m divorcing you.”

Then I hung up.

I could imagine her face twisting in rage on the other end of the line.

Sure enough, not long after, Sullivan Corporation released an official statement:

Nina and I had signed a divorce agreement. Brandon would be promoted to Vice President.

The internet erupted. Social media lit up with speculation:

“Wait—Nina and Michael are divorced? No way!”

“Weren’t they madly in love just two years ago?”

“I remember their wedding—it was huge. And now, just like that, they split?”

“What happened? Did someone cheat?”

“I saw Nina out shopping with some guy a while ago... they looked pretty close.”

“No way. You must’ve mistaken her for someone else. Nina’s not that kind of woman.”

But the real storm came right after.

Suddenly, the internet was flooded with smears about me—claims I had bullied classmates in school, that I’d been disloyal in the marriage, that I was a manipulative hypocrite hiding behind a polished façade.

It was obvious someone was orchestrating it—dragging my name through the mud, trying to bury me in it.

Even without thinking, I knew who was behind it.

Nina and Brandon.

My phone rang again.

I assumed it was Nina, but when I glanced at the screen, I froze.

The caller ID left me speechless.

I picked up. A familiar, lazy voice floated through the speaker:

“Sir, is it true? You really divorced Nina?”

---

Half an hour later, at a coffee shop near Grant Industries.

Olivia Grant sat across from me, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“So,” she said lightly, stirring her coffee, “what’s next now that you’re free from Nina?”

I gave a bitter smile and sighed.

“Haven’t really thought that far. First, I’ll get the divorce certificate. Then maybe… start job hunting.”

I paused, glancing out the window.

“Not that anyone would hire me right now. My name’s been dragged through the mud online. Who’d take the risk?”

Olivia snorted softly.

“Maybe the internet doesn’t know your worth, but I do.”

She leaned forward, her eyes sharp with confidence.

“All these years, I’ve asked you more than once to join Grant Industries. Every time, you turned me down because of Nina.”

“I told you back then—staying in that small-time Sullivan Corporation was a waste of your ability. You’ve already repaid whatever debt you owed the Sullivan family. You practically rebuilt their business with your bare hands.”

“Now that Nina’s kicked you out like garbage, if you refuse me again, that would be just plain stupid.”

She flashed a sly grin.

“I’ll say it one more time: the Vice President position at Grant Industries is still wide open. Come work with me. What do you say?”

Grant Industries wasn’t even in the same league as Sullivan Corporation. And her offer was sincere—generous, even.

I took a deep breath and smiled.

“If I turned you down again, wouldn’t that make me the ungrateful one?”

Olivia raised her eyebrows, her expression smug.

“Welcome to Grant Industries, Sir.”

She extended her hand.

I shook it with a grin.

“Looking forward to working with you, Boss.”

---

Later that day, Olivia took me directly to Grant Industries to finalize my onboarding.

Then, as if that weren’t enough, she handed me the keys to a villa.

“You don’t have a place to stay right now,” she said with a teasing smile. “This one’s under my name. I rarely live there anyway—stay as long as you need.”

It sounded like a generous gesture from a boss to her new VP.

But that smile... that strange, playful curve of her lips—it made me feel vaguely uneasy.

And when we arrived at the villa’s location, I understood why.

Moonridge Estates.

The very same gated community where Nina and I used to live.

I wasn’t the only one caught off guard.

The security guards and property staff blinked in disbelief. Just that afternoon, they’d blocked my entry because Nina had revoked my facial recognition access.

Now, just hours later, I was back—with Olivia personally handling my registration and access.

When we stepped out of the property office, the manager looked at me like he’d seen a ghost.

Olivia handed me the keys and said, “Enjoy your new home,” before turning to leave.

Her villa was in the heart of the community—the crown jewel of the entire complex. Twice the size of the home I used to share with Nina.

As I stood at the door, inserting the key, I heard footsteps.

I turned.

Nina and Brandon were walking past.

Their eyes widened in unison the moment they saw me standing at the entrance to the largest villa in the neighborhood.

Nina narrowed her eyes at me, her tone cold and accusing.

"Michael, how did you get into the community?"

"Didn’t I already cancel your facial recognition access?"

Brandon stepped forward, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You didn’t bribe the security guards, did you?"

"Regretting your little tantrum at the company? Too ashamed to go crawling back to President Sullivan in public, so you came here hoping to catch her in private?"

He gave a mocking laugh.

"What’s the plan? Beg for forgiveness at the gate?"

Nina crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, a smirk forming on her lips.

"You humiliated me in front of the entire company today. Did you really think you could just show up here and I’d forget that?"

"Unless you kneel down and beg right now—outside this house, all night long—don’t expect me to forgive you."

Brandon raised his phone, already recording, hoping to capture my supposed humiliation.

I looked at Nina silently.

Once, I would’ve done anything for her. Endured everything.

But that man no longer existed.

Now, her cruelty—her need to tear down my dignity just to amuse herself and appease the man beside her—only made one thing clear:

She thought I was still hers to control.

Without a word, I pulled out a key and unlocked the gate to the grand villa behind me.

The click of the lock opening felt louder than thunder.

Both Nina and Brandon stood frozen.

Nina’s face contorted with disbelief.

"Michael… how do you have the key to this villa?"

"When did you buy it?"

Before I could answer, Brandon’s expression shifted. Panic flashed in his eyes.

"Wait… didn’t you say your family’s heirloom was still with him?"

He turned quickly to her.

"He must’ve sold it. That’s the only way he could afford this place!"

Nina’s fury erupted.

"Michael! You actually sold our family’s heirloom?"

"You ungrateful bastard—my father was blind to trust you!"

"You better get it back. If you don’t, I swear I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life!"