To be fair, I thought she had handled the warning well enough.

That evening, I bought a bouquet of roses and went to her film set to pick her up.

Instead, backstage, I saw Julian holding a plate of fruit and feeding her one bite at a time.

The way they looked at each other was so sticky and intimate it made my stomach turn.

I walked in and threw the bouquet at her feet.

"Mira. Is this what you call cutting him off? Explain."

She stood up impatiently.

"Grant, you're a thirty-year-old man. Can you stop acting like a schoolboy? What are we, kids? Do you really think people just 'stop being friends' like that?"

I stared at her coldly.

"When I said cut him off, I meant you never contact him again. You never meet him again."

"Impossible. If you keep threatening me like this, I'll divorce you. Let's see how you explain that to Grandpa."

I stepped on the roses and ground the petals under my shoe.

"Mira, I told you this afternoon. You only had one chance. Wait for the divorce papers."

Then I turned and left.

Behind me, Julian said in a wounded voice, "Don't fight with your husband because of me. Go after him. I shouldn't have come back."

Mira did not care at all.

"Relax. He's easy to coax. I just have to act cute for a second and his knees go weak. Ignore him."

My knuckles tightened until they went pale.

I called my assistant immediately.

"Nora, have legal draft the divorce agreement. She leaves with nothing. Terminate her spokesperson contract with the company and stop all..."

Before I could finish, another call came in.

It was the caregiver from my grandfather's house.

"Mr. Whitmore, your grandfather... the hospital just issued a critical notice."

My heart dropped.

My eyes burned as I rushed to the hospital, and I told Nora to bring Lily from home.

When I arrived, my grandfather lay in the hospital bed with a head full of white hair, smiling at me.

My eyes nearly filled.

I knew what that kind of sudden brightness meant.

Lily ran to him happily and hugged him.

"Great-Grandpa, I'm here!"

"Good. Good." He patted her back, then looked toward the door. "Where is your mom?"

I wiped the corner of my eye.

"She's filming. I'll call her right now."

Grandpa held my hand.

"You two must be good to each other. Mira is spoiled, yes, but she is not bad. Even if she makes mistakes, be patient with her."

I nodded.

"I know."

I walked out of the room and called Mira.

The phone rang for a long time before she finally answered, her voice bright with smugness.

"Oh, my dear husband. Too embarrassed to apologize face-to-face, so now you're calling?"

"But you really made me angry this time, and you apologized slower than usual. I want punishment. Buy me that blue diamond necklace."

I gripped the phone and forced my voice to remain steady.

"Grandpa is in critical condition. He wants to see you."

There was a pause on the other end.

Her voice trembled slightly.

"How did that happen?"

Before I could answer, I heard Julian beside her.

"Baby, I peeled this shrimp for you myself. Open up."

Then he added, "Huh. I think someone outside the restaurant is acting suspicious. Is Mr. Whitmore having us followed?"

The next second, Mira's sharp voice blasted through the phone.

"Grant Whitmore, are you serious? No wonder you're calling me right now. You sent someone to follow me, didn't you?"

"You are disgusting. This is controlling behavior. You're violating my privacy."

"And now you're lying about Grandpa being in danger just to trick me into coming back. When did you become this petty?"

"Don't call me again. I'll deal with you when I get home tonight."

The call ended.

And with that, the last thread holding my heart in place snapped.

If she had rushed to the hospital, I might have believed Grandpa was right. I might have told myself she was only spoiled and foolish, and that I could pull her back onto the right path.

Now I understood.

This was not innocence.

This was arrogance.

She believed Grant Whitmore would always be her loyal dog.

Fine.

From this moment on, whatever I did, I would no longer hesitate.

By the time I brought Lily home that night, it was already past one in the morning.

After carrying her back to her room, I sat alone on the sofa, smoking one cigarette after another as I waited.

Mira did not return until dawn.

She reeked of alcohol as she threw herself onto me.

"Husband, why are you smoking again? It stinks. As punishment, you are not allowed in my bed tonight."

I gave a cold laugh.

"What happened? Did Julian wear you out? Looks like you really do not have the stamina of a twenty-year-old anymore."

She frowned, grabbed my ashtray, and smashed it on the floor.

"Do not try to put filthy accusations on me."

I suddenly reached out and clamped my fingers around her jaw.

"You smell like him. Do you think I can't tell? Filthier than garbage."

Then I pressed the still-burning end of my cigarette against the collar of her shirt.

She screamed in terror.

"Mira, this is my second warning. For the next while, behave yourself. Otherwise, next time, the cigarette lands on your face."

She shoved me away and burst into tears.

"I'm going to the hospital tomorrow to tell Grandpa what you did."

"No need," I said coldly. "You do not deserve to see him."

Because she would never see him again.

Just minutes earlier, I had received the message.

Grandpa was gone.

As the founder of the Whitmore Group, his death was not something we could announce casually. There were family matters, business arrangements, and funeral procedures to handle.

For the next three days, I prepared his private funeral while working day and night at the company.

Mira did not send even one message.

In the end, Grandpa's funeral was held quietly under my arrangement. Relatives and old friends came to say goodbye.

Soon, the ceremony ended and the guests began to leave.

Just then, Julian rushed in with bruises all over his face, dropped to his knees in front of me, and cried.

"Mr. Whitmore, I was wrong. Please let me go. Tell them to stop beating me."

Mira stormed in right behind him.

"Why are you making everyone in the industry reject Julian's songs? You're cutting off his future!"

"And not only that, you told people to hit him every time they saw him. I hate this billionaire bully act of yours. Picking on an honest man? You owe Julian an apology."

I looked at them coldly.

"I did tell people not to take his songs. But the beating? That was their own idea. Maybe they simply think he deserves it."

Then my eyes shifted to Mira.

"And you. Look around before you throw a tantrum."

Only then did Mira see the large portrait of my grandfather placed in the center of the hall.

She froze.

"No. That's impossible. He called me just a couple days ago. How could he be dead?"

Julian immediately began crying, wounded and pitiful.

"Mr. Whitmore, why go this far just to make Mira feel guilty? She loves you so much. You cannot lie to her like this."

To my shock, Mira was stupid enough to believe him.

She grabbed a funeral wreath and smashed it.

"Exactly. I almost fell for it. If Grandpa really died, why isn't it in the news? Grant Whitmore, do not think you can coax me back so easily this time. And I am protecting Julian. If you dare touch him again, I will divorce you."

She pulled Julian away.

I followed the mourners to the cemetery.

After the last guest left, I stood before Grandpa's grave and sighed.

"Grandpa, you are finally at rest. I will not keep Mira anymore. I hope you understand."

I had just turned to leave when Mira called.

Her voice shook with panic.

"Lily is missing."

My heart sank.

I drove to her immediately.

When I arrived, she said through sobs, "Lily wanted pizza, so Julian and I took her out. I only went to the bathroom for a moment, and when I came back, she was gone. I called the police, but they said it hasn't been twenty-four hours yet. What do we do?"

Julian looked guilty.

"It's my fault. Her ball rolled away, so I went to pick it up. I didn't think..."

I slapped Mira across the face.

"You handed your own child to an outsider. How stupid can you be? Do you not think this is too convenient?"

Even then, she defended him.

"Julian was kindly helping me watch her. Do not frame him."

I slapped her again.

Julian held her in his arms as if he were the victim.

"If you want to hit someone, hit me. You cannot treat Mira like this."

I snorted.

"I will settle accounts with you. But I have something else to do first."

Then I took out the divorce agreement and handed it to Mira.

"You've threatened divorce several times. Fine. I will give you what you want. You leave with nothing. The Whitmore Group terminates every investment and endorsement tied to you. Lily will have no legal or personal relationship with you going forward. Sign."

Mira stared at me in disbelief.

"Our daughter is missing, and all you care about is this stupid divorce? How can you be so cold-blooded? I need Grandpa to discipline you."

At that moment, both our phones rang.

A breaking headline appeared.

It announced my grandfather's death.

Mira went completely still.

Tears spilled down her face.

"Grandpa..."

I said flatly, "Do you still believe what your childhood friend told you?"

Then I played a surveillance clip I had ordered someone to pull on the way over.

"Look carefully. Lily's ball did not fall by accident. He knocked it away on purpose."

"Divorce. This is not negotiable."