Over the past few years, I'd been working myself to the bone at Swanson Group during the day, just so that I could be a good wife to Justin. When I got home at night, I would still have to wait on him and Kayla, hand and foot. They were picky devils.

I was just in my early 30s, and yet, my hair was already graying at the roots.

Indeed, I looked a lot older because of that.

I turned and went back to my room to pack up my few measly belongings. I was already planning where to go to relax as soon as I got the money.

I didn't expect Justin to come in after me.

"It's late. You don't have to leave immediately. Why don't you just leave tomorrow instead?

"Don't I have an empty villa in Weston? You can stay there for the time being. I'll come and visit you whenever I have the time. I know you still love me, Tamara. Stop acting difficult."

He then seemed to recall something and grinned affectionately.

"However, I really can't let you have the title of 'Mrs. Swanson' anymore. I refuse to let my child bear the stigma of being called an illegitimate child as soon as they're born."

I didn't answer him. Instead, I picked up my suitcase and walked straight to the door.

"I don't have anything to say to you. It's my pleasure to be divorced from you. If you still want to show that you care, then kindly send me the alimony as soon as possible."

The winter wind was cold against my face, chilling me to the bone, but it still wasn't enough to put out the blazing fire in my chest.

…

Justin was as efficient as ever. When I woke up the next morning, I realized that a sum of three billion dollars had been transferred into my account.

I took the money and went straight to the most luxurious spa and wellness center in Cornton. I booked a complete package. It included a hair styling appointment, a full-body spa session, and a massage.

The haggard, gray-haired woman in the mirror was gone. It was now replaced by a beautiful young woman with striking red hair and clear, sharp eyes.

I'd only just changed back into my clothes when my best friend, Melanie Gilbert, suddenly called me.

The first thing she did was scream and squeal directly into my ear.

"Tamara Baldwin! What's happened between you and Justin? Is the world going crazy? Am I going crazy?"

I held the phone away from my ear and asked lazily, "What's the matter?"

"What do you mean by that! Don't you follow the news?" Melanie squealed incredulously. "Photos of Justin and that side bitch of his made headlines!

"He brought her to some event last night in public! He also told all of the media there that that bitch was his one and only wife and that they were getting married soon!

"And your damn in-laws agreed wholly with him and said that the bitch was worth it!"

She then lowered her voice and asked me in concern, "Are you alright, though, Tammy?"

The public recognition that I'd always yearned for from Justin evaded me for the entirety of my past life. However, he was giving it to Kayla so easily.

"I'm fine," I said, checking myself out in the mirror. I continued nonchalantly, "We're divorced."

"D-Divorced?"

Melanie refused to believe me. She'd witnessed me love Justin for more than a whole decade, after all. She often felt angry and frustrated on my behalf because I was sacrificing so much of myself and behaving like a loyal lapdog without ever getting anything in return in the relationship.

I didn't bother explaining further and chuckled lightly.

"Are you free tonight? Let's go get some drinks. My treat."

That night, we went to the glitziest and most extravagant bar in Cornton. The booths around us were all bubbling over with the most expensive Ace of Spades champagne.

A number of handsome male escorts sat around me, attentively and eagerly pouring drinks for me.

Melanie watched with wide eyes.

"Damn. I believe you now. You're totally over him. You never used to be like this in the past."

In the past, I used to want to prove to Justin that I wasn't after his money by always comparing prices and buying the cheaper alternative with more value for money. I didn't want him to think that I was just squandering away his money without taking care of the household.

Now, I was seated in the VIP booths while looking at my reflection on the glass. My hair was bold and red. I was wearing a perfectly tailored haute couture dress. It somehow felt a little strange yet familiar to see myself like that.

Melanie raised her glass and clinked it with mine.

"You're finally more reminiscent of how you used to be known—the legendary genius school beauty from Alberton College's School of Finance."

She took a huge gulp of champagne and began complaining indignantly on my behalf.

"Do you know how many venture capitalists were falling over their feet to try and get you? If you'd started your own company, you would have crushed the Swansons a long time ago!"

"And yet, after working yourself to the bone for a decade at the Swansons, all you got was just this little bit of alimony. It's so not fair. I feel so sorry for you, Tammy," Melanie said.

It hadn't just been ten years of my life.

In my past life, Swanson Group once dominated the list of the top-performing companies in the country under my leadership. Yet, in my older years, I couldn't even afford to buy myself a box of painkillers.

Ultimately, I was even kicked out of the family by Kayla's children and died from an illness next to a garbage dump on a cold winter night.

The business empire I spent my entire life building ended up benefiting Kayla and her children.

At that thought, I downed the alcohol in my glass at one go, letting the liquid burn down my throat and ignite a fire in my chest.

I was going to show them.

Without me, they would not be able to continue living the life they were used to.

…

The next morning, news of my company registration spread like wildfire, and the industry was instantly abuzz.

Some investors sensed a golden opportunity and rushed in overnight with elaborate proposals, eager to invest in my company. However, many more just watched in amusement, observing the Swanson family's attitude toward the news.

I didn't know who started it, but the paparazzi's news was filled with articles calling me a fool, belittling me, and calling me overly smug and confident.

I just looked at the notifications on my phone and swiped them all away.

I just didn't expect to receive a call from Justin.

"Stop making a fool of yourself, Tamara Baldwin! Running a company is not child's play. Your bit of money won't last that long.

"I haven't removed your position from Swanson Group yet. You can come back instead."

I rejected him coldly and said, "There's no need for you to worry about me, Mr. Swanson."

There were a few seconds of silence on the phone. He was somewhat displeased, but he still tried being patient with me and said, "Can't you be more understanding of me, Tamara? I just met my true love.

"Also, isn't it better for you to stay here in Swanson Group than it is for you to start some stupid company of your own? You should follow up on that M&A project in Southon…"

I hung up on him right away.

Just as I thought, he just didn't want to lose access to using my abilities after all.

That project in Southon was a tough nut to crack, and it was something I'd spent nearly half a year working on before they finally awarded it to me. The Swansons had no way of getting it without me.

Even though I was supposed to be the CEO of Swanson Group, I only received a monthly salary of 3,000 dollars. That was because Harvey told me that we were family, and we shouldn't have to be that petty and calculating when it came to money matters.

I naively used to think that they were simply testing me. However, now that I thought about it, I was just a highly capable yet incredibly cheap labor force they managed to hire.

The more I thought of it, the angrier I got.

I made up my mind.

Regarding all those projects I once secured for the Swansons in my past life, it didn't matter if my new company wouldn't be able to handle them all. If it couldn't, I would direct them straight to Swanson Group's arch-rivals instead.

…

Justin was so mad at being hung up on that he angrily flung his phone to the ground.

He'd been so used to my docile obedience. I used to be at his beck and call. Thus, he felt embarrassed and humiliated to have been hung up on this time.

At that moment, his secretary, Nigel Browning, awkwardly knocked on his door with a pile of documents that Justin couldn't make heads or tails of for signing.

The past few days of hard work, coupled with his years of neglecting the company affairs, had truly left Justin feeling overwhelmed.

Kayla walked in as well and took his hand. She looked at him in concern.

"Don't overwork yourself, Justin. Let me join the company and help you share your burden with you."

Justin was a little hesitant about it. "You're still young and unfamiliar with the company's operations. Why don't you start from the bottom and learn from each department first?"

Kayla's eyes turned red at once. She demanded, "If Tamara could be the CEO last time, why can't I?"

Justin instinctively wanted to say that I was the top student from Alberton College in finance, but when he was met with Kayla's teary eyes, his sense of reason vanished at once.

His heart softened, and he nodded in agreement.

Kayla smiled through her tears and hugged him tightly. She said tenderly, "I'm just so worried about you. Look at you. You've already lost so much weight."

Meanwhile, my company was already on track within half a month of its inception.

During this time, Kayla kept sending her people over to cause trouble for me. However, she used petty, underhanded tactics, all of which I easily and effortlessly defused.

After all, I had been working in Cornton with plenty of accumulated connections over the years I'd been here, and she was just a greenhorn who was no match for me at all.

The veteran employees in Swanson Group, whom I personally trained back then, had thoughts of switching over when they heard that I'd gone solo. Ever since Kayla took over, she'd been constantly making things hard for them on purpose. She'd been making their lives absolutely miserable.

However, I wasn't in a rush to hire them at once.

I just told them to secretly cause some minor trouble at their old workplace before they left, as a way to show their "loyalty" and "pledge their allegiance" to me.

Kayla didn't think much about losing a few people. In fact, she was secretly happy that she'd managed to get rid of a number of staff who used to be my "minions".

However, she had no idea that the departure of some of these core people was akin to draining the company's lifeline.

Projects failed one after another, and Swanson Group's stock price began falling.

On the contrary, my company was very strong and well-equipped with talent, and my team displayed astonishing vigilance as they secured several multi-million dollar deals in quick succession.

I stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room and looked at my jubilant team celebrating below, announcing loudly, "I'm treating everyone to dinner tonight at Bayside Chowder! Let's all celebrate with some food and wine!"

"Yes! Thank you, Ms. Baldwin!"

I brought the team out from the office building amidst their roaring cheers.

At the door, I noticed that a familiar black Rolls-Royce Phantom was parked quietly by the roadside.

The door opened, and Justin got out of the car haughtily. He waved at me.

I didn't spare him a glance and continued walking forward with my staff.

He sent Nigel to block my way.

Justin came soon after. His face was filled with undisguised displeasure and frustration.

"What do you mean by this, Tamara Baldwin? Did you not see me? You really think you're something now, don't you?"

I lost my patience with him and levelled a faraway look at him. "What do you want, Mr. Swanson?"

He was taken aback by my attitude. However, he still went straight to the point and ordered, "Shut down your company and come back to Swanson Group."

I got so amused by his self-righteousness that I burst into angry laughter. Yet, he thought that my laughter meant that I was wavering. He softened his tone and said, "I've been really tired lately, Tamara. When will you stop being stubborn about things and come back?"

He then paused, as if making a huge concession, and said, "If you really don't like seeing Kayla at home, I'll just arrange to have her sent elsewhere in the meantime."

I stared at the narcissistic, self-righteous man before me and wondered how I ever managed to fall in love with him in the past.

"I'm not being stubborn," I said, interrupting him. "We're already divorced. Kindly refrain from interfering in my life again, Mr. Swanson."

He lost all his patience with me and suddenly raised his voice. "I'm already making a huge compromise here! What else do you want from me!

"The company needs you now! Must you really act up and be difficult at a time like this?"

I suddenly realized that Justin was a very unreasonable man. Did he think that everyone in his life had to revolve around him all the time?

"If you have a problem, Mr. Swanson, I believe that you should just bring it up with your wife, Ms. Kayla Holt. I'm just an outsider. I have no obligations whatsoever to clean up after your mess."

Realization dawned on him, and his eyes lit up with understanding.

"You're making a fuss because of your title, aren't you?

"Fine. Just wait till Kayla gives birth to my child, and I'll reconsider. You just have to promise me that you will never make it public. I don't want Kayla to get upset."

I stared at him and tried to make myself clear, enunciating each word. I said, "I will only say this one more time. Get out of my life. I never want to see you ever again.

"I am never getting back together with you or remarrying you. Not for the rest of my life."

Justin then flew into a rage.

"Don't you get haughty and arrogant with me, Tamara Baldwin! Don't you forget that this is Cornton, and I know more than just a few ways to destroy a meager company like yours! It would be as easy as pie!"

Just then, a bright yet slightly lazy male voice chimed in.

"Oh? You've got quite the nerve, Mr. Swanson. How dare you openly harass my fiancee and also openly declare that you're going to ruin her company?"

Justin turned around. His expression nearly faltered when he saw who it was.